Customer Reviews

The Children in Room E4: American Education on Trial

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an excellent book. It describes the history of segregated schooling in Hartford CT. The book follows the legal case of Sheff vs. O'Neil, the history of social and government programs that led to residential segregation, and the compelling story of a class of inner city schoolchildren (and one bright, charming child in particular) and their dedicated teacher. The treatment of the issue is thorough and nuanced. The failure of government and the courts to meet the needs of these school children is heartbreaking. At the same time the book is hopeful, and demonstrates how integration can easily make a huge difference in the lives of poor children. The book was impressive in its assertion of integration as a moral as well as educational issue.

The stories make the book easy to follow and quite engaging, yet it is filled with solid research. I think this book should be required reading for policy makers and educators at all levels as well as anyone concerned with the future of public education and the type of society we will live in.

Through a beautifully constructed narrative, Eaton poses one of the most important educational questions of our time: can we really "fix" urban schools without addressing the underlying historical and social roots of educational failure? A thoughtful book that draws on careful research, rigorous documentation, and graceful story telling, Eaton's book is a must read for anyone who cares about the future of children in urban schools.

Susan Eaton has produced an exceptional, deeply researched book. It's by no means without an agenda, but it's no Swiftian polemic, something to which a wealth of footnotes and references will attest.

Eaton grabs you by the wrist, pulling you through the torturous folds of the Sheff v O'Neill court case. She forces the ugly machinations of a typical large-city public school system into the fore, giving a vivid account of the harsh inequity of Connecticut schools.

Eaton makes a compelling argument against district boundaries, with their rigid, segregating forces. She tells of an entrenched system of De Facto segregation, arisen over the past fifty years, here to stay--unless, of course, the slumbering giants (our public schools) wake up to their own mistakes. They did in 1954, when Brown forced them. Perhaps they will again.

Every school district board member should keep this book on their desk.

Can separate ever be equal? Over and over again, we seem to be coming back to the same question our country has struggled with for decades. Countless court cases later, Susan Eaton describe in heart breaking detail, the inequities in the school lives of the children in room E4- a room found in every urban area in this country today.

Public education continues to fail miserably. Eaton's ability to weave the details of the court ruling and efforts by civil rights attorneys with the every day life in the classroom is stunning. Anyone who cares about education in this country today must read this book. It provides a compelling roadmap of where we've been and where we are headed if something doesn't change.

This book goes beyond simply explaining what the challenges in urban education are -- it shows where they came from. With a detailed history of the Supreme and Federal Court decisions since Brown v. Board of Education, Eaton illustrates how segregated and isolated schooling has been perpetuated and gotten worse in the last 50 years. Her analysis does it in two ways: first, by focusing closely on a high achieving Hartford class of students in their third and fourth grade years (the Micro view) and by showing how the Macro problems -- the legal history -- have enabled the complete ignoring and disempowerment of American cities.

In so doing, Eaton tells the story of Sheff v. O'Neill -- a landmark Connecticut court decision on the vastly segregated and unequal state of schooling in the Hartford area. She explains how the legal team put the case together, the data they collected, their Constitutional interpretations, and their battles to win....

If you are from Connecticut, interested in schooling or in school law, this book is perfect for you.

Susan Eaton clearly explains the current state of urban education, particularly in Hartford, Connecticut. The book is wonderfully written in two interwoven narratives. The first traces the seemingly unending legal proceedings surrounding education in Hartford. The second contains what I feel is the true spirit of the book. Eaton tells the reader a story in language so plain and clear that any teacher will feel the overwhelming, systematic, and largely ignored challenges facing `the children in room E4.' Yet, the story also tells us of an amazing educator and her students. Eaton brings to us those everyday student-teacher exchanges that give us hope; hope that our curious and intelligent children will be blessed by dedicated teachers. `The Children in Room E4' inspires me as a new teacher. Lastly, it reminds me that while the state of urban education nationwide is dire, the challenges of where one teaches can be overcome by the kindness, compassion, and relentless energy of a great teacher.

The Children in Room E4 is an excellent novel depicting the issues of urban education in Hartford, Connecticut. The story follows the legal proceedings of the Sheff vs. O'Neill case, which discusses the segregation of urban schools that leads to unequal education opportunity. Along with the court case, Eaton narrates the inner workings of one elementary school classroom directly affected by segregation, which includes the story of a gifted Hispanic boy named Jeremy, his classmates, and their inspiring teacher Mrs. Luddy.

