Improbable Scholars: the Rebirth of a Great American School System and a Strategy for America’s Schools

This book review was shared by Jan Resseger, Minister for Public Education of the United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries and chair of the National Council of Churches Public Education and Literacy committee.

I was up late last night reading Berkeley professor, David Kirp’s new book about school reform in Union City, New Jersey: Improbable Scholars: the Rebirth of a Great American School System and a Strategy for America’s Schools (Oxford University Press, 2013).  “Union City ranks sixty-first nationwide in its concentrated poverty…. It’s also the nation’s most crowded municipality.”  Virtually all students are Latino-Latina, many recent arrivals and a sizeable percentage English language learners.  And yet, teachers, administrators, and students are all working hard—and strategically. Test scores reflect a transformation in the district in recent years.

Kirp confronts the public education rhetoric war directly.  He spent a year in Union City immersed in classrooms and the way the district works, and he shows us a school system where the emphasis is on improving instruction, connecting with and supporting each student, experimenting with bilingual education, supporting teachers—many of whom grew up in this school district, and focusing way beyond the requirements of the New Jersey ASK standardized test.  An academic, Kirp also presents the research that supports reforms being implemented in Union City.

An important piece of the puzzle Kirp describes is the universal pre-school New Jersey has been providing for some time in its 31 Abbott districts, the poorest school districts in the state, where opportunity to learn including universal preschool was instituted as part of the remedy in Abbott v. Burke, probably the nation’s longest running and most successful school finance litigation.  (In recent years there has been pressure at the state level to reduce investment in the Abbott districts, a potential threat to the progress this book describes.)

This is an inspiring book and one of the most hopeful books I’ve read in a long, long time.  While it is an entirely secular book, it surely is appropriate reading for the Easter season.  Kirp emphatically rejects the hubris embedded in today’s technocratic school reform where wealthy theorists are content to experiment with shattering neighborhoods and undermining the humanity of committed teachers with econometric Value Added Metric rankings based on students’ standardized test scores, VAM rankings that have sometimes been published in the newspaper.  This is a book about people working every day to build human connections in a place where the public schools have, quite recently, become the heart of the community.

I hope everybody will read this book.  Wouldn’t it be amazing if it became a best seller? Many of the communions of the National Council of Churches are committed to justice in public education, with special attention to expanding access to quality education for the children our society has too often left out.  This is part of the heritage of the Council, whose Governing Board spoke prophetically in a 2010 pastoral letter, An alternative Vision for Public Education: “We… affirm that our society’s provision of public education—publicly funded, universally available, and accountable to the public—while imperfect, is essential for ensuring that all children are served. As a people called to love our neighbors as ourselves, we look for the optimal way to balance the needs of each particular child and family with the need to create a system that secures the rights and addresses the needs of all children.”

If you’ve read it or you want to, comment on the blog to start a discussion, or tweet us @NCCEndPoverty

–Jan

Models of Anti- Poverty Ministry – Presentation and Recommended Reading

In the first of the NCC Poverty Initiative’s Pastors Ending Poverty webinar series, Tronn Moller of the Faith and Community Development Institute shared some models of anti-poverty ministry for congregations to consider when planning how to confront poverty as a Christian community. Download his presentation here, and watch the video here.

He also recommended the following resources for reading.

Biblical principles of Christian compassion and transformational community ministry:

Jay Van Groningen, Communities First (CRWRC, 2005).

Ronald Sider, Good News, Good Works: Uniting the Church to Heal a Lost and Broken World (Zondervan, 1993).

Tim Keller, Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road (P&R Publishing, 1989).

Robert Linthicum, Transforming Power: Biblical Strategies for Making a Difference in Your Community (InterVarsity, 2003).

Robert Lupton, And You Call Yourself a Christian: Toward Responsible Charity (CCDA, 2006).

George McKinney and William Kritlow, Cross the Line: Reclaiming the Inner City for God (Nelson, 1997).

