ce of this type for the school in the year of 1989 (Kozol, 1991, p. 23).
Urie Bronfenbrenner describes various systems in which the child functions as "exosystems." The school is one such system. If the simple functioning of the physical plant is in deplorable condition, the child has little chance of having a positive productive experience in the school. A pleasant and comfortable school environment with well cared for and attractively decorated buildings is one of the variables that researcher Michael Rutter found to be associated with positive student learning (1981, p. 622).
Bronfenbrenner emphasizes three principal exosystems and their influences on the quality of life for the child--the parents' workplace(s), the parents' social networks, and the community. It is evident in Kozol's investigations that these systems have profound effects, either positive or negative, on the quality of schooling in America. In Chicago, Kozol found dramatic differences in the schools in the suburban areas compared to those in the inner city. Children in the wealthiest suburbs had truly scholarly instruction from remarkable and well-rewarded teachers, teachers earning nearly $
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