Sketches in Democracy

Acknowledgments
Foreword by Nicholas M. Michelli
Preface
Chapter 1. Birthing a School While Still In Labor
Chapter 2. The Trouble With Mismatched Expectations
Chapter 3. Playing School Is Not The Real Thing
Chapter 4. They Danced While We Looked Away
Chapter 5. Teachable Moments, Part I
Chapter 6. Teachable Moments, Part II
Chapter 7. Mid-Year Reflection
Chapter 8. When Students Want To Learn
Chapter 9. White Teachers, Urban Schools
Chapter 10. The Democratic School: Is It Worth It?
Chapter 11. The Arts As Democratic Practice
Chapter 12. Lessons Learned
Epilogue
End Notes

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.