Striving in Common

In Striving in Common, Jennifer Jellison Holme and Kara S. Finnigan seek to build a bridge between education and urban reformers. Drawing on examples from a range of cities, including St. Louis, Milwaukee, Palo Alto, Rochester, Omaha, and Minneapolis, the authors show how the challenges faced by urban schools are linked to issues of regional equity and civic capacity. Holme and Finnigan outline a framework for cross-sector, regional governance mechanisms to help students and families access better opportunities, and address the political opportunities and challenges presented by such a strategy. At a time of increasing concern over inequality in education and society, Striving in Common sets forth an ambitious agenda for rethinking the parameters of education policy and connecting education reform to broader efforts at urban reform. "If you read only one book about educational inequality, make it this one! With solid theory, strong evidence, and compelling examples, Holme and Finnigan decimate conventional narratives blaming schools and expecting them to remedy problems deeply rooted in the history and structures of regional inequality. Even better, they offer an astute policy framework and political strategies to tackle inequality at its source." --Jeannie Oakes, senior fellow, Learning Policy Institute, and presidential professor emeritus, University of California at Los Angeles Jennifter Jellison Holme is an associate professor of education policy in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Kara S. Finnigan is a professor at the University of Rochester's Warner School of Education.