Hope and Despair in the American City

Last updated

Hope and Despair in the American City: Why There Are No Bad Schools in Raleigh is a 2009 book by Gerald Grant, published by Harvard University Press.

Contents

The book's argument is that the Wake County School District of Raleigh, North Carolina has a more functional public school system than the Syracuse City School District because the former has merged economically disparate areas in the same school system and has socioeconomically balanced enrollment at its schools. [1] Grant stated that political decisions and not what Grant describes as "conscious racism" damaged the Syracuse district. In the words of Richard Arum of New York University, Grant argued that the Wake County district was "exemplary". [2]

The subtitle of the book refers to a saying that was made after the Wake County district, formed from a previous inner city and a previous suburban school district to merge socioeconomic and racial groups, was created. [3]

Regina Smardon described the work as both "a masterful ethnographic survey" and a "brilliant demographic analysis". [4]

Background

Grant originated from Syracuse, New York. [5] He had his high school education in that city. He later worked for the Washington Post in writing articles about education, then got into a PhD program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, which he completed, and began working for Syracuse University as a professor. [6]

Contents

The use of Syracuse as the counterexample is done to show how de facto educational segregation is prevalent in the northern United States. [7]

Reception

Arum concluded that the book is "a compelling historical account." [8] Arum argued that the author should have put more focus on student tracking done in Wake County; the author asserted that standards were maintained in classes for students on lower levels of tracking. [8]

Smardon, who graduated from the Syracuse district, stated that the book explained to her "nagging questions" about academic failure in that district. [7]

Publishers Weekly described it as "a must-read for anyone interested in" the book's respective fields. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raleigh, North Carolina</span> Capital city of North Carolina, United States

Raleigh is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeast, the 41st-most populous city in the U.S., and the largest city of the Research Triangle metro area. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees, which line the streets in the heart of the city. The city covers a land area of 147.6 sq mi (382 km2). The U.S. Census Bureau counted the city's population as 474,069 in the 2020 census. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. The city of Raleigh is named after Sir Walter Raleigh, who established the lost Roanoke Colony in present-day Dare County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wake County, North Carolina</span> County in North Carolina, United States

Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the United States, with the town of Cary and the city of Raleigh being the 8th- and 15th-fastest growing cities, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garner, North Carolina</span> Town in North Carolina, United States

Garner is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States and a suburb of Raleigh. The population is 31,159 as of the 2020 Census. The city limits are entirely within Wake County, though portions of unincorporated Wake County, as well as the Cleveland community in northern Johnston County, have Garner mailing addresses. It is part of the Research Triangle region of North Carolina and serves as a bedroom community for the region.

William Julius Wilson is an American sociologist. He is a professor at Harvard University and author of works on urban sociology, race and class issues. Laureate of the National Medal of Science, he served as the 80th President of the American Sociological Association, was a member of numerous national boards and commissions. He identified the importance of neighborhood effects and demonstrated how limited employment opportunities and weakened institutional resources exacerbated poverty within American inner-city neighborhoods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Research Triangle</span> Geographic region of North Carolina, U.S.

The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont region of North Carolina in the United States, anchored by the cities of Raleigh and Durham and the town of Chapel Hill, home to three major research universities: North Carolina State University, Duke University, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, respectively. The nine-county region, officially named the Raleigh–Durham–Cary combined statistical area (CSA), comprises the Raleigh–Cary and Durham–Chapel Hill Metropolitan Statistical Areas and the Henderson Micropolitan Statistical Area. The "Triangle" name originated in the 1950s with the creation of Research Triangle Park, located between the three anchor cities and home to numerous high tech companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Easley</span> 72nd governor of North Carolina

Michael Francis Easley is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 72nd governor of North Carolina from 2001 to 2009. He is the first governor of North Carolina to have been convicted of a felony. A member of the Democratic Party, Easley was North Carolina's second Catholic governor.

Shaw University is a private Baptist historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Founded on December 1, 1865, Shaw University is the oldest HBCU to begin offering courses in the Southern United States. The school had its origin in the formation of a theological class of freedmen in the Guion Hotel. The following year it moved to a large wooden building, at the corner of Blount and Cabarrus Streets in Raleigh, where it continued as the Raleigh Institute until 1870. In 1870, the school moved to its current location on the former property of Confederate General Barringer and changed its name to the Shaw Collegiate Institute, in honor of Elijah Shaw. In 1875, the school was officially chartered with the State of North Carolina as Shaw University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enloe High School</span> Public (magnet, ib, gt) school in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

