By Theresa Perry, Claude Steele and Asa Hilliard III
Beacon Press, March 2003, 183 pp., $25.00 hardcover,
ISBN 0-8070-3154-2
The education achievement gap between Black and White students continues to be a hot-button issue, with some scholars arguing that Black students lag behind other students for fear of “acting White,” while others claim Black students lack resources and support at home. This book reframes the nature of the debate by stressing the complex social identity issues that African American children face in school and with regard to testing.
In three separate essays, the authors explore how African American students experience school in a society that has historically devalued their intellectual abilities. They call for a new understanding of the unique obstacles Black students face in American schools and point to a variety of education practices that can mitigate those challenges and promote academic excellence.
