The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America's Broken Education System - and How to Fix It

by Natalie Wexler Narrated by Natalie Wexler

Overview

The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis — and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty.

It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system — one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware.

But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong—it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.

Editorial Reviews

NOVEMBER 2019 - AudioFile

While Wexler’s message on improving education will be interesting to any parent, school official, or educator, her narration will leave them wanting. She argues quite convincingly that the missing piece in our educational system is a meaningful focus on building a student’s knowledge base in order to help them develop skills. However, the education debates since the 1980s have missed this key element, leaving children less capable upon graduation. She demonstrates the impact of these issues by following two classes of students over the course of a school year. Her narration does well in re-creating classroom dialogue but is a bit too laconic and disinterested when narrating the straight narrative. She provides some emphasis, but, overall, her tone sounds too distant for the listener to become absorbed in. L.E. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2019 - AudioFile

While Wexler’s message on improving education will be interesting to any parent, school official, or educator, her narration will leave them wanting. She argues quite convincingly that the missing piece in our educational system is a meaningful focus on building a student’s knowledge base in order to help them develop skills. However, the education debates since the 1980s have missed this key element, leaving children less capable upon graduation. She demonstrates the impact of these issues by following two classes of students over the course of a school year. Her narration does well in re-creating classroom dialogue but is a bit too laconic and disinterested when narrating the straight narrative. She provides some emphasis, but, overall, her tone sounds too distant for the listener to become absorbed in. L.E. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172227462
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	08/06/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	471,055

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