Ghosts in the Schoolyard

Posted on 01 February 2018 by Eve L. Ewing

Failing schools Underprivileged schools Just plain bad schools That s how Eve L Ewing opens Ghosts in the Schoolyard describing Chicago Public Schools from the outside The way politicians and pundits and parents of kids who attend other schools talk about them, with a mix of pity and contempt But Ewing knows Chicago Public Schools from the inside as a student, then a teacher, and now a scholar who studies them And that perspective has shown her that public schools are not buildings full of failures they re an integral part of their neighborhoods, at the heart of their communities, storehouses of history and memory that bring people together Never was that role apparent than in 2013 when Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced an unprecedented wave of school closings Pitched simultaneously as a solution to a budget problem, a response to declining enrollments, and a chance to purge bad schools that were dragging down the whole system, the plan was met with a roar of protest from parents, students, and teachers But if these schools were so bad, why did people care so much about keeping them open, to the point that some would even go on a hunger strike Ewing s answer begins with a story of systemic racism, inequality, bad faith, and distrust that stretches deep into Chicago history Rooting her exploration in the historic African American neighborhood of Bronzeville, Ewing reveals that this issue is about much than just schools Black communities see the closing of their schools schools that are certainly less than perfect but that are theirs as one in a long line of racist policies The fight to keep them open is yet another front in the ongoing struggle of black people in America to build successful lives and achieve true self determination. Best Read eBook Ghosts in the Schoolyard Author Eve L. Ewing – kino-fada.fr See my review in the South Side Weekly.This is so well written I am biased in my praise for this book because I am a CPS teacher, and have been for 8 years My former school was on the list of schools slated to close I attended many a public meeting and watched teachers, families, students, and community members beg and plead to keep their school open So I can say that Eve Ewing hits every emotion that happened during that time period, and explains what it was like to an outsider I m not that outsider, but I m here to tell you th This is so well written I am biased in my praise for this book because I am a CPS teacher, and have been for 8 years My former school was on the list of schools slated to close I attended many a public meeting and watched teachers, families, students, and community members beg and plead to keep their school open So I can say that Eve Ewing hits every emotion...I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review We see that this community s choice to resist a school s being characterized as failing is in fact about muchthan the school itself it is about citizenship and participation, about justice and injustice, and about resisting people in power who want to transform a community at the expense of the people who...Excellent read Gives a multidimensional look at a school closing Examines the questions that are and should be asked.Wow I knew the Chicago Public School system was bad, but this opened my eyes to a whole new world of gentrification, racism, elitism, andin one of the most segregated cities in America What is terrifying is the way nothing has changed from protests in t...What do school closures, and their disproportionate clustering in communities like Bronzeville, tell us about a fundamental devaluation of African American children, their families, and black life in general Is there room for democracy and real grassroots participation in a school system that has been run like an oligarchy Eve L Ewing keeps it simple Yes, plenty of anecdotes, stats, and stories are offered within this work, but the bottom line is always clear you can t speak about school cl What do school closures, and their disproportionate clustering in communities like Bronzeville, tell us about a fundamental devaluation of African American children, their families, and black life in general Is there room for democracy and real grassroots participation in a school system that has been run like an oligarchy Eve L Ewing keeps it simple Yes, plenty of anecdotes, stats, and stories are offered within this work, but the bottom line is always clear you can t speak about school closures without considering the role racism has played There s always a rush to defe...A fan of Ewing s other diversely genre d projects, I was eager for this opportunity to read a volume of her scholarship Ghosts in the Schoolyard is a serious book about a serious topic, but don t mistake that seriousness for dryness or distance Ewing is forthright about her personal and professional investment in the Bronzeville community and her analysis is stronger for it Whether you are a born and raised Chicagoan, a transplant, or have never even set foot in the city, this book offers cru A fan of Ewing s other diversely genre d projects, I was eager for this opportunity to read a volume of her scholarship Ghosts in the Schoolyard is a serious book about a serious topic, but don t mistake that seriousness for dryness or distance Ewing is forthright about her personal and professional investment in the Bronzeville community and her analysis is stronger for it Whether you are a born and raised Chicagoan, a transplant, or have never even set foot in the city, this book offers crucial lessons in American history and education that are relevant to everyone Ewing uses an array of evidence from stats to interviews and does an excellent job of balancing academic rigor with an inviting tone that makes this a smooth read for non sociologists and non scholars As critical as I am about the Chicago machine, I still found myself profoundly moved reading this, meeting the real people whose lives have been irreparably altered by people in power who have no interest in servin...Dr Ewing goes in hard on the recent history of school closures in Rahm era Chicago.The effort and micro level strategy that was put into voter suppression in the South before the Voting Rights Acts is nothing compared to the machinations of Northern states when it came to redlining housing access, and the education failures that still plague our cities.When hundreds of schools are closed, and over 80% are in poor, black neighborhoods That is intentional, explicit racism You don t get to use t Dr Ewing goes in hard on the recent history of school closures in Rahm era Chicago.The effort and micro level strategy that was put into voter suppression in the South before the Voting Rights Acts is nothing compared to the machinations of Northern states when it came to redlining housing access, and the education failures that still plague our cities.When hundreds of schools are closed, and over 80% are in poor, black neighborhoods That is intentional, explicit racism You don t get...I received a galley of this title from NetGalley I can t wait for it to come out this fall so I can purchase and recommend it I m hoping to get to an author event to get it signed, since I am in the Chicago area.This book is a well written, well researched history of the public schools in the Bronzeville neighborhood in Chicago I ve read a lot of news stories about school closings, but this book digs deeper into what went in to those decisions and how the community tried to fight, or at least I received a galley ...Ghosts in the Schoolyard feels like a vital book for people who want to understand our cities While centered on school closings in Chicago, it explores the intersection of segregation and education Ewing focuses on the special place that public schools have in communities a...

01 February 2018

Eve L. Ewing