Showing papers in "Harvard Educational Review in 2009"
TL;DR: In this paper, Tuck calls on communities, researchers, and educators to reconsider the long-term impact of "damage-centered" research, which intends to document peoples' pain and brokenness to hold those in power accountable for their oppression.
Abstract: In this open letter, Eve Tuck calls on communities, researchers, and educators to reconsider the long-term impact of "damage-centered" research—research that intends to document peoples' pain and brokenness to hold those in power accountable for their oppression. This kind of research operates with a flawed theory of change: it is often used to leverage reparations or resources for marginalized communities yet simultaneously reinforces and reinscribes a one-dimensional notion of these people as depleted, ruined, and hopeless. Tuck urges communities to institute a moratorium on damage-centered research to reformulate the ways research is framed and conducted and to reimagine how findings might be used by, for, and with communities.
885 citations
TL;DR: Yosso, Smith, Miguel Ceja, and Daniel Solorzano as mentioned in this paper explored and understood incidents of racial microaggressions as experienced by Latina/o students at three selective universities.
Abstract: In this article, Tara Yosso, William Smith, Miguel Ceja, and Daniel Solorzano expand on their previous work by employing critical race theory to explore and understand incidents of racial microaggressions as experienced by Latina/o students at three selective universities. The authors explore three types of racial microaggressions—interpersonal microaggressions, racial jokes, and institutional microaggressions—and consider the effects of these racist affronts on Latina/o students. Challenging the applicability of Vincent Tinto's three stages of passage for college students, the authors explore the processes by which Latinas/os respond to racial microaggressions and confront hostile campus racial climates. The authors find that, through building community and developing critical navigation skills, Latina/o students claim empowerment from the margins.
838 citations
TL;DR: Duncan-Andrade as discussed by the authors explores the concept of hope, which was central to the Obama campaign, as essential for nurturing urban youth and describes three necessary elements of educational practice that produce and sustain true hope.
Abstract: In this essay, Jeff Duncan-Andrade explores the concept of hope, which was central to the Obama campaign, as essential for nurturing urban youth. He first identifies three forms of "false hope"—hokey hope, mythical hope, and hope deferred—pervasive in and peddled by many urban schools. Discussion of these false hopes then gives way to Duncan-Andrade's conception of "critical hope," explained through the description of three necessary elements of educational practice that produce and sustain true hope. Through the voices of young people and their teachers, and the invocation of powerful metaphor and imagery, Duncan-Andrade proclaims critical hope's significance for an education that relieves undeserved suffering in communities.
296 citations
TL;DR: Perez Huber as discussed by the authors used race testimonios of ten Chicana undergraduate students at a toptier research university to interrogate and challenge the racist nativist framing of undocumented Latina/o immigrants as problematic, burdensome, and "illegal."
Abstract: Using the critical race testimonios of ten Chicana undergraduate students at a toptier research university, Lindsay Perez Huber interrogates and challenges the racist nativist framing of undocumented Latina/o immigrants as problematic, burdensome, and "illegal." Specifically, a community cultural wealth framework (Yosso, 2005) is utilized and expanded to highlight the rich forms of capital existing within the families and communities of these young women that have allowed them to survive, resist, and navigate higher education while simultaneously challenging racist nativist discourses. Reflecting on her data and analysis, Perez Huber ends with a call for a human rights framework that demands the right of all students—and particularly Latinas/os—to live full and free lives.
187 citations
TL;DR: Leigh Hall and Leslie Burns as discussed by the authors use theories of identity to understand mentoring relationships between faculty members and doctoral students who are being prepared as educational researchers, and they argue that faculty mentors must learn about and consider identity formation in order to successfully socialize more diverse groups of researchers.
Abstract: In this essay, Leigh Hall and Leslie Burns use theories of identity to understand mentoring relationships between faculty members and doctoral students who are being prepared as educational researchers. They suggest that becoming a professional researcher requires students to negotiate new identities and reconceptualize themselves both as people and professionals in addition to learning specific skills; however, the success or marginalization that students experience may depend on the extent to which they attempt to enact identities that are valued by their mentors. For this reason, Hall and Burns argue that faculty mentors must learn about and consider identity formation in order to successfully socialize more diverse groups of researchers, and they believe that formal curriculum designs can be used more intentionally to help students and faculty understand the roles identity plays in professional development and to make doctoral education more equitable.
