The Importance of Race in the Classroom.

L. W. D.

Vol. 12, No. 3, 1990, p. 18

RACE, CLASS, AND EDUCATION: The Polities of Second-Generation Discrimination by Kenneth J. Meier, Joseph Stewart Jr., and Robert E;. England (University of Wisconsin Press, 1989, xiv, 194 pp., $37.50 cloth, $14.95 paper).

Three political scientists present the case for viewing education as a “political process.” They conclude that the most important determinant of discrimination against black children is the proportion of black teachers in the classrooms. “Without the political action that results in more black school board members, which in turn produces more black administrators, who in turn hire more black teachers, second-generation discrimination against black students would be significantly worse.” This is a book that should be useful to school reformers and administrators, especially those equipped to deal with statistics.