{"product_id":"kids-dont-want-to-fail-angel-l-harris-9780674057722","title":"Kids Don't Want to Fail: Oppositional Culture and the Black-White Achievement Gap","description":"\u003cp\u003eUnderstanding the causes of the racial achievement gap in American education--and then addressing it with effective programs--is one of the most urgent problems communities and educators face. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor many years, the most popular explanation for the achievement gap has been the \"oppositional culture theory\" the idea that black students underperform in secondary schools because of a group culture that devalues learning and sees academic effort as \"acting white.\" Despite lack of evidence for this belief, classroom teachers accept it, with predictable self-fulfilling results. In a careful quantitative assessment of the oppositional culture hypothesis, Angel L. Harris tested its empirical implications systematically and broadened his analysis to include data from British schools. From every conceivable angle of examination, the oppositional culture theory fell flat. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDespite achieving less in school, black students value schooling more than their white counterparts do. Black kids perform badly in high school not because they don't want to succeed but because they enter without the necessary skills. Harris finds that the achievement gap starts to open up in preadolescence--when cumulating socioeconomic and health disadvantages inhibit skills development and when students start to feel the impact of lowered teacher expectations. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eKids Don't Want to Fail\u003c\/i\u003e is must reading for teachers, academics, policy makers, and anyone interested in understanding the intersection of race and education.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Angel L. Harris\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0674057724\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780674057722\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harvard University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/13\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 336\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.23lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.24h x 6.50w x 0.97d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eReference and Research Bk News\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/2011 pg. 147","brand":"Angel L. Harris","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43925550760191,"sku":"9780674057722","price":46.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_97da820d-26fb-4969-96e6-d56a47c25095.jpg?v=1681077939","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/kids-dont-want-to-fail-angel-l-harris-9780674057722","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}