From Publishers Weekly
Taxpayers, legislators, policy makers and, as the title suggests, even presidential candidates will appreciate this thoughtful collection of letters from a diverse group of parents, students, teachers, public figures and elected officials, education scholars and reformers. The essays offer straightforward suggestions for fixing our schools and are a refreshing antidote to the spin from government and media sources whose messages often "obscure the real crisis in our schools." "We must focus on the difficult questions," says Glickman (Holding Sacred Ground, etc.), a highly regarded education scholar, referring to the achievement gap between those who are well served by education and those who have been historically underserved. And, he says, we must reverse the decline of an educated population if we hope to preserve democracy. But, Glickman maintains, the answer isn't through what he sees as ideologically driven standardized testing regimes, privatization or any of the other methods that he believes threaten the very existence of public education. Glickman and his contributors suggest practical ways to create world-class schools. Although the ideas vary, all require energy and activism from everyday citizens and, most importantly, real leadership. The essays, written by actor Cosby, educational philosopher Maxine Greene, Sen. John Glenn, parents and even a student in the South Bronx, ask "the next president and all of us to fight for the soul of a democracy through public education."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