175 citations
TL;DR: Contreras et al. as mentioned in this paper presented a qualitative case study consisting of twenty semistructured, in-depth interviews with undocumented Latino students in an effort to help readers understand the experiences and challenges facing them in higher education in Washington State.
Abstract: Undocumented Latino students in higher education represent a resilient, determined, and inspirational group of high achievers who persevere and serve as a model for success. Here, Frances Contreras presents a qualitative case study consisting of twenty semistructured, in-depth interviews with undocumented Latino students in an effort to help readers understand the experiences and challenges facing them in higher education in Washington State. Contreras's research explores the navigational processes these students employ in pursuing higher education and fulfilling their educational aspirations. Her findings provide insight into the implementation of HB 1079—the Washington State DREAM Act—in multiple institutional contexts and make recommendations for national and state policy communities. Her findings also demonstrate the critical need for universities to examine their institutional practices and efforts to support these achievers who have already beaten tremendous odds by entering the halls of higher educ...
147 citations
TL;DR: The authors explored epistemic tensions within an Indigenous teacher preparation program where students question Western systems for creating, producing, reproducing, and valuing knowledge, and advocated for an approach to training Indigenous teachers that recognizes the power of Indigenous knowledge systems, considers diverse knowledge systems equally, and equips teachers to make connections between various schooling practices and knowledge systems.
Abstract: In this article, Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy and Emma Maughn explore epistemic tensions within an Indigenous teacher preparation program where students question Western systems for creating, producing, reproducing, and valuing knowledge. Grounding their argument in a rich understanding of Indigenous Knowledge Systems, the authors advocate for an approach to training Indigenous teachers that recognizes the power of Indigenous Knowledge Systems, considers diverse knowledge systems equally, and equips teachers to make connections between various schooling practices and knowledge systems. Through the "story of the bean," in which an Indigenous student teacher reconceptualizes a science lesson from a more holistic perspective, the authors illustrate the wealth of understanding and insight that Indigenous teachers bring to the education of Indigenous students, and they depict the possibilities for pre-service teaching programs in which university staff honor the inherent value of Indigenous perspectives.
146 citations
TL;DR: Nunez et al. as mentioned in this paper used data from a national longitudinal study of students enrolled in four-year public research universities to assess the effects of social capital and intercultural capital on Latino students' sense of belonging in college and on their perceptions of a hostile racial/ethnic climate.
Abstract: In this article, Anne-Marie Nunez uses data from a national longitudinal study of students enrolled in four-year public research universities to assess the effects of social capital and intercultural capital—the capacity to negotiate diverse racial/ ethnic environments—on Latino students' sense of belonging in college and on their perceptions of a hostile racial/ethnic climate. She finds that Latino students who are more familiar with diversity issues and who report more social and academic connection and engagement experience a greater sense of belonging even as they also experience a more hostile campus climate. Her findings provide a nuanced understanding of Latino students' college experiences, with implications for how access to intercultural capital through positive cross-racial interactions and diversity curricula may offer benefits that counterbalance the negative impact of marginalizing experiences and ultimately advance educational attainment.
143 citations
TL;DR: The authors explored the deep linguistic and cultural ways in which youth in a multiethnic urban high school employ linguistic features of African American Language (AAL) across ethnic lines, and discussed how knowledge about the use of AAL in multithnic contexts might be applied to language and literacy education.
Abstract: In this article, Paris explores the deep linguistic and cultural ways in which youth in a multiethnic urban high school employ linguistic features of African American Language (AAL) across ethnic lines. The author also discusses how knowledge about the use of AAL in multiethnic contexts might be applied to language and literacy education and how such linguistic and cultural sharing can help us forge interethnic understanding in our changing urban schools. The article not only fosters an understanding of how AAL works in such multiethnic urban schools, but also sheds light on opportunities for a pedagogy of pluralism—a stance toward teaching both within and across differences.
91 citations
TL;DR: Suarez-Orozco et al. as mentioned in this paper presented three overarching principles to guide the Obama administration toward a more humane and effective policy agenda for immigrant children, and outline specific policy recommendations that reflect these principles to better serve this rapidly growing population and secure the future well-being of our nation.
