The education of a white parent
Subtitle: wrestling with race and opportunity in the Boston Public Schools
By: Susan Naimark
Publisher: Levellers Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Amherst, Massachusetts
Language: eng
Number of pages: 200
ISBN-13: 9781937146122
Subjects: School children; Race relations
Description: Soon after enrolling her older son in a Boston public elementary school, Susan Naimark began to see that opportunities offered to her kids were often unavailable to their classmates of color. In The Education of a White Parent, Naimark candidly describes her sometimes faltering efforts to create change in the school system, tracing what turns out to be the gradual transformation of a dismayed parent into a parent leader, school board member, and advocate for equal opportunities for all students. She acknowledges that the problem of racial privilege is overwhelmingly complex and freighted with awkwardness and frustration, but she asserts with humble confidence that it is not intractable. Alongside compelling stories about her experiences, Naimark discusses numerous national studies, identifying the pattern of inequities in public schools and some signs of progress. In a clear, conversational tone, Naimark shares what she has learned about navigating school bureaucracies, collaborating across race, and achieving results that benefit all kids.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: "They need whites there"; title: No crayons, no paper; title: Contact zones; title: Two steps forward, one step back, repeat; title: Bigger stages, tougher challenges; title: Me, a public official?; title: Lost in the shuffle; title: On metal detectors and other priorities; title: Fresh air; title: School assignment redux; title: Reflections in the rearview mirror.