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A review by mschlat
Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America by Paul Tough
4.0
I was very impressed by the book, although that may speak more to Geoffrey Canada and his work than Paul Tough's writing.
I will highlight two aspects of Tough's work. First, he does a great job of taking the reader through the sociological history of how Americans have viewed poverty, educational achievement, and race. I learned a lot about the swings our society takes from government intervention (and the belief that our country is failing the poor) and government retraction (and the belief that poverty is a moral failing).
Second, I really appreciated Tough focusing on the dilemmas of running a middle school with Canada's philosophy. Unlike some schools, Canada was emphatic about taking all students (albeit through a lottery) and not justing picking the students with more potential. The book painfully covers the struggles of working with the "bad apple" students and Canada's insistence that changing the culture of those students is critical. Even when things don't work out, there are glimmers of hope, especially with respect to mathematics education.
I will highlight two aspects of Tough's work. First, he does a great job of taking the reader through the sociological history of how Americans have viewed poverty, educational achievement, and race. I learned a lot about the swings our society takes from government intervention (and the belief that our country is failing the poor) and government retraction (and the belief that poverty is a moral failing).
Second, I really appreciated Tough focusing on the dilemmas of running a middle school with Canada's philosophy. Unlike some schools, Canada was emphatic about taking all students (albeit through a lottery) and not justing picking the students with more potential. The book painfully covers the struggles of working with the "bad apple" students and Canada's insistence that changing the culture of those students is critical. Even when things don't work out, there are glimmers of hope, especially with respect to mathematics education.