Schooltalk - by Mica Pollock (Paperback)

About the Book

"Laying a foundation for equity"--Cover.

Book Synopsis

An essential guide to transforming the quotidian communications that feed inequality in our schools--from the award-winning editor of Everyday Antiracism

Words matter. Every day in schools, language is used--whether in the classroom, in a student-teacher meeting, or by principals, guidance counselors, or other school professionals--implying, intentionally or not, that some subset of students have little potential. As a result, countless students "underachieve," others become disengaged, and, ultimately, we all lose.

Mica Pollock, editor of Everyday Antiracism--the progressive teacher's must-have resource--now turns to what it takes for those working in schools to match their speech to their values, giving all students an equal opportunity to thrive. By juxtaposing common scenarios with useful exercises, concrete actions, and resources, Schooltalk describes how the devil is in the oft-dismissed details: the tossed-off remark to a student or parent about the community in which she lives; the way groups--based on race, ability, and income--are discussed in faculty meetings about test scores and data; the assumptions and communication breakdowns between counselors, teachers, and other staff that cause kids to fall needlessly through the cracks; or the deflating comment to a young person about her college or career prospects.

Schooltalk will empower educators of every ilk, revealing to them an incredibly effective tool at their disposal to support the success of all students every day: their words.

Review Quotes

Praise for Schooltalk:
"This is a masterfully crafted text, sure to be a classic in education and anthropology...[It] should be required reading of students in every teacher education program in the United States of America."
--H. Richard Milner IV, author of Rac(e)ing to Class

"Reading Schooltalk is like sitting down for coffee and frank conversation with a trusted friend about what matters most in education: creating equitable opportunities for all young people. Pollock provides a goldmine of examples of actions, strategies, and resources for classrooms, schools, and communities. This is a beautiful book, one that will make a difference in how people consider what until now they may have thought of as simply innocent 'talk.'"
--Sonia Nieto, Professor Emerita, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Praise for Mica Pollock's Everyday Antiracism:
"Teachers and parents often want to act on the issue of racism, but don't know how. This one-of-a-kind volume is the blueprint; no one should teach another day without reading it."
--Tim Wise, author of White Like Me

"Everyday Antiracism shows how ordinary people can be mindful and purposeful in confronting discrimination and taking concrete steps that, little by little, change the world."
--Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University

"It's rare to find a book as theoretically rich and practically useful as this one. Everyday Antiracism helps us see how everything that happens in school has racial implications--and how in big and little ways we can all be agents of equality. What an important and hopeful resource this is."
--Bill Bigelow, editor of Rethinking Schools

Praise for Mica Pollock's Because of Race:
"[This book] challenges assertions that discrimination against minority children isn't provable, shouldn't be discussed, or can't be fixed."
--Education Week

Praise for Mica Pollock's Colormute:
"The scholarship is provocative, the text well written, and the argument clear and compelling. Pollock is a truly gifted writer."
--Michelle Fine, City University of New York

Praise for Schooltalk:
"This is a masterfully crafted text, sure to be a classic in education and anthropology...[It] should be required reading of students in every teacher education program in the United States of America."
-H. Richard Milner IV, author of Rac(e)ing to Class

"Reading Schooltalk is like sitting down for coffee and frank conversation with a trusted friend about what matters most in education: creating equitable opportunities for all young people. Pollock provides a goldmine of examples of actions, strategies, and resources for classrooms, schools, and communities. This is a beautiful book, one that will make a difference in how people consider what until now they may have thought of as simply innocent 'talk.'"
-Sonia Nieto, Professor Emerita, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Praise for Mica Pollock's Everyday Antiracism:
"Teachers and parents often want to act on the issue of racism, but don't know how. This one-of-a-kind volume is the blueprint; no one should teach another day without reading it."
-Tim Wise, author of White Like Me

"Everyday Antiracism shows how ordinary people can be mindful and purposeful in confronting discrimination and taking concrete steps that, little by little, change the world."
-Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University

"It's rare to find a book as theoretically rich and practically useful as this one. Everyday Antiracism helps us see how everything that happens in school has racial implications-and how in big and little ways we can all be agents of equality. What an important and hopeful resource this is."
-Bill Bigelow, editor of Rethinking Schools

Praise for Mica Pollock's Because of Race:
"[This book] challenges assertions that discrimination against minority children isn't provable, shouldn't be discussed, or can't be fixed."
-Education Week

Praise for Mica Pollock's Colormute:
"The scholarship is provocative, the text well written, and the argument clear and compelling. Pollock is a truly gifted writer."
-Michelle Fine, City University of New York

About the Author

Mica Pollock is the director of the Center for Research on Educational Equity, Assessment, and Teaching Excellence (CREATE) at the University of California, San Diego. The editor of Everyday Antiracism and the author of Schooltalk: Rethinking What We Say About--and to--Students Every Day (both published by The New Press), she lives in southern California.