The Trouble With Black Boys: ...And Other Reflections on Race, Equity, and the Future of Public Education

Written by Pedro A. Noguera

Narrated by David Baker

Pedro Noguera is one of the nations most important voices on the subject of equity and social justice in education.  Never afraid to take on the tough issues, he always offers reason for hope in the face of seemingly intractable challenges.  This book collects Nogueras thoughts on a wide range of educational subjects from school improvement to school violence.  He examines the link between racial identity and school-related behavior, the significance of race in the racial achievement gap, the educational future of Latino immigrants, and recommends investing in the social capital of students and their parents and motivating leaders to restore public faith in education. Part One - The Student Experience 1. Joaquin's Dilemma: Understanding the Link Between Racial Identity and School-Related Behaviors 2. The Trouble with Black Boys: The Role of Environmental and Cultural Factors on the Academic Performance of African American Males 3. And What Will Become of Children Like Miguel Fernandez?: Education, Immigration, and the Future of Latinos in the United States 4. How Listening to Students Can Help Students Improve Part Two - The Search for Equity 5. Latino Youth: Immigration, Education, and the Future 6. Preventing and Producing Violence: A Critical Analysis of Responses to School Violence 7. Schools, Prisons, and Social Implications of Punishment: Rethinking Disciplinary Practices 8. Racial Politics and the Elusive Quest for Excellence and Equity in Education Part Three - The Schools We Need 9. Reclaiming the Promise of Public Education (with Alan Blankstein) 10. Standards for What? Accountability for Whom?: Rethinking Standards-Based Reform in Public Education 11. Racial Isolation, Poverty, and the Limits of Local Control as a Means for Holding Public Schools Accountable 12. Transforming Urban Schools Through Investments in Social Capital

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jul 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781705262382

Reviews for The Trouble With Black Boys

[barlow304 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This collection of essays covers a number of topics in education and educational reform. Like much of educational research, it is heavy on the anecdote and light on the data, but it is generally sensible. Prof. Noguera emphasizes the role racial identity plays in the observed behavior of black boys: the defensiveness that turns into agression, the posturing, and the discipline problems. He insists that students have to be seen as playing a role in their own development--they are not passive receptors, but have some responsibility for their own behavior.

Much of the rest of the book is concerned with educational reform. Here Noguera draws on sociology to argue that the development of social capital in poor neighborhoods could lead to significant improvements in urbal education. In addition, he argues that schools could play an important part in the development of that capital by allowing poor parents of color to organize, lobby, and shape the educational policies that cripple inner-city schools.