Download or read book Lives on the Edge written by Valerie Polakow and published by . This book was released on 1993-03-15 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a detailed look inside the classroom worlds of their children, Polakow explores what life is like if one is very young and poor, and consigned to otherness in the landscape of school. School is a place that matters - it is also a place where children are defined as "at risk" or "at promise." Polakow's astute analysis of poor children's pedagogy provides a critical challenge to educators. Written by an educator and committed child advocate, Lives on the Edge draws on social, historical, feminist, and public policy perspectives to develop an informed, wide-ranging critique of American educational and social policy. Polakow's recommendations in the areas of social policy and education point to useful cross-cultural models as well as successful small-scale programs in place in the United States.