Reviews
"A scholarly study presented with great clarity and enlivened by vignettes of student life, this work provides a fresh perspective on the state of American education, and yet another reason to press for systematic reform."-- Publishers Weekly "A revealing look at the quandaries of today's high school students."-- Library Journal "[An] eye-opening look at the underpinnings of public education."--Stephanie Zvirin, Booklist "A penetrating and troubling look at students in an American high school. . . . Pope allows her students to speak for themselves and their words are chilling, but they ring true to anyone familiar with the Bay Area high school scene."--Jill Wolfson, San Jose Mercury News "This work will interest specialists in anthropology of education, curriculum and instruction, secondary education, and educational leadership, as well as secondary school teachers, counselors, principals, and parents. Readers interested in qualitative and naturalistic research on young people will find a useful list of references and a well-constructed, concise, lucid, and credible write-up."-- Choice Named as a 2001 Notable Book in Education by the American School Board Journal " Doing School illuminates important issues in curriculum studies. In addition, it provides an accessible model of qualitative educational inquiry. My students regard it as one of their most helpful texts."--Richard Siegesmund, University of Georgia "I have used Doing School in both undergraduate and graduate courses, in both places to great effect. In short, Professor Pope's book is fabulous not only for the accessibility of its writing, the careful portraits she paints and the arguments she draws from them, but also for its methodological innovativeness and interpretive sophistication."--Simone Schweber, University of Wisconsin-Madison "Many of my students remarked that Doing School reflected their own secondary school experience, and that reading it forced them to consider that experience in light of their preparation to teach. Students also commented that they sat down to read the first chapter, and simply read the entire book in one sitting--it was that compelling and that well written."--Charles Dorn, Santa Clara University " Doing School is a loud wake-up call about the disconnect between what our best high schools and colleges say they are all about and the pressure they put on students. The book raises disturbing questions about the kind of 'high standards' we are pushing for in our schools. It should inform any discussion of what it means to be an educated person in the 21st century."--Edward B. Fiske, editor of The Fiske Guide to Colleges " Doing School gives us a penetrating view of how students cope with the pressures of schooling. Just how they cope should concern all who want from education substantially more than the superficial accommodation that even high achieving students display. Pope's book should be read by policymakers at all levels of education."--Elliot W. Eisner, Stanford University, " Doing School isa loud wake-up call about the disconnect between what our best high schools and colleges say they are all about and the pressure they put on students. The book raises disturbing questions about the kind of 'high standards' we are pushing for in our schools. It should inform any discussion of what it means to be an educated person in the 21st century."--Edward B. Fiske, Editor, The Fiske Guide to Colleges, former Education Editor of the New York Times " Doing School givesus a penetrating view of how students cope with the pressures of schooling. Just how they cope should concern all who want from education substantially more than the superficial accommodation that even high achieving students display. Pope's book should be read by policymakers at all levels of education."--Elliot W. Eisner, Lee Jacks Professor of Education and Professor of Art, Stanford University "Pope, a former English teacher, writes like a dream. If I were a middle or high school teacher or administrator, I'd use this as a text with my students to prompt an exploration of life at school and with colleagues to talk about creating a different kind of school culture. I'd send it home for parents to read. I know this book will not only shake up feelings of complacency, but will also help us move toward creating schools which do much better by our kids' hearts and minds."--Kathy Simon, Horace: The Journal of the Coalition of Essential Schools "In a book about a high school's best and brightest students, Denise Pope has captured the texture of their harried daily lives. These academically successful students describe a boot camp for college filled with anxiety, physical exhaustion, cheating, and a disregard for learning. They have mastered the game of 'doing school' and pay a steep price for their success. Reformers dead set on making all students academically successful need to hear these students' voices."--Larry Cuban, Professor of Education at Stanford University "A powerful, well-written book. It is deeply affecting (and not a little worrisome) to read the stories of these high school students struggling to achieve high grades and recognition."--Nel Noddings, Stanford University
