ABSTRACT
A comrade oft en reminds me to understand urban public education as “contested space.” When I fi rst heard this concept, I felt that I had an idea of what he was talking about, but I wasn’t quite sure. Aft er further conversation and refl ection, I began to understand what he really meant. For him, the contested space of urban public education is the sum total of all parties vying for power and perceived control of schools or policies that impact said institutions. Expanding his description of education in a broader sense, the spaces that stand outside of the traditional school setting (community centers, board meetings, school design team collaboration, community organization, etc.) should also be included in this discussion.
