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in2reading 's review for:
The author tells of a year he spent teaching in a NYC high school. He was not naive about what he was getting himself into, and he prepared as well as he could. But he only lasted the one school year. He tells his story well and it's an important one to hear. I'm not sure what is going on in rural education, but big city public school systems seem to be in crisis. There are always those who get into the better schools and do well, but an increasingly large proportion are not graduating and are getting to high school with barely primary grade skills. The author makes the excellent point that a successful teacher or school here, or a teacher that fails or an unsuccessful school there, is not what this should be about. Poverty is increasing in the U.S. and many societal issues need to be addressed before the educational system will truly be effective for all students. A plan is outlined in the last chapter, and it includes: improving training and support for teachers, investing more in the research, development and evaluation of education, rethinking school funding, get teachers unions on board, etc. This book amply illustrates that the way underprivileged students are going to succeed is through education. This country has to do a better job of educating all of its citizens.