Restoring Opportunity: The Crisis of Inequality and the Challenge for American Education

Description

In this landmark volume, Greg J. Duncan and Richard J. Murnane lay out a meticulously researched case showing how—in a time of spiraling inequality—strategically targeted interventions and supports can help schools significantly improve the life chances of low-income children. The authors offer a brilliant synthesis of recent research on inequality and its effects on families, children, and schools. They describe the interplay of social and economic factors that has made it increasingly hard for schools to counteract the effects of inequality and that has created a widening wedge between low- and high-income students. Restoring Opportunityprovides detailed portraits of proven initiatives that are transforming the lives of low-income children from prekindergarten through high school. All of these programs are research-tested and have demonstrated sustained effectiveness over time and at significant scale. Together, they offer a powerful vision of what good instruction in effective schools can look like. The authors conclude by outlining the elements of a new agenda for education reform. Restoring Opportunityis a crowning contribution from these two leading economists in the field of education and a passionate call to action on behalf of the young people on whom our nation’s future depends. Copublished with the Russell Sage Foundation Title Page......Page 3 Copyright......Page 4 Dedication......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 1. A Fading Dream......Page 7 2. Diverging Destinies......Page 11 3. Family Income and School Success......Page 22 4. Challenges in the Classroom......Page 30 5. Promising Prekindergarten Programs......Page 42 6. Elementary Schools That Work......Page 52 7. High Schools That Improve Life Chances......Page 61 8. Programs That Support Families......Page 75 9. Restoring Opportunity......Page 84 Notes......Page 97 Acknowledgments......Page 114 About the Authors......Page 116 Index......Page 117