Unequal Childhoods - Annette Lareau [219]
Study of a public school in a small suburban district, “Swan,” which draws mostly white middle-class students with some white working-class and some Black (about ten percent are from middle-class African American families). Participant observation in Swan from April to June by Lareau of a third-grade classroom of Ms. DeColli
One half-time research assistant (RA) for help with library work and general project management (but not fieldwork)
Spring 1993: decide to hire RAs for fieldwork
1993–94
Hire five RAs (four white women and one Black woman)
Experienced RA from 1992–93 moves to Midwest but returns for retreats and acts as an advisor and consultant to remaining RAs
Spend one month training RAs
One RA visits Swan fourth grade of Ms. Nettles
Occasional visits to Lower Richmond fourth grades: Mr. Tier, Ms. Bernstein, and Ms. Stanton
RAs and Lareau carry out in-depth interviews for separate interviews with mothers, fathers, and guardians from Lower Richmond and Swan (equal numbers of white and Black children) of 40 families, mostly from classrooms where there have been observations (one RA quits in December)
November: choose 12 families for intensive visits
December/January: complete Carroll, Brindle, and Handlon. Plan to visit 12–14 times for two to three hours per visit and go with the families on outings (i.e., doctor, dentist, church); plan to carry out exit interviews with target child, siblings, mother, and father or guardian
January: revise plan to visit 20 times, usually in the space of one month, often daily, as well as interview
February-May: complete Driver, Irwin, and Yanelli; start Tallinger
June: RAs scatter (one quits grad school and moves to New York, one moves to LA, and two work on comprehensive exams)
Summer 1994
Hire two new research assistants (one white woman and one African American man)
Finish Tallinger, start and finish Mcallister and Taylor, and start Williams
Summer 1995
One research assistant returns (white woman; African American man has moved to Boston); hire three additional research assistants (a white woman, a white man, and a Black woman)
Start and finish Marshall and Greeley; finish Williams
Summer 1996
Read field notes, analyze data
Transcribe interviews; write papers
Spring and Summer 1997
Present results in several talks
Receive feedback; begin to revise approach
Recruit 17 additional families (mostly black middle-class families and white poor families) for interviews, bringing final sample to 88 families
Summer 1998
Continue data analysis, writing papers, and revise
Begin book
Spring, Summer, Fall 1999
Draft first chapters for the book
Receive writing grant for fall semester; released from teaching
2000
Complete draft of five chapters; begin review process
2001
Revise draft; cut length by one-half; add five more chapters
Finish complete copy of book; do second review
2002
Complete revisions
TABLE C10. OCCUPATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ADULT MEMBERS OF FAMILIES IN THE STUDY
APPENDIX D
Tables for the Second Edition
TABLE D1. SELECTED LIFE CHARACTERISTICS OF INTENSIVE STUDY CHILD PARTICIPANTS, AT AGE 20–21
TABLE D2. STATUS OF SIBLINGS OF THE INTENSIVE STUDY CHILD PARTICIPANTS, TEN YEARS AFTER ORIGINAL STUDY
TABLE D3. SELECTED LIFE CHARACTERISTICS OF PARENTS OF INTENSIVE STUDY CHILD PARTICIPANTS, TEN YEARS AFTER ORIGINAL STUDY
Notes
CHAPTER 1: CONCERTED CULTIVATION
1. Choosing words to describe social groups also becomes a source of worry, especially over the possibility of reinforcing negative stereotypes. I found the available terms to describe members of racial and ethnic groups to be problematic in one way or another. The families I visited uniformly described themselves as “Black.” Recognizing that some readers have strong views that Black should