Abstract
This book is presented by the authors as an introduction to the study of race and education. However, in reality, what it does is present a number of complex issues in a brilliantly coherent structure. This allows the reader to understand how issues regarding race, socio-economic disadvantage and education are interrelated, and supports a way of viewing the impact of these complexities on educational outcomes. The book is therefore also a powerful reminder to both students and researchers in the field, not just to newcomers. The authors are successful in laying bare political and social forces of discrimination and weaving together the ways in which these affect pupils and teachers in classrooms. In presenting the issues as dilemmas, the book is set firmly within a no-blame context, which removes the discomfort of reading how all of us in some way perpetuate issues of racism and discrimination. Although the title of the book suggests that it will focus on racism, all the way through, the authors acknowledge the damage of discriminatory policies on the poor in society, demonstrating cogently how policies create a knock-on effect in which marginalised groups are systematically disadvantaged. This acknowledgement of the intersection of disadvantage has been a missing element from many texts and will be much welcomed by researchers and lecturers alike.
The authors write from a US perspective, discussing policy failures of the education system that mirror the UK experience: attainment dictated by social class and ethnicity; school funding streams adding pressure; and alienation rather than support and achievement. The authors begin with the school and classroom, discussing the curriculum as it stands and exploring what a culturally relevant curriculum might be. School interactions with society and political systems are exposed through the discussion of the impact of the Eurocentric curriculum. Leonardo and Grubb expose how the curriculum intersects with disadvantage, using what are now commonly used expressions within the field of education, such as ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ and ‘multi-cultural education’. There is a brief overview of the history of the situation, exploring, but without dwelling on, issues that are part of the historical context of the development of US society. They introduce the notions of white privilege and hegemony, explaining their perspective and putting the ideas into context with stories and anecdotes. This leads on to their analysis of wider systems at work in society; school partnerships with parents; the tracking of attainment; and funding streams for school resources. Each of these issues outlines policies that have, whether or not intentionally, exacerbated disadvantage for marginalised groups. The authors suggest that these policies have been systematic, although they acknowledge that there have been further detrimental impacts that were unforeseen outcomes of the policies, such as the bussing of black but not white pupils in the era of desegregation in the US. The theories are further integrated into the more globalised agenda of high-stakes testing, with which all educationalists must be familiar. Discussion around what counts as knowledge and the capital it can afford pupils pays regard to their origins but these are not further explored, leaving the reader to research these notions with references to follow up.
In the final chapter of the book, the authors synthesise the issues and dilemmas and cogently weave the ideas into an argument about what is happening while simultaneously discussing what should be done about these inequalities.
The language adopted throughout is inclusive, explaining meanings and choices, and drawing the reader into a clearer understanding. The preface leads the reader through a clear explanation of how the book is set out and how it will build understanding. The authors draw on current relevant research in the field but offer a range of perspectives to allow undergraduates and newcomers to the field to become knowledgeable about alternative approaches to understanding the issues discussed. The authors explain how they are using the terms of reference such as ‘race’, setting the term within a social construction and not the historical biological one; this is helpful to the reader. They discuss their understanding of power relations and the identification of race and ethnicity, explaining these as they go as if to engage the reader in discussion. The book provides the reader with examples of how education can work to change society and how influential researchers have had a significant impact on our understanding of education and systematic disadvantage. Each chapter is followed by a set of study questions for group discussion or individual reflection, which will engage the student in an interaction with how what they are reading is reflected in their experience.
The strength of the book is in its combination of theory and anecdotes, which bring the issues and dilemmas to life. The authors avoid the more radical, critical perspective, which could potentially alienate students of privilege who are known to flinch from feeling blamed for their privilege. Much of the history and policies contained relate so specifically to the US that it may be difficult for UK or European undergraduate students to understand the policies and theories with their own context without further guidance. This should not deter the use of this book, but, I would suggest, excludes it from being an essential reader unless accompanied with other contextualised readers.
It is an informative and engaging read that leads the reader through the maze of complex factors at play in the systematic perpetuation of disadvantage so as to open their eyes without confronting their sensibilities. Leonardo and Grubb manage the balance of theory, information and impact expertly, they walk the line between ideology and practice, carrying the novice along and ensuring that it is impossible not to pick up a great deal of understanding about the systemic nature of disadvantage. This is a clever approach to take as an introductory reader for undergraduate and postgraduate students of education.