Sketches in Democracy

DeLorenzo (music education, John J. Cali School of Music) provides powerful insight into the complexities of urban teaching and learning through her reflections as a teacher educator returning to the classroom for a year to teach music in a new high school. DeLorenzo's audience is teacher educators, and through this book she practices what is often preached--she connects theory and practice through the process of reflection by integrating ethnographic excerpts with an extensive discussion of the educational literature in order to understand urban classrooms and make them more effective. In particular, DeLorenzo is interested in developing urban schools where democracy is practiced by both teachers and students within the context of the arts. However, all teacher educators have a great deal to gain from this book because of the important questions it raises about navigating large urban bureaucracies, entering the teaching profession, developing meaningful curriculum, managing a classroom, and motivating students. The book also investigates the role of race and class. DeLorenzo does not provide easy answers but rather invites teacher educators into the complex world of urban teaching and learning through her own experiences. The concluding lessons-learned section suggests new questions, and readers also learn what happened to the school after its first year. Summing Up: Recommended.