Children, Schools, And Inequality

by Doris R. Entwisle, Karl L. Alexander, Linda Steffel Olson

Educational sociologists have paid relatively little attention to children in middle childhood (ages 6 to 12), whereas developmental psychologists have emphasized factors internal to the child much more than the social contexts in explaining children's development. Children, Schools, and Inequality redresses that imbalance. It examines elementary school outcomes (e.g., test scores, grades, retention rates) in light of the socioeconomic variation in schools and neighborhoods, the organizational patterns across elementary schools, and the ways in which family structure intersects with children's school performance. Adding data from the Baltimore Beginning School Study to information culled from the fields of sociology, child development, and education, this book suggests why the gap between the school achievement of poor children and those who are better off has been so difficult to close. Doris Enwistle, Karl Alexander, and Linda Olson show why the first-grade transition—how children negotiate entry into full-time schooling—is a crucial period. They also show that events over that time have repercussions that echo throughout children's entire school careers. Currently the only study of this life transition to cover a comprehensive sample and to suggest straightforward remedies for urban schools, Children, Schools, and Inequality can inform educators, practitioners, and policymakers, as well as researchers in the sociology of education and child development.

Genres: Education, Sociology, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 19, 1997

Reviews

[Anna Comstock]

This book provides evidence for the importance of out-of-school experiences, childrearing practices, and broader socio-economic disparities in determining educational outcomes. Authors provide overview of the results of the Beginning School Study in Baltimore and potential implications for reform efforts. Highly recommended read to understand student struggles arising outside of the classroom.