A review by sydodo13
Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago's South Side by Eve L. Ewing

4.0

This book argues — rightly, I believe — that “chronically underperforming” and “failing” schools should not be labeled with these harsh words and closed, but should instead be upheld as pillars of the community because they give students a sense of home, stability, and belonging. I agree, but I wish the author would have provided ideas on how to keep these schools open while making sure they serve students academically and prepare them for the rest of their lives. It’s a real problem when the majority of a school’s students are unable to read, write, or solve math problems at a basic level, but the author seems reluctant to admit that these are real issues that disproportionately impact marginalized students, let alone posit solutions. She makes it very clear that school closures aren’t the answer, but what is? I was excited when the book’s conclusion finally asked, “What do we do?” Then I was sorely disappointed when the only sentence that came close to an answer was this platitude: “We must continually set our sights on what it would look like to get things right, and we must integrate those visions into our rhetoric and our strategy.”