ABSTRACT
The preceding chapters provide insight into, and raise issues and questions about the effective schooling of poor and minority adolescents in the United States. Through the use of quantitative and qualitative methods, large national data sets, and surveys of targeted populations, these chapters collectively illustrate the value of research in the process of educational reform. A primary conclusion that can be drawn from this collection is that with the right support, schools, families, and communities have the potential to create schools where all students, most especially those who have been underserved by U.S. schools, thrive. These chapters further suggest that whether schools live up to this potential has a great deal to do with the attention that educators, researchers, and concerned citizens in students’ families and communities direct toward five key areas.
