"This text invites educators to challenge the deficit framing of underachievement and orient themselves in antiracist praxis that sets the foundation for humanizing and just teaching and learning in urban U.S. schools.”
—Teachers College Record
“All will find this framework can give them the ability to challenge existing structures of inequality. A must-read for all teachers and educators in K–12 education.”
—CHOICE
“I’ve had the privilege of working in urban schools for over 20 years, serving as a teacher, counselor, and middle school principal. I’ve learned alongside kids as young as 4 and as old as 19. What I have learned is that regardless of background or circumstances, children come to school ready, willing, and able to learn. They all want to be valued, make friends, and be successful. Rivera-McCutchen’s framework provides a blueprint and pathway to their success.
—From the Foreword by Jamaal A. Bowman, educator and member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York
“Rivera-McCutchen makes a powerful case to position radical care as essential for school leadership striving to do equity work, eliminate opportunity gaps, and correct a history of unequal education for Black, Brown, and other marginalized students. This compelling work is beautifully grounded in an actionable framework to accomplish this urgent work.”
—George Theoharis, professor, teaching and leadership department, Syracuse University
“Rivera-McCutchen introduces a practical and theoretically sound conceptualization of radical care leadership. She cogently argues that leaders should adopt an antiracist stance while cultivating relationships and leveraging power strategically. Providing a useful radical care framework and engaging vignettes, she even presents important lessons from the pandemic, reminding leaders to maintain hope and believe in students’ and teachers’ capacity for excellence.”
—Mark Anthony Gooden, Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Professor in Education Leadership, Teachers College, Columbia University
