LEADER 04164nam 22006494a 450 001 9910823355803321 005 20200520144314.0 010 $a0-292-79634-X 024 7 $a10.7560/777644 035 $a(CKB)1000000000461905 035 $a(OCoLC)608235573 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebrary10245754 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000266499 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11254380 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000266499 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10305106 035 $a(PQKB)10738817 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC3443273 035 $a(MdBmJHUP)muse1964 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL3443273 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10245754 035 $a(DE-B1597)586505 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780292796348 035 $a(EXLCZ)991000000000461905 100 $a20010601d2002 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurcn||||||||| 181 $ctxt$2rdacontent 182 $cc$2rdamedia 183 $acr$2rdacarrier 200 10$aValley Interfaith and school reform $eorganizing for power in South Texas /$fDennis Shirley 205 $a1st ed. 210 $aAustin $cUniversity of Texas Press$d2002 215 $a1 online resource (xxii, 151 pages) $cmaps 225 1 $aJoe R. and Teresa Lozano Long series in Latin American and Latino art and culture 300 $aBibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph 311 0 $a0-292-77764-7 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [137]-146) and index. 327 $aACKNOWLEDGMENTS Introduction: COMMUNITY ORGANIZING IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY Chaper One: FOUNDING VALLEY INTERFAITH: The Origins of a Grassroots Organization Chapter Two: PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT AT PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Chapter Three: CONTESTED CHANGE AT ALAMO MIDDLE SCHOOL Chapter Four: TRANSFORMING SAM HOUSTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Chapter Five: THE CHALLENGES OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND SCHOOL REFORM APPENDIX NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX 330 $aCan public schools still educate America's children, particularly in poor and working class communities? Many advocates of school reform have called for dismantling public education in favor of market-based models of reform such as privatization and vouchers. By contrast, this pathfinding book explores how community organizing and activism in support of public schools in one of America's most economically disadvantaged regions, the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, has engendered impressive academic results. Dennis Shirley focuses the book around case studies of three schools that have benefited from the reform efforts of a community group called Valley Interfaith, which works to develop community leadership and boost academic achievement. He follows the remarkable efforts of teachers, parents, school administrators, clergy, and community activists to take charge of their schools and their communities and describes the effects of these efforts on students' school performance and testing results. Uniting gritty realism based on extensive field observations with inspiring vignettes of educators and parents creating genuine improvement in their schools and communities, this book demonstrates that public schools can be vital "laboratories of democracy", in which students and their parents learn the arts of civic engagement and the skills necessary for participating in our rapidly changing world. It persuasively argues that the American tradition of neighborhood schools can still serve as a bedrock of community engagement and academic achievement. 410 0$aJoe R. and Teresa Lozano Long series in Latin American and Latino art and culture. 606 $aEducation$zRio Grande Valley 606 $aEducational change$zRio Grande Valley 606 $aCommunity and school$zRio Grande Valley 607 $aRio Grande Valley (Colo.-Mexico and Tex.)$xSocial conditions 615 0$aEducation 615 0$aEducational change 615 0$aCommunity and school 676 $a370/.9764/4 700 $aShirley$b Dennis$f1955-$0936877 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910823355803321 996 $aValley Interfaith and school reform$94109516 997 $aUNINA