Keepin' It Real: School Success Beyond Black and White (Transgressing Boundaries: Studies in Black Politics and Black Communities)

By Prudence L. Carter

Book Overview

Why are so many African American and Latino students performing less well than their Asian and White peers in classes and on exams? Researchers have argued that African American and Latino students who rebel against "acting white" doom themselves to lower levels of scholastic, economic, and social achievement. In Keepin' It Real: School Success beyond Black and White, Prudence Carter turns the conventional wisdom on its head arguing that what is needed is a broader recognition of the unique cultural styles and practices that non-white students bring to the classroom. Based on extensive interviews and surveys of students in New York, she demonstrates that the most successful negotiators of our school systems are the multicultural navigators, culturally savvy teens who draw from multiple traditions, whether it be knowledge of hip hop or of classical music, to achieve their high ambitions. Keepin' it Real refutes the common wisdom about teenage behavior and racial difference, and shows how intercultural communication, rather than assimilation, can help close the black-white gap.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195168623
• ISBN13: 9780195168624
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, Incorporated
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.3" x 1.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Interesting ethnographic work!

I read this book for a class in a graduate school, with the course topic being the sociology of education. I enjoy reading ethnographic work in the realm of education, as it furthers my understanding of theory beyond basic research. I feel that there is a lot of value in actually observing student behavior (and then coding these observations into book form) as a way to inform educators, scholars, and researchers about the "sociology" of academic achievment. Carter's aim is to debunk some of the myths surrounding poor academic achievement among Blacks by challenging the oppositional culture theory presented by Ogbu (and the numerous forms this theory has taken since it was first introduced). I feel that Carter does a good job of presenting her argument and using her observations to draw conclusions that discredit the oppositional culture theory. If this is your field of interest/research (education/sociology/academic achievement gap between Blacks and Whites), then I also suggest reading Jay MacLeod's famous "Ain't No Makin It" (1995).