Abstract: In this essay, Carola Suarez-Orozco and Marcelo Suarez-Orozco address one of the most critical challenges facing President Obama's administration: meeting the educational needs of Latino and other immigrant children in the United States. The authors first provide a brief overview of past policies and agendas that have created a situation in which the educational and economic needs of immigrant children and their families remain grossly unmet. They then present three overarching principles to guide the Obama administration toward a more humane and effective policy agenda for immigrant children, and outline specific policy recommendations that reflect these principles to better serve this rapidly growing population and secure the future well-being of our nation.
86 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors draw on the voices of three Latina and two Latino students who navigated transfer pathways from a community college to four-year colleges and found that although all but one of these students was eligible for admission to the selective University of California system, none of them exercised that choice.
Abstract: This article draws on the voices of three Latina and two Latino students who navigated transfer pathways from a community college to four-year colleges. Although all but one of these students was eligible for admission to the selective University of California system, none of them exercised that choice. In fact, only one enrolled in a selective university. The transfer outcomes for the group interviewed illustrate the informational and cultural barriers that students must overcome in order to exercise choice in the selection of transfer institutions. The findings indicate that institutional "transfer agents" are needed to help qualified community college students overcome informational and cultural barriers to transfer into selective institutions. The students' transfer stories reveal the detrimental consequences of lack of access to transfer agents.
TL;DR: In this article, Zvi Bekerman reveals the complicated and dynamic negotiation of individual and group identities for communities engaged in peace and reconciliation education, by looking closely at the experiences of students, teachers, and parents at one integrated bilingual Arabic-Hebrew school in Israel and finding that children are often able to reach beyond the boundaries of ethnicity and religion, adults struggle to negotiate their sociohistorical positioning with their goals for peace.
Abstract: In this essay, Zvi Bekerman reveals the complicated and dynamic negotiation of individual and group identities for communities engaged in peace and reconciliation education. By looking closely at the experiences of students, teachers, and parents at one integrated bilingual Arabic-Hebrew school in Israel, Bekerman finds that while children are often able to reach beyond the boundaries of ethnicity and religion, adults struggle to negotiate their sociohistorical positioning with their goals for peace. Everyday practices—from recognizing the exceptionality of students who participate in religious practices outside of their ethnic background to segregating national ceremonial events—promote static and nationalistic notions of identity that limit the potential of these schools to advance authentic and meaningful change for peace. Bekerman calls on us to teach our students to become artists of design who can help construct new ways of living together.
TL;DR: This article explored the experiences of first-year Latina/o undergraduates at a predominantly white institution and found that these experiences served as sitios y lenguas (decolonizing spaces and discourses) in which the undergraduate students were able to reflect on the ongoing transformation of their social and political identities.
Abstract: This article examines the experiences of first-year Latina/o undergraduates at a predominantly white institution. Through a borderlands analysis, the authors explore how these students describe their experiences participating in an ethnic studies course and mentoring Latina/o elementary schoolchildren. The authors find that these experiences served as sitios y lenguas (decolonizing spaces and discourses; Perez, 1998) in which the undergraduate students were able to reflect on the ongoing transformation of their social and political identities, revealing the complex and fluid latinidades (Latina/o identities; Latina Feminist Group, 2001) that exist among the Latina/o university students. This article explores the physical and metaphorical borders (Anzaldua, 1987) the undergraduates occupy, navigate, and challenge while they work simultaneously as mentors in a mostly Latina/o setting and as college students on a mostly white campus.
TL;DR: The authors argues that the opportunity gap still exists in our nation's schools and that we must continue to push for truly integrated schools, where black and Latino students are provided with the resources, high standards, and care to meet their full potential.
Abstract: Reflecting on the 2008 election, Prudence Carter challenges the popular notion that President Obama's victory is symbolic of a postracial society in the United States. Citing statistics about the opportunity gap that still exists in our nation's schools—as well as the recent Supreme Court cases that served to halt racial desegregation— Carter argues that we must continue to push for truly integrated schools, where black and Latino students are provided with the resources, high standards, and care to meet their full potential. Although she sees President Obama's victory as a symbol of national potential, Carter calls on all of us to work toward ending the "empathy gap" that exists both in and out of our nation's schools.
TL;DR: From the unique perspective gained heading Obama's education policy transition team, Darling-Hammond describes President Obama's commitment to making the education of every child a collective responsibility and reviews the major tenets of the new administration's plans for education as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: From the unique perspective gained heading Obama's education policy transition team, Darling-Hammond describes President Obama's commitment to making the education of every child a collective responsibility and reviews the major tenets of the new administration's plans for education. She reflects on the importance of suggested policy changes, particularly focusing on the importance of legislation to improve teacher capacity and retention. Finally, she considers how the field of education might look in 2016 should the Obama administration's education agenda succeed as planned.
