Silenced Voices and Extraordinary Conversations

Book excerpt: Two noted educators invite new and veteran teachers on an intellectual guided tour through the troubles of bad practice and the delights of good. This volume is a collection of classic essays—as urgently needed now as when they first appeared—on social class, race, gender, and schooling crafted over the course of two decades. The authors invite all of us to take a serious look at the paradox of public education—the ways in which urban schools reproduce social inequalities while, at the same time, serve as sites for learning at its most transformative and compelling. A must–read for all those educators who believe that “we can no longer afford to cede this space to policymakers who know little of the life of a classroom, the curiosity of a child, and the moral imperatives of teaching for critical citizenship.” “Michelle Fine and Lois Weis are among the very best writers on education in the entire nation. This book shows why they are so worthy of our highest respect. It demonstrates the limits and possibilities of critical education in powerful ways.” —Michael W. Apple, John Bascom Professor of Education, University of Wisconsin–Madison “For those of us who share the experience of having waited hungrily for more from Michelle Fine and Lois Weis, having these historic works collected in one volume is deeply satisfying. This book is mandatory material for us all.” —Deborah L. Tolman, Center for Research on Women, Wellesley College