Combining theoretical approaches with practical applications, Rethinking Social Capital delineates the meaning, uses, and problems surrounding the concept of social capital. Carl Bankston, a leading scholar in the field, offers a fresh take on the topic, presenting an original way of understanding social capital as a process. The book provides key definitions of social capital, describing its functionality, the surrounding theoretical issues, and its relationship with social structure. Examining capital in its various forms, Bankston discusses the complications of defining social relationships in a financial resource analogy as investments in future outcomes, and proposes an alternative of an original structural model that approaches social capital as a process. Chapters then explore the major applications of social capital theory: to families, communities and education; to formal organizations and informal networks; to class, race, ethnicity and inequality; and to the nation-state. This cutting-edge book is invaluable in clarifying ambiguities surrounding the concept of social capital to students and scholars of the social sciences. Its practical applications will also prove useful to policy makers and public policy institutes.

Many activists and writers have ascribed continuing racial segregation in American schools to a failure of will. In this view, forced transfers of students and other aggressive judicially mandated policies would lead to greater equality in education if only legislators and judges had the will to continue trying to make school districts conform to plans for redesigning schools and even American society. Controls and Choices: The Educational Marketplace and the Failure of School Desegregation provides a detailed examination of the nature of the educational marketplace, supported by historical evidence, to argue that school desegregation failed because it involved monopolistic efforts at redistributing opportunities. These efforts were fundamentally at odds with the self-interest of the families who had the greatest ability to make choices in the educational marketplace. The authors use the concept of the educational marketplace to explain how market-based attempts at school reform, notably vouchers and charter schools, have grown out of the failure of desegregation and remain hampered by lack of recognition of how the schools really function as markets. Some additional key features of this book include: *Gives a clear understanding of how schools function as markets *Illustrates the argument with histories of specific school districts *Links the history of school desegregation to school vouchers and charter schools *Includes easy to read and interpret graphs and figures *Includes most up-to-date school population and census information

Caldas and Bankston provide a critical, dispassionate analysis of why desegregation in the United States has failed to achieve the goal of providing equal educational opportunities for all students. They offer case histories through dozens of examples of failed desegregation plans from all over the country. The book takes a very broad perspective on race and education, situated in the larger context of the development of individual rights in Western civiliztion. The book traces the long legal history of first racial segregation, and then racial desegregation in America. The authors explain how rapidly changing demographics and family structure in the United States have greatly complicated the project of top-down government efforts to achieve an ideal racial balance in schools. It describes how social capital—a positive outcome of social interaction between and among parents, children, and teachers—creates strong bonds that lead to high academic achievement. The authors show how coercive desegregation weakens bonds and hurts not only students and schools, but also entire communities. Examples from all parts of the United States show how parents undermined desegregation plans by seeking better educational alternatives for their children rather than supporting the public schools to which their children were assigned. Most important, this book offers an alternative, more realistic viewpoint on class, race, and education in America.

Still Failing: The Continuing Paradox of School Desegregation is a significantly updated and revised version of Caldas and Bankston's previous book Forced to Fail: The Paradox of School Desegregation. The book includes an analysis of the most significant Supreme Court cases that have been decided in the ten years since the first edition of the book appeared. The authors consider the important implications of these recent rulings for the future of school desegregation in America's schools. Social capital theory is used to explain why schools and communities continue to be segregated along racial and ethnic lines. Still Failing also provides the most recent U.S. census and Department of Education statistics documenting the continuing segregation of American schools and districts. The book also continues to track the persistent racial achievement gap, using the newest ACT, SAT, and NAEP testing figures. Finally, the book considers what present segregation trends portend for future efforts to racially and ethnically integrate schools, and close achievement gaps. Additional key features of this book include: *Historical antecedents showing how and why American schooling became racially segregated *Social capital theory to explain school and community segregation *The legal history of all important supreme court cases, congressional laws and presidential executive orders related to school segregation and desegregation *Easy-to-read and interpret graphs and figures *The most up-to-date school population and census information

Although the French language and the traditional rural way of life are disappearing among Louisiana Cajuns, identification with Cajun ethnicity is flourishing. Henry and Bankston draw on historical documents, ethnographic observations and interviews, and statistical sources to investigate and explain this phenomenon. They argue that while Cajun ethnicity developed from and consisted of the French-speaking, rural poor of the region, it has been transformed, during the 20th century, into a regional class with common interests and outlooks. A substantial minority of Cajuns have risen out of the blue collar niche and into the middle class, creating more complicated problems of adjustment, role redefinition, and the changing nature of relationships with friends and family who remain part of the working class. The authors detail and describe the way the working class Cajun majority and the white collar Cajun minority draw on images and ideas from a reconstructed past to make sense of their present conditions and changes in their community. This comprehensive structural analysis of Cajun ethnicity suggests a new emphasis on structural conditions in understanding ethnic phenomena and introduces the concept of an economy of ethnicity.

