Book Description: Subtractive Schooling provides a framework for understanding the patterns of immigrant achievement and U.S.-born underachievement frequently noted in the literature and observed by the author in her ethnographic account of regular-track youth attending a comprehensive, virtually all-Mexican, inner-city high school in Houston. Valenzuela argues that schools subtract resources from youth in two major ways: firstly by dismissing their definition of education and secondly, through assimilationist policies and practices that minimize their culture and language. A key consequence is the erosion of students' social capital evident in the absence of academically-oriented networks among acculturated, U.S.-born youth.
Well written This book is well written and gives the reader an insight on what it is REALLY like for the kids who can't identify with the school system, and thus end failing. Through its ethnographic account this book demonstrates that some kids might not be making the grade but in reality are just as smart as those who are.
A good read for Sociologist and teachers trying to understand the way students see the school systems that are set up to pass those complying with the rules.
Good idea, poor follow-through I was so ready to love this book. As a teacher with predominantly Mexican-American students, I am very concerned about their success and I hoped to learn and understand.
Instead, I was exposed to shoddy research and theory. Valenzuela's agenda was so upfront throughout all her research and analysis that she never paused to consider other explanations. In the words of Non Sequitur comics of late, she is a "preconceptual scientist." She makes sweeping generalizations and accusations which are not supported in her data. She leads her informants' answers, she jumps on the anti-school bandwagon, and she doesn't do her background research - such as developing theory of caring.
I like the premise, which is why I was so very disappointed at the extremely weak scholarship that this book represents. Her heart is in the right place, and it's where my heart is, too - but that is never an excuse for such sloppy research and theory.
Very readable, as well From the other reviews, you know her book won an award and what it's about, so let me also say in case you're debating about buying it that it's written in a very readable style. I feel it's more interesting (or easier to keep going in) than a lot of sociology books that get tiring after a while. She has plenty of interestingly written snapshots of conversations and details of life in the school, and I particularly enjoyed the fact that she tended to give us the student responses in both Spanish and English. I learned a lot of cool nuances in the language that way!
The problem with education Valenzuela presents us with a study of both U.S. born and Mexican born students within American public schools. She is sincere, honest, and thorough. She studies teacher-student dynamics, and how many students are given the impression that teachers do not care how they fare in school. She also studies rifts between U.S. born and Mexican born students and the effect it has on both groups. She also brings up a very important issue about Mexican students who refuse to excel academically. She is the first person I've read who accurately labels this as "passive resistance". This is VERY IMPORTANT, because a lot of people have misconceptions about why many of us Mexicans do not perform well in school. She uses student quotes and classroom observations to illustrate what these students are feeling and experiencing. It's obvious that the students trusted and respected her, and that she felt the same about them. Valenzuela does an excellent job here and I think all teachers should read this to get a better understanding of their students.
An Ethnographic Equation: The Politics of Caring/Schooling Dr. Valenzuela's research compels me to continue my work in critical theory and ethnography. SUBTRACTIVE SCHOOLING contributes to the dialogue on the education and schooling of U.S.-Mexican youth. Moreover, the study can extend to the schooling and education of Latinas and Latinos in the United States. Our schooling demands struggle for survival both within and beyond the classroom/school setting, especially when the curriculum is lifeless and irrelevant to students' immediate reality.
Clearly, Dr. Valenzuela spent time with the students and school culture at Seguin High, documenting the push and pound urban students encounter to succeed. Researchers in education rarely document the daily struggles of U.S.-Mexican high school students, but Dr. Valenzuela succeeds in presenting their story, their plight, their journey, their turmoil against uncaring bureaucracies. She does this with respect for the students' voices and naming of their schooling experiences as expressed through critical research and an insightful ethnographic equation. Dr. Valenzuela's research reminds educators, learners, and researchers that they must reconsider their politics and practices of caring when working with young students and thinkers of Mexican origin.
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