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A review by astropheems
Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America by Paul Tough
2.0
Re/read this recently and still feel the same way. Augh! Warning: this is a rambly review.
It has all the fixings of a classic pro-charter movement, fancy neolib dressing and lots of talk of innovating ideas. However, the reality is that we live in a systemically and institutionally racist society, and on top of the environment/surroundings that the author describes, these solutions will really only serve a small few, rather than make larger meaningful changes. Additionally, other problems exist: either funding isn't consistent throughout or training or values of teachers and administrators and support staff isn't aligned. The Promise neighborhood programs I've seen has not yielded as many positive results. The ideas Canada sprouted have good intentions, but we really need some drastic and transformative changes at all levels (not just within the school environment) to really even begin to start. The program is a good effort, the book is a good look into someone/some organization trying to make a change at least. I should give this an additional star (to make it 3) because this really is a good case study/example of some classic social theories. Ultimately I am giving it 2 stars. I just believe in a greater change and type of social progress. I don't believe in reducing the inequalities of the world...and making it seem like the only solutions to combat the racial inequalities and policies that really impacts the lives of these students in a very real day to day way, is to develop personal or "psychological grit" to muster through and focus on your studies/programming and cross your fingers that you'll survive and somehow obtain a scholarship from fancy foundations so that you can make it into a 4 year college and somehow survive in a predominantly white and/or rich space. I just don't believe this is the answer. Maybe there should be a sequel written to this so we can get an update. Who knows. I just want us to dream more radically visionary futures than this.
It has all the fixings of a classic pro-charter movement, fancy neolib dressing and lots of talk of innovating ideas. However, the reality is that we live in a systemically and institutionally racist society, and on top of the environment/surroundings that the author describes, these solutions will really only serve a small few, rather than make larger meaningful changes. Additionally, other problems exist: either funding isn't consistent throughout or training or values of teachers and administrators and support staff isn't aligned. The Promise neighborhood programs I've seen has not yielded as many positive results. The ideas Canada sprouted have good intentions, but we really need some drastic and transformative changes at all levels (not just within the school environment) to really even begin to start. The program is a good effort, the book is a good look into someone/some organization trying to make a change at least. I should give this an additional star (to make it 3) because this really is a good case study/example of some classic social theories. Ultimately I am giving it 2 stars. I just believe in a greater change and type of social progress. I don't believe in reducing the inequalities of the world...and making it seem like the only solutions to combat the racial inequalities and policies that really impacts the lives of these students in a very real day to day way, is to develop personal or "psychological grit" to muster through and focus on your studies/programming and cross your fingers that you'll survive and somehow obtain a scholarship from fancy foundations so that you can make it into a 4 year college and somehow survive in a predominantly white and/or rich space. I just don't believe this is the answer. Maybe there should be a sequel written to this so we can get an update. Who knows. I just want us to dream more radically visionary futures than this.