School Hazard Zone: Beyond the Silence/Finding a Voice explores the dynamics that help to perpetuate minority academic underachievement. Through five years of journal entries, epiphanies, and inspirations, Pamela Althea Joyce presents an honest glimpse of undemocratic practices at an urban/suburban high school. She identifies variables associated with minority achievement, examines experiences of the individuals involved, ultimately reframes the «achievement gap» problem, and invites the reader to take a stand on the matter. From the perspective of a teacher preoccupied with the daily challenges of minority students, Joyce identifies positive and negative influences originating from self, school, and society, which play a role in tilting the academic playing field to the disadvantage of underachieving students. She provides alternatives, offering «do now», low-cost suggestions and feasible long-term ideas for closing the «achievement gap». The book will be enlightening for the general public, administrators, teachers, student teachers, parents, and all individuals concerned about the future of the American educational system.
