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A Chance to Make History: What Works and What Doesn't in Providing an Excellent Education for All Audiobook
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(3.03) - 222 listener ratings
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As “the stunningly successful nonprofit organization, Teach For America” (New York Times) celebrates its 20th anniversary, its founder Wendy Kopp issues a passionate and inspiring summation of what she and TFA corps members have learned: that educational inequity—the achievement gap—is a solvable problem, and that the key to solving it—in a single classroom, a school, or system-wide—is leadership. For twenty years, Teach for America has been working to end educational inequity, sending some of our nation’s most promising college graduates to teach in some of our nation’s most under-resourced communities. TFA and its corps members know from experience that the contributing causes of the achievement gap—dysfunctional inner-city and rural economies, poor healthcare, broken families, among others—are daunting. But they have also come to the exciting realization that educational inequity is a solvable problem. Highly effective teachers are achieving transformational progress in their classrooms despite the obstacles; and the skills and strategies that make them highly effective are specific and identifiable. In this inspiring, optimistic book, TFA’s founder and president Wendy Kopp shows concretely that the achievement gap can be closed, and delineates what it will take to close it. Through stories from classrooms and schools across America, she distills the key lessons TFA has learned from the experiences of 24,000 corps members. The heroism and hard work of an individual teacher can transform a child’s life. But to transform the educational experience and opportunities of all America’s children, and to ramp up the pace of change, individual teachers should be supported by schools, school systems, and policies dedicated to nurturing, fostering, and spreading their efforts. America’s failure to educate millions of its children to enable them to fulfill their potential has always been an injustice. Given the challenges we face in a competitive global economy, it has also become a national crisis. This clarifying and passionate book is must reading for anyone involved in or concerned about education—as a teacher, student, administrator, policymaker, community activist, or parent.
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"Great to read after soaking in everything from last weekend's 20th Anniversary Summit. I appreciate the humility and honesty about what it will take to effect real change in ed reform and am, honestly, only further inspired to do my part. "
— Lea (4 out of 5 stars)
A Chance to Make History Listener Reviews
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" Perhaps I'll return to this book at some point in the future, but for now I'm going to give up and put it on my unfinished shelf. It's been a while since I last picked it up, but from what I recall the stories were good. The problem is that each chapter repeats the same pattern, and so the book became repetitive and boring. "
— Denise, 1/15/2014 -
" Good overview of the education landscape and related challenges. "
— Michelle, 1/1/2014 -
" Selective use of data, focus on outliers and testimonials, not empirical supported "
— David, 12/25/2013 -
" Highly optimistic read in regards to where education is going. Looks at transformational, systemic change from all levels of education, while using the Teach For America as foundation. Some good points, lots of repetition and ambiguity. "
— Steve, 12/24/2013 -
" Early on, I was excited about this book. About half way through, I realized its purpose was mainly for Wendy Kopp to brag about Teach for America. Excitement waned, and I found myself wishing she would share some great things their teachers were doing instead of just stating how great they've done. "
— Kevin, 12/16/2013 -
" There are some very important insights here, but they could have been squeezed into roughly 24, not 240, pages. "
— Adam, 12/8/2013 -
" I liked her focus on the need for a comprehensive approach. She emphasizes the importance of administrative leadership and the inadequacy of relying only on better teachers, materials, or technology in turning around failing schools. "
— Judy, 11/30/2013 -
" Great to read after soaking in everything from last weekend's 20th Anniversary Summit. I appreciate the humility and honesty about what it will take to effect real change in ed reform and am, honestly, only further inspired to do my part. "
— Lea, 9/12/2013 -
" excellent book - very thought provoking - I probably would have rated it higher if I hadn't just seen her speak in DC. A lot of the ideas in her speech were in the book, so since I'd already heard it, it didn't have as much of an impact. "
— Andrea, 11/19/2012 -
" I really liked this book. I think it's a must-read for everyone, not just teachers. "
— Allison, 7/20/2012 -
" I really enjoyed her first book. This one is not a "story" but more of a showcasing of people and programs. It was not exactly a page turner. Book gives names of key players in the field and connects some dots. "
— Jax, 10/1/2011 -
" Excellence requires effort, teamwork, and a passion for students. No magic bullets. No formulaic answers. That's what I thought! "
— Stephanie, 8/13/2011 -
" The beautiful story of Teach For America's impact; why I'm grateful to be apart of such a compelling network! "
— Kimberlin, 4/25/2011 -
" excellent book - very thought provoking - I probably would have rated it higher if I hadn't just seen her speak in DC. A lot of the ideas in her speech were in the book, so since I'd already heard it, it didn't have as much of an impact. "
— Andrea, 1/26/2011 -
" I really liked this book. I think it's a must-read for everyone, not just teachers. "
— Allison, 1/26/2011
About Kate Mulligan
Kate Mulligan has acted with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for more than ten seasons in productions including Hairspray, Alice in Wonderland, and Sense and Sensibility. Her film and television work includes Being John Malkovich and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.