Rezension
“There is no doubt that
Living on the Edge
is an example of leading critical scholarship… There is much to commend in this new book, but perhaps my highest praise is that I will be recommending it to my policy-making colleagues.”—Brenton Prosser,
Critical Studies in Education
“This is an inspirational and timely book…surprisingly few books on social justice and education tackle the topic of poverty, and even fewer tackle it as comprehensively and coherently as
Living on the Edge
.… This is a book of hope.”—Hanneke Jones,
Improving Schools
“
Living on the Edge
…is a highly readable and productively usable book. It is also a timely, necessary and unblinking account of neoliberalism’s power
in flagrante delicto
as it diminishes education to a bruising ‘bottom line’. As Stephen Ball urges [in his endorsement], it is a book that ‘cannot and must not be ignored’.”—N. Geoffrey Bright,
Power and Education
“Smyth and Wrigley do a fantastic job of slowly scaffolding their argument around the concept of what class and poverty really are (and what they are not) and how students, families, communities, teachers, and schools are impacted by those things… I found myself exclaiming ‘Yes!’ and ‘Of course!’…throughout the book…. I commend the authors for their comprehensive look at class and poverty and how they impact schooling.”—Scott Farver,
Education Review
“Smyth and Wrigley’s book is an uncompromising exploration of the factors that contribute to the continuing marginalisation by schools of children [of disadvantage]… This book would have transformed my thinking and practices [as a beginning teacher]. It will do the same for any educator and policy-maker intent on achieving more socially just schooling.”—Jane Pearce,
Journal of Educational Administration and History
“
Living on the Edge
is a profoundly important book, and given that the policies of the present UK government are likely to make the situation worse, a timely one for British readers. I hope it will be widely read.”—Derek Gillard,
Forum
“One of the strengths of the book is the care and detail with which arguments are built, thereby silencing possible criticism of bias due to the (frankly stated) adherence by the authors to critical sociological traditions.”—Kitty te Riele,
Social Alternatives
“This book is an essential reading for anyone requiring a sophisticated understanding for how education and class interrelate in ways that reinforce and reproduce social stratification and inequality.”—Carlo Raffo,
Journal of Education Policy
“This timely book should be a wake-up call for the commentariat, policy makers, as well as, educators and researchers that so-called bootstrapping has always been an individual solution to what is in reality a class-related and community-wide problem… Those who read this book will be better equipped whether they are teachers, policy makers or politicians to create
schools of hope
for
children of promise
.”—David Zyngier,
International Studies in Sociology of Education
“
Living on the Edge
tackles tough issues about class, poverty and justice that are of central importance for teachers, parents, policy-makers—and young people. The book combines clear writing, good scholarship, and firm commitment. Clearing a path through the forest of misleading ideas about educational disadvantage, Smyth and Wrigley show the educational damage done by current market-driven policies and testing systems. Bringing together the experience of creative teachers and schools that work well in tough circumstances, they show how schools can make positive and immediate gains for fairness and good education.”—Raewyn Connell, University Chair, Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney
