“Rare among educational researchers, David’s prose speaks as forcefully and transparently to the average citizen (and voter) as it does to his fellow scholars…. This book will not be ignored! For different reasons, neither the progressives nor the traditionalists can afford to.”
—From the Foreword by P. David Pearson, professor, University of California, Berkeley
“In addition to being the nation’s foremost education researcher, this book shows a different side of Berliner. His book is witty, humane, and wise. Unlike most books about education, it is fun to read. Berliner draws upon his wealth of knowledge and experience to provide valuable lessons about how children learn and how society can improve schools.”
—Diane Ravitch, founder and president, Network for Public Education (NPE)
“This is a terribly important book from one of our most elegant and discerning observers of public schools. A brilliant defense of the autonomy of teachers and multi-cultural and genuinely democratic education. It’s all the more important at this moment in our history when we are facing an increasing threat to the very institution of the public system. I hope it will be widely read.”
—Jonathan Kozol, educator, activist, and author of Savage Inequalities
"In this insightful collection, educational scholar David Berliner intertwines his deep knowledge of educational theory and policy with penetrating insights into effective teaching and meaningful learning."
—Howard Gardner, Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and author of The Essential Howard Gardner on Mind
“This searing and brilliantly accessible collection is both a love letter to public schools and a battle cry against the forces dismantling them. With sharp insight and deep humanity, David Berliner makes the case that defending our schools is inseparable from defending democracy itself.”
—Joel Westheimer, professor of democracy and education, University of Ottawa, Canada
“Each essay in this book is a master class in educational insight and civic conscience. Berliner offers a stirring reminder that defending public education is defending democracy itself.”
—Yong Zhao, Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Kansas
"This book offers readers a journey through the thoughts of a wise, thoughtful, and plain-spoken genius. While reading through Berliner’s informal and conversational essays, I often found myself making a mental note to share one or another of these often touching and personal contributions with friends and colleagues."
—Kevin Welner, professor of education, University of Colorado Boulder, coauthor of Schools of Opportunity: 10 Research-Based Models of Equity in Action
"David Berliner, the consummate educational researcher, has taken the time to provide us with essays that give us the kind of language we need in these times. Those concerned with democracy and public education's role in it will relish these insightful, prescient essays and learn from them."
—Gloria Ladson-Billings, professor emerita, University of Wisconsin–Madison and past president, National Academy of Education
“David Berliner, life-long and fierce defender of public education, once again demonstrates why he is among the most respected education thinkers and researchers in the nation. Bringing together a collection of essays on topics ranging from book banning, school reform, the privatization of public schools, and more, he takes his place as a consummate defender of children and teachers, of authentic learning, and of the role of education in our democracy.”
—Sonia Nieto, professor emerita, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
