Conchas, Gilberto Q. (2006). The Color of Success: Race and High-achieving Urban Youth. Reviewed by Garth Cooper, Michigan State University

Conchas, Gilberto Q. (2006). The Color of Success: Race and High-achieving Urban Youth. NY, NY: Teachers College Press. (Foreword by Pedro A. Noguera.) Pp. 168         $56 (hardcover) ISBN 0807746614 Reviewed by Garth Cooper Michigan State University September 20, 2007 Starting with A Nation at Risk in 1983, there has been a steady cry for standards, accountability, and regulation of schools, teachers, and students. The neo-conservative nature of the No Child Left Behind legislation, with its direct influence from the business world, and alignment of efficiency and performance standards with educational goals, has led to a redefinition of education in the United States. Educational scholars have written extensively regarding the impact these policies have had in undermining the democratic purposes of public education, intensifying inequality, and bringing schools increasingly under the economic and cultural domination of corporations and the market (Apple, 1996; Aronowitz & Giroux, 1993; Asher, Fruchter & Berne, 1996; Molnar, 1996; Saltman, 2000). In his book The Color of Success, Gilberto Conchas focuses on the issue of educational inequality and its effect on minority students’ school achievement within the framework of the national push towards standardization and accountability. Conchas claims the aim of his book is to “reveal why and how Black, Latino, and Vietnamese high school students achieve academic success, despite limited opportunities.” More specifically, “to highlight how urban schooling can empower youth and structure success.” Following the lead of S. L. Lightfoot’s (1983) scientifically crafted portraits of goodness in schools, he attempts to demonstrate that there is a need for researchers to explore a more complex and nuanced understanding of the goodness and successes of schools, rather than always focusing on school failures. In attempting to meet his purpose, Conchas examines minority students’ experiences in one California urban public high school (Baldwin High School). “Through the actions and voices of high-achieving, low-income Black, Latino, and Vietnamese students, this book offers and debates solutions aimed at mitigating patent invidious practices and latent structures of inequality that plague educational systems throughout the nation." (p. 1) "This book initiates an exploration of ways in which urban school practices may empower low-income minority youth in their efforts to achieve social mobility. At the heart of this endeavor are narratives of student success.” (p. 2) The book begins with an emphasis on the conceptual framework for his argument. Conchas attempts to link cultural-ecological explanations of minority schooling with institutional rationales for student success. He claims there are two levels of structure in the educational setting: a) macro-structures, which are larger political and economic constraints that either impede or enhance students’ social mobility (race, class, and gender); and the micro-structure (school sizes, class sizes, curriculum, and pedagogy), which affect the daily performance of youth. In Chapter Two, Conchas examines the micro-politics of race prevalent in most school settings, which are reflective of the stratification witnessed in American society in general. Using teacher and student voices, he shows how some school programs, such as career academies and advanced placement programs, promote cohesion and tolerance across racial lines, in direct contrast to the environment encountered in the general high school setting. The next three chapters focus, separately, on the three racial and ethnic groups that were studied, African-American, Latino, and Vietnamese. The goal for this section of the book is to allow the successful students themselves to share their perceptions of high achievement in school. It pays particularly close attention to how high-achieving minority students construct success narratives and academic strategies. This is the “how-to” portion of the book from the studied students’ perspective. Not satisfied with offering a qualitative answer to the achievement riddle, we next get some quantitative data that attempts to draw comparisons in response to the student voices in the previous chapters. For example, the author tries to ascertain whether peer pressure and teacher influences work through the school context as suggested by the students. While Conchas pays homage to the idea of cultural capital, he downplays the role of the family, instead focusing on the significance of relationships within the school setting. The significance of Social Support Systems dominates the final chapter of the book. Conchas argues that institutional mechanisms and social stratification have the most profound affect on student achievement. His number one assertion is that “smaller and intimate school-within-a-school structures or small learning communities are significant for student engagement.” Student engagement then leads to student achievement, fostered by a decrease in the sense of isolation and an increase in the feeling of camaraderie felt in these settings. Conchas has done an excellent job of falling in line with the researchers that have come before him. There is a preponderance of literature to support the existence of the achievement gap of minority students, as well as, literature which suggests that this gap can be overcome in the correct environment. His assertion that we should focus on success stories rather than failures makes great sense. If you want to cook a better omelet, you don’t focus on those that went wrong with previous tries instead you attempt to emulate those that turned out well. However, just as it is unrealistic to think that you can replicate that perfect omelet - prepared in a well-equipped kitchen with the glass-top stove, in a non-stick pan, and fresh from the refrigerator ingredients – with one that is prepared at a campsite over a wood fire, in a cast iron skillet, with ingredients that were packed into the woods in a cooler bag, it must be acknowledged that there are very unique structures in place at the researched institution. The limited purview of Conchas’s research, focused on small groups of students within one school, makes it impossible to generalize any of his findings to other school districts. There is nothing to suggest that his findings would translate to different school environments. This is not meant to discount totally his effort though, as his positivistic outlook towards school improvement is a refreshing change from the “emphasis on failure” approach applied by most researchers. Readers holding only a cursory interest in the minority student achievement gap should find themselves satisfied with Conchas’s tales of success at Baldwin High School. However, for those more interested in actually addressing the challenges of closing the gap, and discerning solutions that can be generalized across a variety of school settings, the findings in this book will leave them wanting. References Apple, M. W. (1996) Cultural politics and education. New York: Teachers College Press. Aronowitz, S., & Giroux, H. (1993) Education still under siege. Westport: BerginGarvey. Ascher, C., Fruchter, N. & Berne, R. (1996). Hard lessons: Public schools and privatization. New York: Twentieth Century Fund. Lightfoot, S. L. (1983). The Good High School. NY, NY: Basic Books, Inc. Molnar, A. (1996). Charter schools: The smiling face of disinvestment. Educational Leadership, 54(2), 9-15. Saltman, Kenneth J. (2000), Collateral Damage: Corporatizing Public Schools—A Threat to Democracy.Boulder, CO: Rowman and Littlefield. About the Reviewer Garth Cooper is a doctoral student in Teacher Education at Michigan State University. He is currently working on his dissertation which is focused on the impact of the "Highly Qualified" requirement of the NCLB legislation.