Radical: Fighting to Put Students First

(Check out the Radical Discussion Guide here.)

Source: www.makers.com/michelle-rhee.

The United States has rightfully earned the reputation of being a world leader by blazing trails in commerce and innovation. Unfortunately, this status is now facing grave risk -– American students are falling well behind international counterparts in reading, science, and math. If we continue down this sad road, our country will not be able to produce enough skilled and well-educated graduates needed to maintain our global leadership. In an effort to halt this trend of mediocrity, Michelle Rhee has emerged as a driving force behind America’s education reform movement.

In Radical, Michelle Rhee shares her personal life story, and delivers her plan for improving America's public schools. Michelle's goal is to ensure that states are focused on putting student-centered laws and policies in place to guarantee every child has access to a great education. This roadmap for improving education is based off Michelle's extraordinary experiences in education: her years of teaching in inner-city Baltimore; her turbulent tenure as chancellor of the Washington, D.C. public schools; and her current role as national education activist. Michelle draws on dozens of heartfelt, compelling examples—from the many students who overcame unspeakable circumstances and excelled in the classroom; the hardworking teachers whose groundbreaking methods defied the odds, and lead to unprec­edented leaps in student achievement; and the realization that she can’t implement transformative and meaningful reforms without the help of the community.

Radical chronicles Michelle's enlightenment to the potential of every child blessed with a great teacher, her frustrations with adults maintaining status quos and selfishly placing their own interests before children, and her recognition of founding a national movement aimed at dismantling bureaucratic barriers that path the way to outstanding public schools.