Youth activism in an era of education inequality

Summary: "This is what democracy looks like: Youth organizers negotiate new school discipline policies to disrupt the school-to-jail track. Latino/a and African American students march to district headquarters to protest high school closure. Young immigration rights activists persuade state legislators to pass a bill to make in-state tuition available to undocumented state residents. Students in an ESL class design and administer surveys that raise awareness about racism and xenophobia. These examples, based on ten years of research by youth development scholar Ben Kirshner, show young people building political power during an era of racial inequality, diminished educational opportunity, and an atrophied public square. The book's case studies analyze how young people learn to speak up and take action and what these experiences mean for their development. What is youth activism and how does it contribute to youth development? What are qualities of learning ecologies that foster and sustain youth activism? The interdependent relationship between youths' political engagement, their personal development, and democratic renewal is the central focus of this book. Kirshner argues that youth and societal institutions are strengthened when young people, particularly those most disadvantaged by educational inequity, turn their critical gaze to education systems and participate in efforts to improve them"--Back cover.