Taught By America: A Story of Struggle and Hope in Compton

reviewed by Jon N. Hale - 2006

In Taught By America: A Story of Struggle and Hope in Compton, Sarah Sentilles introduces readers to personal characters and decisive moments that serve as introductions to broader educational and social issues. Her experience exposes both the severe limitations of public education in areas of high poverty concentration and the unwavering belief in education that still exists among students, parents, and public school educators. Moreover, the authors unique position (one that scholars rarely work from) and the methods utilized to portray a message of social justice provide content for further discourse on contemporary issues in education.

Primarily a collection of narratives, Taught by America centers upon individual students and experiences during the authors duration in Compton. These narratives collectively illustrate Sentilles overarching theme of injustice in education. In the process of narrating her experience, Sentilles exposes the weaknesses and severe limitations in public education. The reader is in this way confronted with broad societal issues that adversely impact education. For instance, in Sentilles narration of a home visit, the reader learns that children are expected to complete assignments in inefficient housing often plagued by violence.  Indeed, one of the most powerful moments of the book is when all of Sentilles students raise their hands when the question is posed as to whether anyone had witnessed someone being shot (p. 84). In instances such as this, one comes to understand that society, rather than individuals in schools, is more responsible for the limitations of education.

The reader also encounters injustice in school-specific issues such as overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated facilities. Sentilles writes that as teachers and students in Compton, we could depend on nothing. Often our classrooms had no electricity. Sometimes we had no water. . . . Sometimes dismissal was delayed because a man with a gun was hiding from the police on our campus (p. 74). At the same time, however, Sentilles demonstrates that the value and future of education lie with devoted educators, parents, and students willing to resist injustice yet maintain commitment to universal education. Despite overwhelming conditions, Sentilles observes that her students responded to the violence of their environment with hope, love, and incredible resilience (p. 78). Thus, what emerges throughout the text around the paramount theme of injustice are intimate introductions to students and situations that lead one to question why and how they are exposed to the conditions Sentilles so vividly describes.

It is interesting to note how the author approaches this text. To the credit of Sentilles, the author acknowledges her own traditions and background that guide this narrative. Readers view education in Compton through the perspective of a white, well-educated female who was reluctantly placed in Compton. Readers can then contextualize why Sentilles writes, for instance, I wanted to teach them, give them something they would not have had without me. I had a savior complex (p. 31). While this suggests that Sentilles representation of public education cannot be taken as a universal truth, it does give more sense to why this project was undertaken. After ten years, things in Compton essentially remained unchanged. I wanted Compton to be different when I returned Sentilles writes in conclusion, instead I found a school district much like the one I had left years agooverworked teachers, old buildings, broken playground equipment (p. 190).

Able to leave and return to Compton at will, Sentilles is compelled to relay these stories on behalf of her former students and community. Herein lies the strength and importance of this work. Rather than a spiritual journey, as some reviewers and the author sometimes intend to frame this project, Taught by America provides voice to the students and parents inextricably linked to urban education. Throughout the reading, listeners can essentially hear the students tell their own stories.

As such, this book is appropriate for both professional educators and the general public. Taught by America not only provides an honest depiction of education in areas of high poverty concentration, it also illustrates how practitioners and scholaractivists can relay educational research to both the academy and the general public. This work resembles closely the narrative work of Jonathon Kozols (1992) Savage Inequalities, a work that is effective in generating an understanding of the worst aspects of American public education. Scholarship such as this is effective not in its technical and reasoned argumentation, but in the personal, meaningful understanding of educational inequalities that is presented.

Taught by America is thus an example of the emerging trend of qualitative and other alternative research methods. Sentilles is in the unique position to extensively observe her students while also participating in the community in which she works. Moreover, representing this data in a narrative format is effective and ethically responsible to those represented in this text (Bochner, 2005, p. 65). The implications of this research are numerous and part of a broader qualitative revolution that has been examined properly by others (Schwandt, 2000; Barone, 2000; Paul, 2005).  Such an examination is outside the scope of this review. However, it is important to note that this kind of research and representation is valuable in generating a better understanding for the need and reality of educational reform. While pressure has been mounting to conduct scientifically based educational research (Shavelson & Towne, 2002), writing by Sentilles and others who practice qualitative inquiry maintains resistance to objective empiricism and maintains a voice for those students traditionally ignored in dominant research paradigms.

In referencing Kozol and the aims of qualitative research, I am also addressing the shortcomings of this text. Sentilles leaves many issues unexamined and thus leaves the reader with many questions, which, if addressed throughout the book, could have provided more depth and impact. Although Sentilles interacted with this community for two years, little attempt to explain the causes or solutions to such issues is made. Sentilles is in a better position than most in the field to understand the limitations of public education. While Sentilles does provide an insider perspective, this text lacks the analysis of broad societal structures, as found in Kozols work, that better frame how discriminatory education is still maintained. The danger in ignoring the larger structure lies in the space created to operate within a theory of cultural deficiency. Without understanding the broader context (inclusive of educational funding, white flight, etc.) that locates causes for deficiency in complicated, yet entrenched, societal structures rather than ones culture, one is indeed justified in approaching educational reform with a savior complex.

Although many teachers such as Sentilles are in a position to delve into the total context and deeper understanding of schools, few I would imagine could write as passionately, honestly, and effectively as Sentilles. More than just another narrative of the downfalls of public education, Taught by America serves as a model for educatoractivists to reference during a burgeoning acceptance of qualitative inquiry.

References

Barone, T. (2000).  Aesthetics, politics, and educational inquiry : Essays and examples.  New York: Peter Lang.

Bochner, A. (2005). Interpretive and narrative. In J. Paul (Ed.), Introduction to the philosophies of research and criticism in education and the social sciences (pp. 6568). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Kozol, J. (1992). Savage inequalities: Children in America's schools (1st Harper Perennial  ed.). New York: HarperPerennial.

Paul, J. (Ed.). (2005). Introduction to the philosophies of research and criticism in education and the social sciences. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Schwandt, T. A. (2000). Three epistemological stances for qualitative inquiry; Interpretivism, hermeneutics, and social constructionism. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.). The handbook of qualitative inquiry (pp. 189_213). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Shavelson, R. J., Towne, L., Committee on Scientific Principles for Education Research, & National Research Council, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Center for Education. (2002). Scientific research in education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Cite This Article as: Teachers College Record Volume 108 Number 8, 2006, p. 1560-1563 https://www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 12229, Date Accessed: 11/18/2021 1:53:51 PM Purchase Reprint Rights for this article or review