The Children in Room E4 awakened me to the harsh and current realities of segregation in urban schools (even in Hartford!). My conception that segregation was an issue of the past has been completely shattered. Eaton explains in detail how segregation brings about unequal education through her touching description of "the children in Room E4". Urban, minority students like Jeremy are essentially trapped within their poor neighborhood schools and don't receive the stimulating classroom environment that their white, suburban counterparts do. From unsafe neighborhoods and poverty, to relentless standardized-test drilling, to inexperience with the world outside of their community, these children face many barriers in education. And what's worse, the slow, drawn-out legal processes that attempt to correct segregation often end up bearing no fruit for these children. Eaton does an excellent job of evoking frustration through her description of the court process. Especially as I read the heartrending story of gifted Jeremy and his full-of-potential classmates, I couldn't help but to feel outrage that due to segregation, the U.S. is not providing quality education for these children. Furthermore, their talented teacher Mrs. Luddy, filled to the brim with aspirations for her students and ideas for their lessons, is stifled within the workings of the urban school system.

The Children in Room E4 opened my eyes to the struggles of urban education. From sadness, to infuriation, to hope, Eaton will take you on an emotional roller coaster through Hartford's education system.

The Children in E4 was an extremely informative book. Eaton takes the reader to understanding a whole other level of segregation and the politics that seem to be ongoing in the education system. This book made me have a realistic perspective on inner city schools, like those in Hartford. Throughout the book we see the struggles students in these schools go through. The corrupted home-life, stress of state testing, and the challenges teachers face to keep students motivated to stay in school in the future are all portrayed through the children in classroom E4. These situations certainly are not easy to read about, and I won't tell you that they get better towards the end of the book. Eaton does not exaggerate, or make things look better/worse than they are like most films do. She lays it to you straight about how most children's education is neglected by their parents, how some children's parents are in jail or just not around, and how siblings dropped out of school or are involved with gangs. Not only does she expose the reader to the personal challenges the students face, but she demonstrates the political problems too. Although it was hard for me to keep up with, she describes the court case Sheff vs. O'Neil and the fight to "de-segregate" schools. The political side of this story made me aware of how challenging, and necessary, it is going to be to change the education system. Considering the outcome of the court case and the fact that the problems Eaton talks about are still going on today, it is infuriating. This story helped me to be more informed, and truly moved me to want to help change the system. If you are in the mood for an informative story about the problems we face with the education system and the personal struggles of children that attend an inner city school, then this book will be very interesting for you.

This was an excellent and compelling book! It was light and refreshing, yet informational. At times, I was surprised to find myself unable to put it down because it was quite engaging and easy to follow. This book revealed and described the history of segregated schooling in Hartford, CT. Through compelling facts and astounding research, this book followed the legal case of Sheff vs. O'Neil. Not only that, but the book also followed the segregation that plagued Connecticut communities and schools, in-particularly the inner city schools and communities. Susan Eaton focuses on the interesting story of a 4th grade class and their dedicated and caring teacher. Eaton takes us on their segregated journey, that proved to be quite the uphill battle. It is heartbreaking to watch these school children not have the necessary needs and resources, all due to the government and courts failure to meet those necessary needs. However, this piece offers and displays hope by showing what a huge difference integration can make in the lives of poor school children, or any school children at that. This piece proves to not only serve as a great read, but it also proves to be very educational. So, if you are looking for a great yet educational read, The Children in Room E4: American Education on Trial will not disappoint!

I recently read "The Children in room E4" by Susan Eaton for my education seminar. Before reading this compelling novel I was in the dark about the injustices of urban schooling. I knew that there were more minority students in the city school systems but I had no idea about the poor quality of education they were receiving. While I thought some parts of this book were dull and just informative there was a lot more to it. This novel does much more than inform about a court case, it allowed me to feel Mrs. Luddy's pain, I could feel the children's stress over these tests. It makes me want to do something. Want to help. What drew in to this novel was the opening about Jeremy that is really what kept me interested this whole time. I wanted to see Jeremy and his family succeed, I wanted to believe he could make it. But Eaton let reality set in and made me realize that won't be the case for most of these kids. I thought we gave an equal opportunity to everyone here in America but this books facts say otherwise and with the facts like the ones used in this book there is no doubt in my mind that something more needs to be done. Eaton brought justice to these kids like no one else.