TL;DR: Payne and Knowles as mentioned in this paper argue that given President Obama's support of charter schools, it is time for educators and policymakers to closely consider both the possibilities and the limitations of these schools in the context of urban school reform.
Abstract: In this essay, Charles Payne and Tim Knowles argue that given President Obama's support of charter schools, it is time for educators and policymakers to closely consider both the possibilities and the limitations of these schools in the context of urban school reform. The authors discuss the unique flexibility of charter schools—namely in staffing, time, budgetary autonomy, governance, and protection from district policies—as a significant source of their potential effectiveness. However, they also note the major challenges these schools face, as evidenced by variability in achievement results, sustainability, and quality of instruction. The authors suggest that these strengths and challenges must be considered together, and that the administration must focus on the elements of effective schooling for all children. Drawing upon this kind of evidence, the authors conclude, will lead to a more grounded and less partisan debate about urban education.
TL;DR: Giroux as discussed by the authors argues that education must be reconceived as a tool for instituting the democratic values and social consciousness required for broad social change, and questions the extent to which Obama's "postpartisan" political approach will move our society away from a preoccupation with markets and toward a greater sense of civic responsibility.
Abstract: In this essay, Henry Giroux frames the election of Barack Obama as an opportunity to shed the outdated neoliberal perspectives of previous presidential administrations and to recreate democracy and education for this new age. He argues that education must be reconceived as a tool for instituting the democratic values and social consciousness required for broad social change, and he questions the extent to which Obama's "postpartisan" political approach will move our society away from a preoccupation with markets and toward a greater sense of civic responsibility. Critiquing current approaches to education reform, Giroux identifies an inherent conflict between Obama's professed commitment to instating democratic equality and his appointment of Arne Duncan as secretary of education.
TL;DR: Chaux as discussed by the authors examined the effect that an environment replete with violent political conflict has on children and examined the case of Colombia and an educational initiative that attempted to foster stronger citizenship competencies among its students.
Abstract: In this article, Enrique Chaux considers the effect that an environment replete with violent political conflict has on children. He cites literature that points to higher levels of aggressive and violent behaviors among children in these settings. Then he examines the case of Colombia and an educational initiative that attempted to foster stronger citizenship competencies among its students. The program, Aulas en Paz, experienced success in lowering aggressive behaviors in students and increasing citizenship competencies among its participants.
TL;DR: The Xicana Sacred Space as discussed by the authors is an ontology and epistemology-based space for raising consciousness, gaining strength, cultivating cultural intuition, and achieving intellectual growth among those interested in conducting decolonial, emancipatory, and feminist research and action projects.
Abstract: The Xicana Sacred Space resulted from an effort to develop a framework that would center the complexities of Chicana ontology and epistemology as they relate to social action projects in our communities. Claiming indigenous roots and ways of knowing, the Xicana Sacred Space functions as a decolonizing tool by displacing androcentric and Western linear notions of research in favor of a Mestiza consciousness (Anzaldua, 1999). Organically born, the space proved to be an important source of knowledge, strength, inspiration, and reflexivity for the authors in their journey as graduate students. Here the authors explain how the space evolved and detail its promise as a tool for raising consciousness, gaining strength, cultivating cultural intuition (Delgado Bernal, 1998), examining positionalities and standpoints, and achieving intellectual growth among those interested in conducting decolonial, emancipatory, and feminist research and action projects.
TL;DR: Vanessa Siddle Walker as mentioned in this paper invokes the voices of black educators who challenged the diluted and failed vision for an integrated South after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision mandating school desegregation.
Abstract: In this essay, Vanessa Siddle Walker invokes the voices of black educators who challenged the diluted and failed vision for an integrated South after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision mandating school desegregation. Through collaboration and activism, these educators fought against the second-class integration implemented in the southern states and instead advocated for true equality and empowerment for black children entering integrated schools. Walker demonstrates that these educators' critiques are strikingly applicable to the present U.S. educational system, as they highlight our country's failure to provide educational equity despite decades of debate about its necessity and reforms to address the injustices. She advises President Obama's administration to incorporate these original visions of black educators in efforts to craft and advance a new vision for integration and racial equality in schools.