Bob Moffitt with Karla Tesch, If Jesus Were Mayor: How Your Local Church Can Transform Your Community (Harvest Publishing, 2004).

Bryant Myers, Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development (Orbis Books, 1999).

John Perkins, ed. Restoring At-Risk Communities: Doing It Together and Doing It Right (Baker Books, 1995).

Heidi Unruh and Phil Olson, What is Holistic Ministry? Video (Network 9:35, 2003).

Walter Bruggemann, Journey to the Common Good, 2010

 

Planning and mobilizing church-based community ministry:

Ronald Sider & Heidi Unruh, Churches that Make a Difference, (Baker Books, 2002)

Willie Richardson, Reclaiming the Urban Family: How to Mobilize the Church as a Family Center (Zondervan, 1996).

Ray Bakke and Sam Roberts, The Expanded Mission of Center City Churches (International Urban Associates, 1998).

Victor Claman and David Butler with Jessica Boyatt, Acting on Your Faith: Congregations Making a Difference, A Guide to Success in Service and Social Action (Insights, 1994).

Carl Dudley, Community Ministry: New Challenges, Proven Steps to Faith-Based Initiatives (Alban Institute, 2002).

Robert M. Franklin, Another Day’s Journey: Black Churches Confronting the American Crisis (Fortress Press, 1997).

Dennis Jacobsen, Doing Justice: Congregations and Community Organizing (Fortress Press, 2001).

Jan Johnson, Growing Compassionate Kids: Helping Kids See Beyond Their Back Yard (Upper Room Books, 2001).

Robert Logan and Larry Short, Mobilizing Compassion: Moving People into Ministry (Revell, 1994).

Kenneth Miller and Mary Wilson, The Church That Cares: Identifying and Responding to Needs in Your Community (Judson, 1985).

Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson, The Externally Focused Church (Group, 2004).

Amy Sherman, Restorers of Hope (Crossway Books, 1997).

Amy Sherman, The ABCs of Community Ministry: A Curriculum for Congregations (Hudson Institute, 2001).

Ronald Sider, Phil Olson, and Heidi Unruh, Churches That Make a Difference: Reaching Your Community with Good News and Good Works (Baker, 2002).

Steve Sjogren, ed. Seeing Beyond Church Walls: Action Plans for Touching Your Community (Group, 2002).

Luther Snow, The Power of Asset Mapping: How Your Congregation Can Act on Its Gifts (Alban, 2004).

Phil Tom and Sally Johnson, Handbook for Urban Church Ministries (Metro Mission, 1996).

Heidi Unruh, Phil Olson, and Ronald Sider, Becoming a Church That Makes a Difference: Ventures in Holistic Ministry CD-ROM (Network 9:35, 2006).

 

Bible study resources on holistic ministry

Justice Now! (Christian Community Development Association, 1992).

Carolyn Nystrom, Loving the World (InterVarsity Press, 1992).

Amy Sherman, Sharing God’s Heart for the Poor: Meditations for Worship, Prayer & Service (Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1999).

Ronald Sider, ed. For They Shall Be Fed: Readings and Prayers for a Just World (W. Publishing Group, 1997).

Reg Parks, Compassion by Command video curriculum (Here’s Life Inner City, 2002).

Best practices ministry profiles:

Robert Carle and Louis Decaro, Jr., Signs of Hope in the City: Ministries of Community Renewal (Judson, 1997).

Barbara Elliott, Street Saints: Renewing America’s Cities (Templeton Foundation Press, 2004).

Nile Harper, Urban Churches, Vital Signs: Beyond Charity Toward Justice (Eerdmans, 1999).

Ronald J. Sider, Cup of Water, Bread of Life (Zondervan, 1994).

Samuel G. Freedman, Upon this Rock: The Miracles of a Black Church (HarperCollins, 1993).

