Not Paved for Us

Not Paved for Us chronicles a fifty-year period in Philadelphia public education and offers a critical look at how school reform efforts do and do not transform outcomes for Black students and educators. This illuminating book offers an expert analysis of a school system that bears the scars of systemic racism. Urban education scholar Camika Royal deftly interprets decades of efforts aimed at improving school performance within the School District of Philadelphia (SDP), in a brisk survey spanning every SDP superintendency from the 1960s through 2017. This book highlights the experiences of Black educators as they navigate the racial and cultural politics of urban school reform. Ultimately, Royal names, dissects, and challenges the presence of racism in school reform policies and practices while calling for an antiracist future. "A heart-provoking historical work. Royal gives voice to the experiences of Black educators silenced by anti-Black systemic reform. Unadulterated and admonishing, this work serves as a signpost for those in the fight for educational equity. Royal pushes the reader toward introspection, challenging us to stand in the conviction of our commitments toward antiracism. All who believe they serve in the liberated interests of black children should read this." -Sabriya K. Jubilee, Chief of Equity, School District of Philadelphia "This is a powerful book about how Black educators and community members experienced public schooling in Philadelphia from 1967 to 2017. It also raises critical questions about the impact of racism, racial capitalism, liberal ideals, and neoliberal practices on school reform in similar urban districts. It's essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the racial politics of school reform and the importance of Black educators and communities to leading the creation of real solutions." -Ken Zeichner, Boeing Professor of Teacher Education Emeritus, University of Washington, Seattle Camika Royal is an associate professor of urban education at Loyola University Maryland. Gloria Ladson-Billings is the former Kellner Family Distinguished Professor of Urban Education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. H. Richard Milner IV is the Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair of Education at Vanderbilt University, as well as the editor for the Race and Education Series.