A Fragile Enterprise: Yesterday’s Schools and Tomorrow’s Students

Brigham reports on her experience as an educational researcher in this scattered collection denouncing various aspects of U.S. K–12 education. The challenges of impoverished districts, troubled home lives, and serving students with disabilities are illuminated by Brigham’s reports of what she learned using her research technique of “shadowing,” which seeks to understand school from students’ points of view, but the insights arising from these efforts are lost in chapters that go on to broadly sketch problems with charter schools, adult basic education, professional development, and implementing programs of reform. It’s not clear who the book is aimed at, since some chapters collate best or worst teaching practices, several focus on students with disabilities, and others advise administrators on how to improve school environments or hire educational researchers. Brigham’s sympathy for the disadvantaged is clear, but the dearth of analysis or a framework for relating the varied topics weakens the cage-rattling effect. [em](Apr.) [/em]