Web resources for church-based compassion ministry:

Alban Institute, www.alban.org

Center for Renewal, www.centerforrenewal.org

Center on Faith in Communities, www.centeronfic.org

Children’s Defense Fund, www.childrensdefense.org

Christian Community Development Association, www.ccda.org

Communities First Association,  www.communitiesfirstassociation.org

Evangelicals for Social Action, www.esa-online.org

When Heart Turns Rock Solid: The Lives of Three Puerto Rican Brothers On and Off the Streets

Recommended by: Rev. John Mueller, Trinity UMC, Springfield, MA

When Heart Turns Rock Solid: The Lives of Three Puerto Rican Brothers On and Off the Streets, by Timothy Black.

This book is an ethnographic study, and tries to honestly present the stories of the lives of three brothers and their families in Springfield, MA. It is a powerful work.

It was especially interesting to me because it is about life in our church’s city. I have thought about having a book study through the congregation on it, but the language is a little harsh at times. I still may though, because it is an important work.

If you’ve read this book or you want to, comment on our blog to start a discussion, or tweet us @NCCEndPoverty

The Spirit Level: Why Equality Makes Societies Stronger, by Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson

The Spirit Level: Why Equality Makes Societies Stronger, by Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson, Bloomsbury Press, 2011.

Recommended by Dr. Tim Ready, Director of the Lewis Walker Institute for Race and Ethnic Relations at Western Michigan University and contributor to research and content on Michigan Voices for Action, a premier source for information on poverty in the state of Michigan.

What does poverty in the United States have in common with poverty in the developing world?  Even though the poor in the U.S. have more than in most other countries, social and economic marginalization accounts for much of poverty’s pernicious effects, whether in New York or New Delhi. Poverty is not just a lack of basic material necessities, but also the resources needed for full participation in the economic and social life of one’s community.

Many countries define poverty in terms of income inequality –typically at 50% to 60% of median income. Below this level, the resources needed to participate fully in community life decrease while social stresses increase. That is why the negative consequences of poverty can get worse not only in economic hard times, but also when a growing economy disproportionally benefits the wealthy and marginalizes the poor.

As epidemiologists, the authors meticulously document how various indicators of health and well-being are worse in places with the greatest income inequality.As expected, the negative consequences of inequality fall most heavily upon the poor. What is more surprising is the authors documentation of how even the affluent in the most unequal societies are worse off in many ways than their counterparts in more equitable societies.

While not explicitly religious, the core message of The Spirit Level is indeed spiritual. Societies that are structured to respect human dignity by promoting something akin to Martin Luther King’s Beloved Community are healthier and even happier than those that tolerate the marginalization of their citizens. This is what the authors are referring to as the spirit level.

In addition to reading this important book, you can learn more at http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/resource/the-spirit-level

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A special note about this book:  NETWORK Catholic Social Justice Lobby staff read this book together in 2011 and were inspired to create a great campaign called “Mind the Gap.” It offers free curricula for teaching about inequality in the United States.

One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All, By: Mark Robert Rank

One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All by Mark Robert Rank. Recommended by Shantha Ready Alonso, NCC Advocacy and Outreach Specialist.

I was lucky enough to study social work at Washington University in St. Louis, where Professor Rank teaches. Consistent with his lectures and articles, this book is sure to enlighten and surprise.

This engaging and well-researched book provides surprising information about who is living in poverty when, and why. Rank engages questions about why the United States has the highest poverty rate among all industrialized countries. Based on his longitudinal research, Rank makes a case for why poverty in the United States is less about individual failure than flawed economic and public policies. He also offers innovative evidence-based strategies for lifting more families out of poverty.

This book is a must-read to inform the work of anyone working to end poverty. If you’ve read it or you want to, comment on the blog to start a discussion, or tweet us @NCCEndPoverty

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh published by Ballantine books New York 2011. Recommended by Ann Deibert, pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in Louisville, KY.

