Preparing For Power : America's Elite Boarding Schools

Why do private boarding schools produce such a disproportionate number of leaders in business, government, and the arts? In the most comprehensive study of its kind to date, two sociologists describe the complex ways in which elite schools prepare students for success and power, and they also provide a lively behind-the-scenes look at prep school life and underlife. Why Do Private Boarding Schools Produce Such A Disproportionate Number Of Leaders In Business, Government, And The Arts? In The Most Comprehensive Study Of Its Kind To Date, Two Sociologists Describe The Complex Ways In Which Elite Schools Prepare Students For Success And Power, And They Also Provide A Lively Behind-the-scenes Look At Prep-school Life And Underlife. -- Publisher's Description. Privilege And The Importance Of Elite Education -- Rousseau's Children: Total Educational Environments -- Chosen Ones -- Cultural Capital: Curricula And Teachers -- Academic Climates, Teaching Styles, And Student Stress -- The Iron Hand In The Velvet Glove: Trustees, Heads, And Charisma -- Prep Crucible -- Student Underlife And The Loss Of Innocence -- Vital Link: Prep Schools And Higher Education -- Preps At Play And In The Power Structure. Peter W. Cookson, Jr., Caroline Hodges Persell. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. 240-249. A behind-the-scenes look at prep school life offers an incisive analysis of the complex ways in which these elite schools prepare students for success and power IF ONE were to think of American education in terms of a landscape, boarding schools would occupy a tiny corner of the topography.