An illuminating, in-depth look at competition in suburban high schools
with growing numbers of Asian Americans, where white parents are
determined to ensure that their children remain at the head of the
class.
The American suburb conjures an image of picturesque privilege:
manicured lawns, quiet streets, and--most important to
parents--high-quality schools. These elite enclaves are also
historically white, allowing many white Americans to safeguard their
privileges by using public schools to help their children enter top
colleges. That's changing, however, as Asian American professionals
increasingly move into wealthy suburban areas to give their kids that
same leg up for their college applications and future careers.
As Natasha Warikoo shows in Race at the Top, white and Asian parents
alike will do anything to help their children get to the top of the
achievement pile. She takes us into the affluent suburban East Coast
school she calls "Woodcrest High," with a student body about one-half
white and one-third Asian American. As increasing numbers of Woodcrest's
Asian American students earn star-pupil status, many whites feel
displaced from the top of the academic hierarchy, and their frustrations
grow. To maintain their children's edge, some white parents complain to
the school that schoolwork has become too rigorous. They also
emphasize excellence in extracurriculars like sports and theater, which
maintains their children's advantage.
Warikoo reveals how, even when they are bested, white families in
Woodcrest work to change the rules in their favor so they can remain the
winners of the meritocracy game. Along the way, Warikoo explores urgent
issues of racial and economic inequality that play out in affluent
suburban American high schools. Caught in a race for power and privilege
at the very top of society, what families in towns like Woodcrest fail
to see is that everyone in their race is getting a medal--the children
who actually lose are those living beyond their town's boundaries.
