Still Failing

Still Failing: The Continuing Paradox of School Desegregation begins with an explanation of how the American government became so committed to the project of school racial desegregation in the first place. The authors outline America's long social and legal history of race-related problems, especially as they relate to schooling. This book also describe the unique, evolving American context which influenced governmental decisions and actions related to race-based educational practices. While describing America's rapidly changing demographics, and how these have complicated governmental efforts to racially desegregate schools, Stephen J. Caldas and Carl Bankston, III show how schools acquire their value for parents, and how, whether we want to face the facts or not, school environments are directly related to the socioeconomic and racial compositions of their students. School environments are the product of the social capital of the students, their parents, and their communities. Social capital is the beneficial product of healthy interactions between parents and children, parents and schools, parents with each other, and finally, between the children themselves. We demonstrate how the amount of social capital available is directly related to family socioeconomic status and structure, as well as community health and vibrancy.