{"product_id":"troublemaker-a-personal-history-of-school-reform-since-sputnik-9780691171036","title":"Troublemaker  A Personal History of School Reform since Sputnik","description":"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHonorable Mention for the 2008 PROSE Award in Education, Association of American Publishers \"I love the fact that no one is spared [Finn's] acidic sense of humor. That makes him a first-class writer, and Troublemaker may be the best of his many books... The book offers one of the most enjoyable, astute and fair-minded reviews of the topsy-turvy course of our national effort to improve schools. It flavors that complex tale with the story of Checker Finn, a smart kid from Dayton, Ohio, who wisely attached himself to some of the most thoughtful political figures of his era and brought their practical approach to fixing schools to a new generation... These stories will not make Finn any less unpopular with people on both sides of our often bitter educational debates, but I wish we had more thinkers as aggravating and insightful as he is. All of us can learn much from him, and his book.\"--Jay Mathews, Washington Post \"A lively and wise new memoir...Should be required reading for charter school leaders and left-wing teacher unionists alike. A 'personal history' of the last five decades of public schooling, Mr. Finn's memoir weaves America's story with his own...Mr. Finn's conclusions have the unpopular characteristic of adhering neither to one side nor to the other. Yes to vouchers, he says, as long as voucher schools have high quality; yes to business involvement, as long as it does not abandon sound instructional knowledge and the imperative of a civic mission; yes to standards, but only if they are rigorous. These are not sexy answers, but they are thoughtful ones, and for the field of education, that is quite the right medicine.\"--Elizabeth Green, New York Sun \"A blow-by-blow account of Checker's efforts to improve American schooling...Finn approaches education with [a] sense of personal dedication, but the book is neither wistful nor weary. Troublemaker displays the energy and combativeness of a man who knows a good education can solve problems and improve lives.\"--Phil Brand, Washington Times \"A very readable rundown of the past four decades of education policymaking by a man who was there.\"--Neil McCluskey, School Reform News \"Having meticulously and fair-mindedly detailed four decades of 'staggering inertia' in American educational policy, Finn nevertheless tries to end on an upbeat note.\"--Commentary \"Chester Finn's book is an indispensable guide and an inspiring portrait of what individuals and groups with common sense, civic commitment, and perseverance can accomplish in realizing the battered but noble promise of modern education--but also a sobering picture of what they are up against.\"--M. D. Aeschliman, Modern Age\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction ix     Part I: Early Days 1  Chapter 1: Schoolkid in the Fifties 7  Chapter 2: Into the Sixties 14  Chapter 3: Becoming an Educator 26     Part II: The Seventies 33  Chapter 4: White House Days 41  Chapter 5: Out of Washington 56  Chapter 6: The Politics of Aiding Private Schools 66  Chapter 7: A Federal Department of Education? 77  Chapter 8: Becoming a Republican 87     Part III: The Eighties 95  Chapter 9: Quality Gains Traction 101  Chapter 10: Educators Awaken 108  Chapter 11: Professing in Tennessee 118  Chapter 12: Inside the Beast 125  Chapter 13: The Quest for Better Information 134  Chapter 14: Goals, Standards, and Markets 149     Part IV: The Nineties 165  Chapter 15: Bipartisan Reform in Action--and Inaction 169  Chapter 16: Charters and Vouchers 181  Chapter 17: International Alarums, Contentious Responses 187  Chapter 18: Whittling and Think- tanking 194  Chapter 19: Clinton, Goals, and Testing 204  Chapter 20: Priests, Professionals, and Politicians 211  Chapter 21: Choices and Summits 216  Chapter 22: Back to Dayton 224  Chapter 23: Leaving No Child Behind 237  Chapter 24: Shaky Tripods 246  Chapter 25: The Burden of Choice 261  Chapter 26: Technology and Governance 273  Chapter 27: Teachers, Time, and Money 283  Chapter 28: Still Learning 296     Epilogue: Two Little Girls 307 Glossary 313 Notes 319 Index 347","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53515464999255,"sku":"9780691171036","price":999.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/troublemaker-a-personal-history-of-school-reform-since-sputnik-9780691171036","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}