In analyzing and exploring the creation and maintenance of Cajun ethnicity, Henry and Bankston also point toward a general theory of contemporary ethnic groups. Why, for instance, have more and more people claimed to be of Native American ancestry? How did the population of people calling themselves Irish soar over the course of a very brief period of time? Arguing that as the cultural basis of difference subsides, ethnic claims increase, and that such claims are based on a number of factors including socioeconomic and regional concerns, the authors contend that the same factors at play in the maintenance of the Cajun ethnicity are also at play in other ethnic communities and subcultures within the United States. They conclude that in claiming an ethnic identity, group members rework ideas of history and ancestry in order to apply these ideas to modern life.

Many activists and writers have ascribed continuing racial segregation in American schools to a failure of will. In this view, forced transfers of students and other aggressive judicially mandated policies would lead to greater equality in education if only legislators and judges had the will to continue trying to make school districts conform to plans for redesigning schools and even American society. Controls and Choices: The Educational Marketplace and the Failure of School Desegregation provides a detailed examination of the nature of the educational marketplace, supported by historical evidence, to argue that school desegregation failed because it involved monopolistic efforts at redistributing opportunities. These efforts were fundamentally at odds with the self-interest of the families who had the greatest ability to make choices in the educational marketplace. The authors use the concept of the educational marketplace to explain how market-based attempts at school reform, notably vouchers and charter schools, have grown out of the failure of desegregation and remain hampered by lack of recognition of how the schools really function as markets. Some additional key features of this book include: *Gives a clear understanding of how schools function as markets *Illustrates the argument with histories of specific school districts *Links the history of school desegregation to school vouchers and charter schools *Includes easy to read and interpret graphs and figures *Includes most up-to-date school population and census information

Still Failing: The Continuing Paradox of School Desegregation is a significantly updated and revised version of Caldas and Bankston's previous book Forced to Fail: The Paradox of School Desegregation. The book includes an analysis of the most significant Supreme Court cases that have been decided in the ten years since the first edition of the book appeared. The authors consider the important implications of these recent rulings for the future of school desegregation in America's schools. Social capital theory is used to explain why schools and communities continue to be segregated along racial and ethnic lines. Still Failing also provides the most recent U.S. census and Department of Education statistics documenting the continuing segregation of American schools and districts. The book also continues to track the persistent racial achievement gap, using the newest ACT, SAT, and NAEP testing figures. Finally, the book considers what present segregation trends portend for future efforts to racially and ethnically integrate schools, and close achievement gaps. Additional key features of this book include: *Historical antecedents showing how and why American schooling became racially segregated *Social capital theory to explain school and community segregation *The legal history of all important supreme court cases, congressional laws and presidential executive orders related to school segregation and desegregation *Easy-to-read and interpret graphs and figures *The most up-to-date school population and census information

The number of Asian American students in schools and colleges has soared in the last twenty-five years, and they make up one of the fastest growing segments of the student population. However, classroom material often does not include their version of the American experience. Teaching about Asian Pacific Americans was created to address this void. This resource guide provides interactive activities, assignments, and strategies for classrooms or workshops. Those new to the field of Asian American studies will appreciate the background information on issues that concern Asian Pacific Americans, while experts in the field will find powerful, innovative teaching activities that clearly convey established and new ideas. The activities in this book have been used effectively in classrooms, workshops for staff and practitioners in student services programs, community-based organizations, teacher training programs, social service agencies, and diversity training. Teaching About Asian Pacific Americans serves as a critical resource for anyone interested in race, ethnicity, and Asian Pacific American communities.

The number of Asian American students in schools and colleges has soared in the last twenty-five years, and they make up one of the fastest growing segments of the student population. However, classroom material often does not include their version of the American experience. Teaching about Asian Pacific Americans was created to address this void. This resource guide provides interactive activities, assignments, and strategies for classrooms or workshops. Those new to the field of Asian American studies will appreciate the background information on issues that concern Asian Pacific Americans, while experts in the field will find powerful, innovative teaching activities that clearly convey established and new ideas. The activities in this book have been used effectively in classrooms, workshops for staff and practitioners in student services programs, community-based organizations, teacher training programs, social service agencies, and diversity training. Teaching About Asian Pacific Americans serves as a critical resource for anyone interested in race, ethnicity, and Asian Pacific American communities.

The second edition of The Sociology of Katrina brings together the nation's top sociological researchers in an effort to deepen our understanding of the modern catastrophe that is Hurricane Katrina. Five years after the storm, its profound impact continues to be felt. This new edition explores emerging themes, as well as ongoing issues that continue to besiege survivors. The book has been updated and revised throughout from data about recovery efforts and environmental conditions, to discussions of major social issues in education, health care, the economy, and crime. The authors thoroughly review the important topic of recovery, both in New Orleans and in the wider area of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This new edition features a new chapter focused on the Katrina experience for people in the primary impact area, or "ground zero," five years after the storm. This chapter uncovers many challenges in overcoming the critical problems caused by the storm of the century. From this important update of the acclaimed first edition, it is apparent that "the storm is not over," as Katrina continues to generate political, economic, community, and personal controversy.

