Adolescents at School, Second Edition: Perspectives on Youth, Identity, and Education / Edition 2

by Michael Sadowski, Deborah Meier

Overview

As any teacher or parent knows, adolescence is a time when youth grapple with the question, “Who am I?” Issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ability can complicate this question for young people, affecting their schoolwork and their relationships with teachers, family, and peers.

This new edition of Adolescents at School builds and expands the strengths and insights of the much-acclaimed first edition. Drawing from the perspectives of teachers, researchers, and administrators—and adolescents themselves—it examines the complex, changing identities young people manage while they confront the challenges of schools.

A uniquely practical, insightful, and jargon-free volume, Adolescents at School points to ways to foster the success of every student in our schools and classrooms.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781891792946
Publisher:	Harvard Education Press
Publication date:	08/01/2008
Edition description:	Second Edition,2
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Michael Sadowski is an assistant professor in the Master of Arts in Teaching Program at Bard College. He is the former editor of the Harvard Education Letter and editor of Teaching Immigrant and Second-Language Students (Harvard Education Press).

Editorial Reviews

Sixteen educators and education writers grapple with the wide range of variables that kids experience as they move through adolescence. The contributors present perspectives on how issues such as race, gender, class, and ability interact with and affect adolescent development, supported by research, testimonials, and personal experiences. Sadowski introduces the topic in "Why Identity Matters in School" and draws some conclusions in "From Understanding to Action." Articles on race include prejudice, of course, but also problems encountered by "model" minorities (like Asians); an increasing percentage of mixed races searching for "an identity"; and the stigma of being a "perpetual foreigner," a common situation for Hispanic students, particularly, whether born in the U.S. or not. Gender issues range from male/female differences, male aggression, homophobia, and the school's role in the development and treatment of sexual minorities. Less space is devoted to social and economic issues and students with varied disabilities, but the incredibly complex and inextricable interaction of all of these elements, often in the same human being, dramatizes the problems our kids encounter. You won't find any major surprises, nor will you find anything so definitive as to alter what educators have been stressing for years about tolerance and identity, but you will have an interesting and well documented read that will support much of what it is hoped you are already doing.-Mary R. Hofmann, Rivera Middle School, Merced, CA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

“Adolescents at School is an exceptionally compelling book that should be read by all secondary school teachers, administrators, and parents. It helps us understand the educational successes and failures of adolescents, and focuses on how the lives of adolescents are shaped by their communities, schools, teachers, parents, and peers.” — Hersh C. Waxman, Director and Professor, State of Texas Education Research Center, Texas A&M University

“Adolescents at School is an extraordinary collection. I had a hard time putting it down. Each of these essays digs deeply and thoughtfully into a subject so vital to us all, with exactly the right balance between the personal, the anecdotal, and the research data. This book will be central to staff and family discussions at schools everywhere.” — Deborah Meier, author of In Schools We Trust and The Power of Their Ideas

“I wish every teacher, every parent, every person who works with adolescents would read this book. Insightful and informative, Adolescents at School combines wisdom gained through research and practice with the voices of young people to help us better understand the youths with whom we work. Adolescents at School belongs in every school.” — Michele Forman, National Teacher of the Year, 2001

“Adolescents at School provides a thorough portrait of the many worlds our students inhabit—a more complete picture than our students themselves can articulate.” — Aaron Listhaus, Director of New School Development, Urban Assembly Schools

From the Publisher