Description
Book SynopsisA 2014 New York Times Book Review Notable Book
We’ve all had great teachers who opened new worlds, maybe even changed our lives. What made them so great?
Trade Review"Both a history of the research on effective teaching as well as a consideration of how that research might best be implemented. What emerges is the gaping chasm between what the best teachers do and how we go about evaluating what they’ve done." -- Sebastian Stockman - New York Times Book Review
"We romanticize teachers, and we vilify them, but we don't do much to help. This beautifully written, defiantly hopeful book points the way to a better future for American teachers and the children they teach." -- Paul Tough, bestselling author of How Children Succeed
"In this fascinating and accessible book, Elizabeth Green tells the story of the country's leading researchers on the all-important questions of what makes for an effective classroom teacher and how teachers can be trained to do their jobs better. That the story feels completely fresh is testament not only to Green’s skill as a reporter and writer but also to how beside-the-point much of the national conversation about education is. Green’s book ought to persuade the country to focus on what really matters in education." -- Nicholas Lemann, professor and dean emeritus at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
"Elizabeth Green reveals, in cinematic detail, what makes great teaching such a dazzling intellectual challenge—and why it has taken us so unforgivably long to care. A must-read book for every American teacher and taxpayer." -- Amanda Ripley, author of The Smartest Kids in the World
"In vivid detail, Elizabeth Green chronicles the long, uncertain, but ultimately promising efforts, based on research, to improve teaching in American schools." -- Howard Gardner, coauthor of The App Generation and author of Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences
"Great education is the foundation of a flourishing society, and it depends on great teachers.
Building a Better Teacher illuminates how we can develop gifted educators who prepare children for a brighter future. With strong evidence and compelling cases, Elizabeth Green has written an important book that every educator ought to read." -- Adam Grant, Wharton professor and best-selling author of Give and Take
"[Green] makes the case through thoughtful details that great teachers are made, not born… she brings hope and renewal to the field." -- Angela Leeper - Bookpage
"Elizabeth Green draws upon years of interviews and research as an education writer and CEO of Chalkbeat to make the case for why teaching is a craft and that it can be taught to anyone. Her excellent book should be read for a detailed account of the history of teacher education, an international context, and an entertaining narrative." -- Jonathan Wai - Psychology Today
"Green has spent years looking at what makes a great teacher—and whether the teachers we remember most fondly were born great or simply learned key skills." -- Greg Toppo - USA Today
"At the heart of Green’s exploration is a powerfully simple idea: that teaching is not some mystical talent but a set of best practices that can be codified and learned through extensive hands-on coaching, self-scrutiny, and collaboration." -- Sara Mosle - The Atlantic
"Peek[s] into real classrooms, allowing readers to observe what great teachers do and how." -- Kate Tuttle - Boston Globe
"[S]hould be part of every new teacher’s education." -- Michael S. Roth - The Washington Post
"Everyone who cares about teaching should read [
Building a Better Teacher]. Right away." -- Judith Shulevitz
"Timely… Elizabeth Green shows herself to be a talented young journalist." -- Sol Stern - City Journal