The second edition of The Sociology of Katrina brings together the nation's top sociological researchers in an effort to deepen our understanding of the modern catastrophe that is Hurricane Katrina. Five years after the storm, its profound impact continues to be felt. This new edition explores emerging themes, as well as ongoing issues that continue to besiege survivors. The book has been updated and revised throughout--from data about recovery efforts and environmental conditions, to discussions of major social issues in education, health care, the economy, and crime. The authors thoroughly review the important topic of recovery, both in New Orleans and in the wider area of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This new edition features a new chapter focused on the Katrina experience for people in the primary impact area, or "ground zero," five years after the storm. This chapter uncovers many challenges in overcoming the critical problems caused by the storm of the century. From this important update of the acclaimed first edition, it is apparent that "the storm is not over," as Katrina continues to generate political, economic, community, and personal controversy.

Forced to Fail traces the long legal history of first racial segregation, and then racial desegregation in America. The authors explain how rapidly changing demographics and family structure in the United States have greatly complicated the project of top-down government efforts to achieve an "ideal" racial balance in schools. It describes how social capital-a positive outcome of social interaction between and among parents, children, and teachers-creates strong bonds that lead to high academic achievement. The authors show how coercive desegregation weakens bonds and hurts not only students and schools, but also entire communities. Examples from all parts of the United States show how parents undermined desegregation plans by seeking better educational alternatives for their children rather than supporting the public schools to which their children were assigned. Most important, this book offers an alternative, more realistic viewpoint on class, race, and education in America.

After over half a century of court-directed efforts to redress the historical educational chasm between blacks and whites in the United States, both the past achievements and the future direction of school desegregation are uncertain. Too often, the early gains made in racially desegregating America's schools seem to have been halted, and in many cases reversed. Urban school decay is once again on the rise, with predictable consequences. For the very poorest minority students, who have limited educational options apart from dangerous, deteriorating neighbourhood schools, drop-out rates are high, standardised test scores are abysmally low, and violence is an everyday fact of life. The gulf between the unskilled, marginalised students being warehoused in these predominantly poor, minority schools on the one hand, and the increasingly high tech society they cannot compete in on the other, is growing. This ground-breaking book presents the viewpoints and research of some of the most prominent scholars in the field of school desegregation. It covers virtually the entire spectrum of thinking and scholarship on school desegregation and its promise, success, necessity, pitfalls and failures.

Offering a clear and innovative approach to immigration history, the three volumes in this set address all questions about immigration that students might reasonable be expected to ask. Essay topics include accent discrimination, world migration patterns and xenophobia. There are also essays on immigrants who had a significant impact on the United States.

This three-volume contribution to the Magills Choice series offers comprehensive coverage of the history of African Americans in the United States from their first arrival in British North America in 1619 through the present day. The sets alphabetically arranged essays cover the full sweep of the rich history of African Americans, with articles on the major economic, political, social, and cultural events and developments of nearly four centuries.

This expansive five-volume set offers profiles of 775 prominent African American from a wide range of fields. Most of these people have never been covered in any Great Lives set before, and more than one-half of them are contemporary figures. The set is especially strong in personages from the fields of sports and entertainment. Plus, complimentary online access is provided through Salem History.

Notorious Lives includes 637 biographies of notorious personages, from the merely controversial to extremely negative, from ancient times to the present and worldwide, with emphasis on their roles in historical events or impact on law enforcement or popular culture. Scope of coverage includes ancient times to the present, worldwide, with an emphasis on the North American and the West but including figures as diverse as Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Idi Amin, Ted Bundy, and Osama Bin Laden. The set spans classic figures such as Hitler to contemporary figures such as Aileen Wuornos. Controversial figures--from Mao Zedong to Richard Nixon--are also included. Legendary figures, from Salome to Robin Hood, are also addressed. Personages covered are remembered for their infamy but also for their key historical roles.

Offering a clear and innovative approach to immigration history, the three volumes in this set address all questions about immigration that students might reasonable be expected to ask. Essay topics include accent discrimination, world migration patterns and xenophobia. There are also essays on immigrants who had a significant impact on the United States.

This expansive five-volume set offers profiles of 775 prominent African American from a wide range of fields. Most of these people have never been covered in any Great Lives set before, and more than one-half of them are contemporary figures. The set is especially strong in personages from the fields of sports and entertainment. Plus, complimentary online access is provided through Salem History.

The latest edition in the overwhelmingly popular Great Events from History series, Modern Scandals examines over 400 of the most important and most publicized scandals throughout the world since the beginning of the twentieth century. The essays in this set are 3-5 pages long and follow the same reader-friendly format that users have come to expect from the Great Events from History series.

This expansive five-volume set offers profiles of 775 prominent African American from a wide range of fields. Most of these people have never been covered in any Great Lives set before, and more than one-half of them are contemporary figures. The set is especially strong in personages from the fields of sports and entertainment. Plus, complimentary online access is provided through Salem History.