Not Paved for Us: Black Educators and Public School Reform in Philadelphia

This illuminating book offers an extensive, expert analysis of a school system that bears the legacy, hallmarks, and consequences that lie at the intersection of race and education. Urban education scholar Camika Royal deftly analyzes decades of efforts aimed at improving school performance within the School District of Philadelphia (SDP), in a brisk survey spanning every SDP superintendency from the 1960s through 2017.

Royal interrogates the history of education and educational reforms, recounting city, state, and federal interventions. Her survey provides sociopolitical context and rich groundwork for a nuanced examination of why many large urban districts struggle to implement reforms with fidelity and in ways that advance Black students academically and holistically.

In a bracing critique, Royal bears witness to the ways in which positive public school reform has been obstructed: through racism and racial capitalism, but also via liberal ideals, neoliberal practices, and austerity tactics.

Not Paved for Us highlights the experiences of Black educators as they navigate the racial and cultural politics of urban school reform.

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Release date

Audiobook: 14 October 2025