Subtractive Schooling: U.S. Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring

Media:	Paperback
Author:	Angela Valenzuela
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Release date:	01 October, 1999
Our price:	$25.95

Subtractive Schooling: U.S. Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring

Average rating: Stars

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.

Subtractive Schooling: U.S. Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring - Angela Valenzuela

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!

Angela Valenzuela - Subtractive Schooling: U.S. Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring

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.

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