Challenges Facing Suburban Schools

This coedited book describes the impact that an increasingly diverse student population has on 21st century suburban schools. It also presents what can and should be done to help K-12 school district administrators and teachers address this growing phenomenon across the nation. This eight-chapter book:
provides a demographic, political, economic, and sociological overview of the changing nature of suburban schools describes the nature of student diversity in the changing suburbs and issues with student achievement identifies administrative responsibilities and program structures for working with a changing student populationproposes ways to reduce the achievement gap, most notably in literacylooks at how to use “whole child” assessment protocols to provide support for such studentsdelves into parent inequities within changing suburban districts and offers ideas for closing the parent gap.This book is written for school district administrators, teachers, legislators, policy makers, teacher educators, and educational researchers for developing programs and pathways for a segment of the student and parent population that now is living in suburban areas without traditional roots as advantaged suburbanites.

Shelley B. Wepner is Dean and Professor of Education in the School of Education of Manhattanville College. She has over 145 publications focused primarily on connections between K-12 education and higher education and leadership skills for effectively supporting teacher education and literacy development.
Diane W. Gómez is Associate Professor of Second Languages and Chairperson for the Department of Educational Leadership and Special Subjects in the School of Education at Manhattanville College.