Subtle Webs

“Trinidad has written a lively and engaging account of how dropoutprediction systems have been driven by both external factors like schoolimprovement organizations and internal factors like shared understandingsof the problem of dropping out. The result is a deeply researched and convincinganalysis of this important topic.”—Heather Haveman, author of The Power of Organizations“This book provides a brilliant and comprehensive analysis of how educationalchange can come from the outside in—through networked organizations thatleverage educational transformation in schools. Understanding the subtle yetpowerful influence of these players in the education space is essential knowledgefor education scholars, policymakers, and practitioners alike.”—Amanda Datnow, University of California San Diego“Trinidad shines a bright light on oft-hidden activists and private nonprofitsthat craft progressive change inside schools. These fragile, yet potent networksof reformers, scholars, and philanthropists jolt dusty bureaucracies to liftlong-ignored students. He tells an eye-opening story of how webs of organizersquietly chip away at recalcitrant institutions.”—Bruce Fuller, author of When Schools Work

Jose Eos Trinidad is Assistant Professor of Education Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a sociologist studying organizations outside schools and schools as organizations.