Book Review of “Children of the Dream: Why School Integration Works”

Children of the Dream: Why School Integration Works by Rucker Johnson, with Alexander Nazaryan (Johnson & Nazaryan, 2019), is a compelling take on many of the prevailing educational policy issues our nation has continued to grapple with since the Redemption era’s Plessy versus Ferguson ruling in 1896 legally embraced racial segregation (Luxenberg, 2019). As we wrestle with the ongoing effects of systemic racism embodied in the U.S. caste system, Johnson and Nazaryan’s seminal work can help us put contemporary education debates into a useful historical and political economy context replete with questions, insights, and considerations.