Schools as Imagined Communities
Subtitle
The Creation of Identity, Meaning, and Conflict in U.S. History
As the federal government forces states to create centralized systems of accountability, the notion of a "community" school is now less and less defined by substantive decisions on core curriculum. Yet, the idea of a school as community survives, through the local politics of education or the policies of magnet and charter schools with small student populations. This collection explores the extent to which our collective notions of school-community relations have prevented us from speaking openly about the tensions created when we imagine schools as communities.
Bio
Sherman Dorn is the director of the Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation since 2014 for the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University, supporting the faculty, academic professional and staff colleagues who work closely with the division's 2,500 students.
Praise for this book
As a whole, the book offers sociologists several themes to ponder, such as the uneasy relation between ideals of school community and formal equality, the tension between legal initiatives and subjective experiences of belonging, and the meandering path from political battle to institutionalized practice. This Canadian reader was particularly alerted to the tacit influence of the American Civil Rights movement and its legal landmarks, such as Brown v. Board of Education, on contemporary notions of educability and rights that are spreading around the globe.
American Journal of Sociology
From the 19th-century common school movement to contemporary struggles over redistricting neighborhood attendance zones, Americans have sought to build communities around local schools — and sometimes to restrict access to outsiders. This anthology of historical case studies brings together rich narratives on this dynamic and the surrounding contexts of race, class, gender, sexuality and disability. In particular, the editors' excellent introduction draws meaningful insights from various scholarly fields and taught me how to think about 'communities' with fresh eyes.
Jack Dougherty Trinity College
