The failure of many urban schools to adequately teach their mostly poor
and often non-white pupil populations has been a very serious policy
issue. In an effort to improve this situation, policymakers and
politicians have tried myriad solutions, but to no avail. This work
stresses the role of Latino families in shaping educational preparation.
Author William Sampson argues that the family is more important in the
effort to improve schools than the schools themselves and that school
improvement efforts should therefore focus more upon efforts to
influence family change. For teachers at all levels, educational
policymakers, parents, and education scholars.