I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Laura C. Chavez-Moreno shares with readers how race and racism take shape in schools in the book “How Schools Make Race: Teaching Latinx Racialization in America.”
The Synopsis
An investigation into how schooling can enhance and hinder critical-racial consciousness through the making of the Latinx racialized group
In How Schools Make Race, Laura C. Chávez-Moreno uncovers the process through which schools implicitly and explicitly shape their students’ concept of race and the often unintentional consequences of this on educational equity. Chávez-Moreno sheds light on how the complex interactions among educational practices, policies, pedagogy, language, and societal ideas interplay to form, reinforce, and blur the boundaries of racialized groups, a dynamic which creates contradictions in classrooms and communities committed to antiracism.
In this provocative book, Chávez-Moreno urges readers to rethink race, to reconceptualize Latinx as a racialized group, and to pay attention to how schools construct Latinidad (a concept about Latinx experience and identity) in relation to Blackness, Indigeneity, Asianness, and Whiteness. The work explores, as an example, how Spanish-English bilingual education programs engage in race-making work. It also illuminates how schools can offer ambitious teachings to raise their students’ critical consciousness about race and racialization.
Ultimately, Chávez-Moreno’s groundbreaking work makes clear that understanding how our schools teach about racialized groups is crucial to understanding how our society thinks about race and offers solutions to racial inequities. The book invites educators and scholars to embrace ambitious teaching about the ambivalence of race so that teachers and students are prepared to interrogate racist ideas and act toward just outcomes.
The Review
It is no secret that we live in a very tumultuous time. So many injustices are co-occurring, both abroad and in the United States. Without getting political, it is impossible not to recognize the moral failing in recent events in Los Angeles, and as a U.S. Citizen who is of both Caucasian and Hispanic descent, it has never been more clear that educating future generations on Latin culture and creating a better understanding of not only the cultures but the roles social justice plays in our society is essential, and that is the role this book plays for educators and students alike.
Immediately, what stands out is the accessibility of the material in this book. The author showcases a depth of research and expertise that speaks to the importance and relevance of this material, speaking on race, education, and language skills that need to be vital tools in educating future generations. The author introduces concepts and terminology that can benefit educators, from racialization to Latinidad and so much more, allowing the reader to better understand how to navigate bilingual education and how it is meshed together with social and racial justice.
The Verdict
Insightful, engaging, and vital to today’s cultural and social injustices, author Laura Chavez-Moreno’s “How Schools Make Race” is a must-read nonfiction education book on philosophy, morality, and multicultural studies. The insights, detail, and passion with which the author wrote this book and the depth it explores showcase the importance and struggle of this subject matter and why future generations need to better understand the integral nature of multicultural education. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
Laura Chávez-Moreno is an award-winning researcher, qualitative social scientist, and assistant professor in the Departments of Chicana/o & Central American Studies and Education at the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education. Dr. Chávez-Moreno’s research has been published in top-tier journals, and she has been recognized with multiple awards, including from the American Educational Research Association and the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation. Dr. Chávez-Moreno has taught in all levels of schooling, including elementary, secondary, tertiary, and older-adult education. She was a high school teacher of Spanish in the School District of Philadelphia for five years, wrote district curriculum, and served on boards of community organizations. She grew up in Douglas, Arizona, and Agua Prieta, Sonora, México.