A first novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, The Language of Flowers tells the story of Victoria Jones, who is finding her way in the world after growing up in foster care. It’s a world with little support and few safety nets. Burning bridges, even with those who think they are trying to help, is often the easier impulse for Victoria. With many false starts, a few friendships begin to sustain her, at the same time challenging her to confront the defenses she has, understandably, developed to survive. While this novel is not an excursus on poverty, poverty and a life bumping around in foster care certainly shapes and limits the choices and resources available to Victoria.

If you’ve read it or you want to, comment on the blog to start a discussion, or tweet us @NCCEndPoverty.

Do you have a book recommendation? Send it our way at info@nccendpoverty.org

Growing Up Empty: The Hunger Epidemic in America, by Loretta Schwartz-Nobel

Growing Up Empty: The Hunger Epidemic in America, by Loretta Schwartz-Nobel. Jordan Blevins, Advocacy Officer with the Church of the Brethren, recommends this book.

Published in 2002, it gives an overview of the problem of hunger in the United States through various lenses – the middle class, the always poor, the working poor, the military, the homeless, and more. And, of course, this is a problem that hasn’t gone away, but rather gotten worse since 2002.

If you’ve read it or you want to, comment on the blog to start a discussion, or tweet us @NCCEndPoverty.

Do you have a book recommendation? Send it our way at info@nccendpoverty.org

Ministry with Prisoners and Families: The Way Forward, by W. Wilson Goode, Charles E. Lewis Sr., & Dean Harold Trulear.

Ministry With Prisoners and Families: The Way Forward, by W. Wilson Goode, Charles E. Lewis Sr., & Dean Harold Trulear. Recommended by Robert Brand of Solutions For Progress.

This book brings history and data about the U.S. criminal justice system into conversation with the hope of our faith. With an emphasis on the African American community, this book calls the church, and especially the Black church, to take a stronger role in supporting prisoners and their families, pre and post release.

Robert Brand says,”This is a wonderful practical approach to changing the way the faith community responds to incarceration and the way congregations and families welcome people who have been incarcerated back into their homes and communities. The Benefit Bank, an online tool developed by Solutions For Progress, with substantial support from the NCC in its early development, is an excellent tool that provides access to critical resources in the transition from incarceration to reentry into society.”

If you’ve read it or you want to, comment on the blog to start a discussion, or tweet us @NCCEndPoverty.

Do you have a book recommendation? Send it our way at info@nccendpoverty.org

Economy, Difference, Empire: Social Ethics for Social Justice, by Gary Dorrien

Economy, Difference, Empire: Social Ethics for Social Justice, by Gary Dorrien. Recommended by NCC Poverty Director Rev. Michael Livingston.

Gary Dorrien argues for the social-ethical necessity of politics well seasoned in social justice. His essays analyse major historical and contemporary figures such as Walter Rauschenbusch, Reinhold Niebuhr, Rosemary R. Reuther, Ctie Cannon, and Cornel West. Dorrien’s own personal experience in movements for social justice is woven into his narrative.

Click here to go to the Columbia website, where you can buy the book and read more about it.

Dorrien will be a keynote speaker at 2012 Ecumenical Advocacy Days, March 23-25 in Washington DC.

If you’ve read this book or you want to, comment on the blog to start a discussion, or tweet us @NCCEndPoverty.

Do you have a book recommendation? Send it our way at info@nccendpoverty.org

Child Poverty and Inequality, By Duncan Lindsey

Child Poverty and Inequality, By Duncan Lindsey Recommended by Linda O. Tilly, Executive Director of VOICES for Alabama’s Children:

“Simply THE best work I have read outlining public policy that has dramatically reduced child poverty in other nations and could do so in the U.S. Lindsey begins with a history of how the wealthiest nation in the world came to have such a high percentage of children living in poverty then goes on to propose viable income security policies for children and families that have been successful in other countries. He offers not only hope, but real solutions to advocates working to reduce poverty in our nation.”

If you’ve read this book or you want to, comment on the blog to start a discussion, or tweet us @NCCEndPoverty.

Do you have a book recommendation? Send it our way at info@nccendpoverty.org