William G. Enloe High School, also known as Enloe Magnet High School or Enloe High School, is a public magnet high school offering Gifted & Talented and International Baccalaureate programs located in eastern Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. It is operated under the Wake County Public School System. The first integrated public high school in the city of Raleigh, it was named after William Gilmore Enloe, the Mayor of Raleigh at the time the school was opened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wake County Public School System</span> School district in North Carolina, United States

The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) is a public school district located in Wake County, North Carolina. With 157,673 students in average daily membership and 194 schools as of the 2021–2022 school year, it is the largest public school district in North Carolina and fourteenth largest in the United States as of 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garner Magnet High School</span> Public school in North Carolina, United States

Garner Magnet High School (GMHS) is a comprehensive public high school in Garner, North Carolina, United States, a city southeast of Raleigh. The school was founded as Garner Senior High School (GSHS), which graduated its first class in 1969. Garner is one of four high schools in the Wake County Public School System offering an International Baccalaureate Programme of study, along with Needham B. Broughton High School, William G. Enloe High School, and Millbrook High School.

William Nottingham High School is a public high school located at 3100 East Genesee Street in Syracuse, New York. Part of the Syracuse City School District, the high school has an enrollment of about 1350 students in grades 9–12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles V. Willie</span> American sociologist (1927–2022)

Charles Vert Willie was an American sociologist who was the Charles William Eliot Professor of Education, Emeritus at Harvard University. His areas of research included desegregation, higher education, public health, race relations, urban community problems, and family life. Willie considered himself an applied sociologist, concerned with solving social problems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syracuse City School District</span> School district in the U.S. state of New York

The Syracuse City School District is a public school district based in Syracuse, New York (USA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David L. Kirp</span>

David Kirp is a professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, a member of the National Academy of Education, a contributing writer to The New York Times and a senior scholar at the Learning Policy Institute, a "think-and-do" tank. He is a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Education. In his seventeen books and hundreds of articles, he has concentrated on pivotal education and youth issues from cradle to college and career.

The Loyola Greyhounds men's lacrosse team represents Loyola University Maryland in NCAA Division I lacrosse. Its home matches are played at the Ridley Athletic Complex. Charley Toomey has served as its head coach since 2006. It became a member of the Patriot League along with the university's other intercollegiate athletic programs on July 1, 2013. The Greyhounds were a member of the ECAC Lacrosse League from 2005 to 2013. It became the first member of the conference to win a national championship in 2012. It was also the first national title in the university's Division I history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William G. Enloe</span> Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina

William Gilmore "Bill" Enloe was an American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1957 to 1963. Enloe was born in South Carolina and sold popcorn before moving to North Carolina and taking up work with North Carolina Theatres, Inc. In 1953 he was elected to the City Council of Raleigh. Four years later he was elected Mayor. During his tenure the American South was permeated by civil unrest due to racial segregation. Considered a moderate on civil rights, Enloe criticized black demonstrators and resisted efforts to integrate the theaters he managed, but he eventually compromised and appointed a committee to oversee the desegregation of Raleigh businesses. He left office in 1963, but returned to the city council in 1971. He died the following year. William G. Enloe High School in Raleigh was named in his honor.

Richard Arum is an American sociologist of education and stratification, best known for his research on student learning, school discipline, race, and inequality in K-12 and higher education.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Agnes Hospital (Raleigh, North Carolina)</span> Former Black hospital

St. Agnes Hospital was a private hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Open from 1896 to 1961, it served the city's black residents. The hospital and an associated nursing school were founded after Aaron Burris Hunter and Sarah Hunter, instructors at St. Augustine's College, became concerned about the limited options local black residents had for medical care. Originally operating out of a former home on St, Augustine's campus, the hospital moved to a new four-story stone building in 1909. Largely reliant on philanthropic contributions, the hospital struggled to maintain adequate funding throughout its existence and served a large number of charity patients. Accredited by the American Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons, dozens of physicians and approximately 500 nurses were trained at the hospital. By the mid-1950s, the hospital was struggling to fund advancements needed to keep up with improving medical care and stricter accreditation standards. The hospital building was condemned in 1955 and the institution closed in April 1961 after Wake County opened a public hospital to treat both black and white patients. The main hospital building fell into ruins, and in 1979 it was declared a local historic landmark by the city of Raleigh.

The World We Created at Hamilton High is a 1988 non-fiction book by Gerald Grant, published by Harvard University Press.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Hope and Despair in the American City: Why There Are No Bad Schools in Raleigh". Publishers Weekly . 2009. p. 56.
  2. Arum, p. 447.
  3. Kirp, p. 210.
  4. Smardon, p. 439.
  5. Cottle, p. 287.
  6. Glazer.
  7. 1 2 Smardon, p. 440.
  8. 1 2 Arum, p. 448.

Further reading

Reviews
Other