Altered Destinies: Making Life Better for Schoolchildren in Need

In Altered Destinies, author Gene I. Maeroff poses important questions about what is needed to equalize the tremendous imbalance between the education received by affluent and disadvantaged schoolchildren. Maeroff argues that in addition to the need for greater financial investment in their schools, children require a stronger support system - what Maeroff refers to as social capital. Rather than dwelling on the adverse conditions afflicting children in need, Maeroff proposes a formula for fortifying the social capital in these children's lives. He does so by pinpointing four areas for reinforcement: a sense of connectedness, a sense of well-being, a sense of academic initiative, and a sense of knowing. Maeroff elaborates on these four areas, building a compelling case for how and why the concept of social capital will make a considerable difference in the effort to improve opportunities and outcomes for disadvantaged schoolchildren. Setting higher academic standards - without securing the development of children in need - is not enough. Powerful, impressively researched, and inspiring, Altered Destinies not only examines the dilemmas facing young people, it suggests methods to solve them.