TL;DR: In this article, the educational stance of Barack Obama by exploring the president's speeches and his personnel and policy choices is explored. But it is also questioned whether Obama's hopeful message about education will be fully realized, given the decisions the administration has made or said it will make.
Abstract: In this essay, Wayne Au carefully considers the educational stance of Barack Obama by exploring the president's speeches and his personnel and policy choices. Au considers the election of Obama as a moment of possibility for change in American education, but also questions whether Obama's hopeful message about education will be fully realized, given the decisions the administration has made or said it will make. Finally, he calls for individuals to build a movement that demands educational justice in order to achieve the vision of equitable education set forth by Obama.
TL;DR: In this article, Houman Harouni evaluates both the challenges and possibilities of helping high school students develop critical research skills using Wikipedia and concludes that teaching research skills in the contemporary context requires ongoing observations of the research strategies and practices students already employ as well as the active engagement of student interest and background knowledge.
Abstract: Drawing on experiences in his social studies classroom, Houman Harouni evaluates both the challenges and possibilities of helping high school students develop critical research skills. The author describes how he used Wikipedia to design classroom activities that address issues of authorship, neutrality, and reliability in information gathering. The online encyclopedia is often lamented by teachers, scholars, and librarians, but its widespread use necessitates a new approach to teaching research. In describing the experience, Harouni concludes that teaching research skills in the contemporary context requires ongoing observations of the research strategies and practices students already employ as well as the active engagement of student interest and background knowledge.
TL;DR: Arbuthnot et al. as mentioned in this paper found that stereotype threat may have a negative impact on black adolescent students' test-taking strategies and achievement on mathematics standardized tests and explored the strategies test-takers use to process test items.
Abstract: Although research has extensively documented sources for differential item functioning and stereotype threat—especially among women and black college students—little is known about group differences in test-taking strategies among black adolescent students. In this article, Arbuthnot presents findings from two studies that seek to explore how stereotype threat affects standardized test performance in mathematics among black eighth-grade students. The author contextualizes the studies in a discussion of prior research and presents findings from an analysis of black students' test performances on standardized mathematics exam questions that do and do not include differential item functioning. Arbuthnot complements this work by exploring the strategies test-takers use to process test items. Findings from the two studies suggest that stereotype threat may have a negative impact on black adolescent students' test-taking strategies and achievement on mathematics standardized tests. The author concludes the arti...
TL;DR: In this article, high school teacher Megan Behrent reflects on the impact of Obama's election on the students in her high school classroom, and examines the many ways in which the high-stakes testing industry punishes public school students and teachers, continually disenfranchising those who struggle to learn without adequate resources.
Abstract: High school teacher Megan Behrent reflects on the impact of Obama's election on the students in her high school classroom. Obliged to temper her students' joyful exuberance on the morning of November 5, 2008, Behrent found that the election fervor highlighted for her the ways that schooling under NCLB has constrained both educators and students, taking away teachers' freedom to teach and students' freedom to learn. In this essay, she examines the many ways in which the high-stakes testing industry punishes public school students and teachers, continually disenfranchising those who struggle to learn without adequate resources. While Obama's election may bring hope to learners of all ages, Behrent advises skepticism toward the changes education secretary Arne Duncan might bring, and she calls on teachers, families, and unions to collaborate in demanding the freedom to nurture true learning.
TL;DR: In this article, Steinberg and Bar-On present the work of a team of Israeli and Palestinian teachers who developed a history textbook that includes both groups' narratives of the same events side by side.
Abstract: In this essay, Shoshana Steinberg and Dan Bar-On present the work of a team of Israeli and Palestinian teachers who developed a history textbook that includes both groups' narratives of the same events side by side. These teachers then tested the effects of its use in both Israeli and Palestinian classrooms; for the first time, students on each side of the conflict were exposed to the other side's understanding of key historical events. The authors present the challenges that the team faced in developing the textbook and that teachers encountered in the classroom as well as the understanding and collaboration this project fostered. They argue that the process of creating the dual-narratives text, as well as the text itself, allows teachers to play a productive role in violent political conflicts.
TL;DR: Gloria Ladson-Billings as mentioned in this paper describes her reaction to Barack Obama's election and her desire to share these historic moments with folks she considers "everyday people." She then looks to the future of education in the United States and highlights obstacles to the Obama administration's meaningful engagement with education issues.
