The Cultural Matrix seeks to unravel an American paradox: the socioeconomic crisis and social isolation of disadvantaged black youth, on the one hand, and their extraordinary integration and prominence in popular culture on the other. This interdisciplinary work explains how a complex matrix of cultures influences black youth.

"This book auto-ethnographically explores the experiences of students and teachers both locally and globally, while addressing the critical intersection of race, class, and gender in education. It explores diversity perspectives on schools and society in Japan, the United States, Bahamas, and Jamaica in regards to living and attending schools in a foreign country; being an international minority student in the U.S.; and being a minority teacher in U.S. public schools. In doing so, the book addresses minority experiences as it seeks to promote agency and advocacy for the underserved both locally and globally, and making the world more humane and inclusive through education. It acknowledges that we live in a global society, and as such, we must become global citizens and ambassadors of the world in which we live. Greg Wiggan is an Associate Professor of Urban Education, Adjunct Associate Professor of Sociology, and Affiliate Faculty Member of Africana Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His research addresses urban education and urban sociology in the context of school processes that promote high achievement among African American students and other underserved minority student populations. In doing so, his research also examines the broader connections between the history of urbanization, globalization processes and the internationalization of education in urban schools. His books include: Global Issues in Education: Pedagogy, Policy, Practice, and the Minority Experience; Education in a Strange Land: Globalization, Urbanization, and Urban Schools – The Social and Educational Implications of the Geopolitical Economy; Curriculum Violence: America’s new Civil Rights Issue; Education for the New Frontier: Race, Education and Triumph in Jim Crow America (1867–1945); Following the Northern Star: Caribbean Identities and Education in North American Schools; Unshackled: Education for Freedom, Student Achievement and Personal Emancipation; In Search of a Canon: European History and the Imperialist State; and Last of the Black Titans: The Role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the 21st Century.

Most nineteenth and early-twentieth-century European immigrants arrived in the United States with barely more than the clothes on their backs. They performed menial jobs, spoke little English, and often faced a hostile reception. But two or more generations later, the overwhelming majority of their descendants had successfully integrated into American society. Today's immigrants face many of the same challenges, but some experts worry that their integration, especially among Latinos, will not be as successful as their European counterparts. Keeping the Immigrant Bargain examines the journey of Dominican and Colombian newcomers whose children have achieved academic success one generation after the arrival of their parents. Sociologist Vivian Louie provides a much-needed comparison of how both parents and children understand the immigrant journey toward education, mobility, and assimilation. Based on Louie's own survey and interview study, Keeping the Immigrant Bargain examines the lives of thirty-seven foreign-born Dominican and Colombian parents and their seventy-six young adult offspring—the majority of whom were enrolled in or had graduated from college. The book shows how they are adapting to American schools, jobs, neighborhoods, and culture. Louie discovers that before coming to the United States, some of these parents had already achieved higher levels of education than the average foreign-born Dominican or Colombian, and after arrival many owned their own homes. Significantly, most parents in each group expressed optimism about their potential to succeed in the United States, while also expressing pessimism about whether they would ever be accepted as Americans. In contrast to the social exclusion experienced by their parents, most of the young adults had assimilated linguistically and believed themselves to be full participants in American society. Keeping the Immigrant Bargain shows that the offspring of these largely working-class immigrants had several factors in common that aided their mobility. Their parents were highly engaged in their lives and educational progress, although not always in ways expected by schools or their children, and the children possessed a strong degree of self-motivation. Equally important was the availability of key institutional networks of support, including teachers, peers, afterschool and other enrichment programs, and informal mentors outside of the classroom. These institutional networks gave the children the guidance they needed to succeed in school, offering information the parents often did not know themselves. While not all immigrants achieve such rapid success, this engrossing study shows how powerful the combination of self-motivation, engaged families, and strong institutional support can be. Keeping the Immigrant Bargain makes the case that institutional relationships—such as teachers and principals who are trained to accommodate cultural difference and community organizations that help parents and children learn how to navigate the system—can bear significantly on immigrant educational success.

This report uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 and the High School & Beyond/Sophomores Study to summarize information on what is studied, where, and by whom, in the nation's colleges, community colleges, and postsecondary trade schools. Section 1 describes how the data is based on that which the taxonomy of courses and analyses of course-taking, credits, grades, degrees, etc., were constructed and edited. Section 2, "Degrees, Majors, Credits, and Time," presents the long-term educational attainment of the two cohorts of students (classes of 1972 and 1982). Section 3, "The Changing Shape of Delivered Knowledge," presents the taxonomy of courses, and includes the most common course titles in over 1,000 course categories, as well as enrollment trends by course category. Section 4 examines all credits earned by the two cohorts and identifies which courses account for most of those credits to yield an empirical "core curriculum." Section 5 provides data on proportions of students studying given subject categories; trend data is included for the past two decades. Finally, Section 6 provides data concerning such issues as trends in grade inflation and which courses students fail at high rates. The conclusion offers suggestions for further analysis of these data bases. (Contains 43 references.) (DB)

Improve student outcomes with a new approach to relationships and networks Relationships matter. Who You Know explores this simple idea to give teachers and school administrators a fresh perspective on how to break the pattern of inequality in American classrooms. It reveals how schools can invest in the power of relationships to increase social mobility for their students. Discussions about inequality often focus on achievement gaps. But opportunity is about more than just test scores. Opportunity gaps are a function of not just what students know, but who they know. This book explores the central role that relationships play in young people’s lives, and provides guidance for a path forward. Schools can: Integrate student support models that increase access to caring adults in students’ lives Invest in learning models that strengthen teacher-student relationships Deploy emerging technologies that expand students’ networks to experts and mentors from around world Exploring the latest tools, data, and real-world examples, this book provides evidence-based guidance for educators looking to level the playing field and expert analysis on how policymakers and entrepreneurs can help. Networks need no longer be limited by geography or circumstance. By making room for relationships, K-12 schools can transform themselves into hubs of next-generation learning and connecting. Who You Know explains how.

"Sitting down with a young and brilliant mathematician, I asked what he thought were his biggest problems in working toward tenure. Instead of describing difficulties with his equations or his software programs, he lamented that (a) his graduate assistant wasn’t completing his tasks on time, (b) his department chair didn’t seem to care if junior faculty obtained grants, and (c) a senior professor kept glaring at him in faculty meetings. He knew he could handle the intellectual side of being an academic—but what about the people side? ‘Why didn’t they offer “Being a Professor 101” in graduate school?’ he wondered.” Promotion and Tenure Confidential provides that course in an astute and practical book, which shows that P&T is not just about research, teaching, and service but also about human relations and political good sense. Drawing on research and extensive interviews with junior and senior faculty across many institutions, David D. Perlmutter provides clear-sighted guidance on planning and managing an academic career, from graduate school to tenure and beyond. Topics include:making the transformation from student and protégé to teacher and mentorseeking out and holding onto lifelong allieshow to manage your online reputation and avoid “death by Google”what to say and what not to say to deans and department chairshow meeting deadlines wins points with everyone in your lifehow, when, and to whom to say “no”when and how to look for a new job when you have a jobhow (and whom) to ask for letters of recommendationwhat to do if you know you’re not going to get tenure