The Bookshelf: Oct. 16, 2014

Trib+Edu is joining with respected books authority Kirkus Reviews to bring you select reviews of books of note in the field of public education. For more book reviews and recommendations, visit Kirkus.com.

LESSONS OF HOPE How to Fix Our Schools

by Joel Klein

News Corp. executive vice president Klein gives an accounting of the remaking of New York City's school system during his eight-year term as chancellor ... On Martin Luther King Day in 2003, (Mayor Michael) Bloomberg announced the reform program called “Children First,” which Klein calls “the most carefully crafted public address of his time in office.” Part of the plan included the elimination of New York City’s elected school boards, along with the district superintendents’ offices ... “I wanted control [of the schools],” said Bloomberg, “and I got control. And I am going to do something about it.” Klein was tasked with the restructuring of three separate but related problem areas — political, bureaucratic and educational — to benefit the children … A skillful account of how Klein maneuvered between parent and teacher concerns and city politics to transform the city's education system.

For full review, visit kirkus.com