Abstract: In this essay, Gloria Ladson-Billings describes her reaction to Barack Obama's election and her desire to share these historic moments with folks she considers "everyday people." She then looks to the future of education in the United States and highlights obstacles to the Obama administration's meaningful engagement with education issues. Ladson-Billings uses the frame of interest convergence to suggest that this new administration has the opportunity to engage in pragmatic politics and to put forward polices that simultaneously promote both the interests of public school students— particularly those from disenfranchised communities—and national interests. She illustrates this argument through a chronicle imagining a future discussion among the president's cabinet. Finally, she closes by describing the power of the president's inauguration for uniting diverse communities and broadening the definition of everyday people.
TL;DR: Adele Jones as discussed by the authors traces the changing nature of Afghan curricula since the 1960s, highlighting the conflict surrounding curricula during the Soviet regime and posits that resistance to statesanctioned curricula was seen as resistance to the state regime, often putting schools at the center of conflict.
Abstract: Although research has traditionally discussed the ways in which societies in conflict develop educational practices, only recently have scholars begun to examine the role of education in creating or sustaining conflict. In Afghanistan, changing regimes have had an impact on state-sanctioned curricula over the past fifty years, drastically altering the purpose and ideology of education. In this article, Adele Jones traces the changing nature of Afghan curricula since the 1960s, highlighting the conflict surrounding curricula during the Soviet regime. She posits that resistance to statesanctioned curricula was seen as resistance to the state regime, often putting schools at the center of conflict. This continues today, as Taliban groups resist the Western-influenced curricula of modern Afghanistan. Jones argues that understanding this cycle of resistance is critical for Western agencies aiming to support educational efforts in the country.
TL;DR: Greenwalt examines the discursive practices through which a group of French secondary students constructed their national identity as mentioned in this paper, concluding that the continued presence and salience of traditional versions of French national identity suggests the need to reconsider the relationships among social solidarity, pluralism, and national identity and calling into question the contemporary relevance of structural representations of the nation-state.
Abstract: France provides an ideal context for beginning to understand how schooling affects students' understanding of their national identity. In this article, Kyle Greenwalt examines the discursive practices through which a group of French secondary students constructed their national identity. Following an appraisal of the historiographical literature of nineteenth-century French nation-building, the author proceeds with a phenomenological analysis of the discourses students used to make sense of their lived experiences with teachers and schooling. Greenwalt evaluates the continued presence and salience of traditional versions of French national identity, suggesting the need to reconsider the relationships among social solidarity, pluralism, and national identity and calling into question the contemporary relevance of structural representations of the nation-state.
TL;DR: Aguirre et al. as discussed by the authors created MAS Familias, a campus organization that supports Latino/a undergraduates studying math and science, to promote dialogue, offer support, and improve persistence.
Abstract: Recent Yale alumnus Jarrad Aguirre relates his experience creating MAS Familias, a campus organization that supports Latino/a undergraduates studying math and science. Alarmed by Latino/a students' academic struggles and the lack of Latino/a role models in the fields of math and science—and increasingly aware of the social benefits of a diverse scientific work force—Aguirre built MAS Familias to promote dialogue, offer support, and improve persistence for Latino/a undergraduates in math and science departments. Aguirre calls on undergraduates to work together across institutions, to work with youth to build strong networks of budding Latino/a scientists, and to share their stories, as he has done, in an effort to promote change.
TL;DR: Moses as mentioned in this paper describes how the efforts of Justice Department officials working from the "top" of society combined with the day-to-day work of sharecroppers and organizers at the "bottom" to challenge Jim Crow.
Abstract: In the following pages, Robert Moses tells the history of the early civil rights movement in Mississippi, focusing on the individuals, alliances, and strategies that brought about fundamental change in the United States and ultimately made possible the election of Barack Obama to the presidency. Moses describes how the efforts of Justice Department officials working from the "top" of society combined with the day-to-day work of sharecroppers and organizers at the "bottom" to challenge Jim Crow. His story takes us from the front lines of the movement in Mississippi to his contemporary efforts to ensure that all children in this country receive a quality education. While working from the bottom of today's movement for educational equality, he calls on Obama to provide the leadership needed at the top to ensure lasting change. In this "illuminated story" he infuses his narration (in sans serif) with his own reflections and insights about the lessons this story offers.