NCREST The Series on Cultural Interchange Preface to the Series Titles in the Series About the Authors Acknowledgments Building School-Family Partnerships in a South Bronx Classroom David Bensman Between Home and School: Cultural Interchange in an Elementary Classroom Kathe Jervis YOU ARE HERE Cultural Interchange in a Bronx High School: Three Children Kemly A. McGregor Contents Acknowledgments Introduction “It’s the Company Why Crab Don’t Have No Head” — Leo “If I Don’t Have God, I Don’t Have Nothing in My Life” — Gisela “I Wanna Have It All” — Benjamin Leo, Gisela, Benjamin, and Their School Bibliography   View in PDF format Reaching Out to Other People’s Children in an Urban Middle School: The Families’ Views Jianzhong Xu Grappling with Difference 14-minute video

Cultural Interchange in a Bronx High School: Three Children Kemly A. McGregor Acknowledgments We want to thank our program monitor at the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, Sandra Steed, and her colleague, Beth Fine, for their invaluable support, and our NCREST colleagues Jacqueline Ancess, Diane Brown, Linda Darling-Hammond, Gary Griffin, Suzette Hanser, Christine Kessler, Ann Lieberman, and Patrice Litman for encouraging us along the way. Susan Audap, Jon Snyder, Nigel Thompson, Lois Weiner, and Nancy Wilson read early drafts. Nancy Berliner, Bruce Gerig, and Susan Kelly edited the manuscript and managed the details of production. Our families deserve special mention for sustaining us through the three years of intense work on this project. Most of all, we would like to acknowledge the willingness of teachers, administrators, study families, and those in the wider school community—most of whom remain anonymous—to collaborate with us on this joint venture. Dedication To my parents, Harold and Dorothy McGregor K. M. Return to Top of Page Introduction