The Children in Room E4

I haven't read this book, but after reading the reviews (links below), I know what it says -- in the Jonathan Kozol mold, it documents how awful the schools are (true) and lays the blame at the lack of funding (false).  In fact, Hartford spends more per student than almost any other city in the country!  Despite the overwhelming evidence that money, by itself, does not result in higher student achievement, this myth persists -- perpetuated first and foremost by those who benefit from it (hint: it ain't the students!).  More money is a key ingredient in reform, but by itself is a waste.  I wish I didn't have a conflict, so I could join this online chat:

Please join us on Monday, February 12, at 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, for a live chat with Susan Eaton, the author of the book, "The Children in Room E4: American Education on Trial," published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. This is the first of what we hope will be a monthly chat on education books.

http://www.edweek-chat.org/

In "The Children in Room E4," Ms. Eaton follows one student, one classroom, and one teacher at an all-minority school in inner-city Hartford, Ct., the poorest city in the wealthiest state in the nation. She also tracks the ups and downs of Sheff v. O’Neill, the ongoing legal battle over equity in Connecticut schools.

TEACHER MAGAZINE had this to say about the book: "The educational disparities between rich and poor, black and white, urban and suburban students are well known. But Eaton, who has a PhD in education policy and has also been a newspaper reporter, takes the old familiar story and invests it with new interest."

Ms. Eaton will be online to answer your questions about educational disparities between rich and poor, desegregation, Sheff v. O’Neill, and what it was like to spend four years in an impoverished inner-city school.

Please join us for the discussion:

http://www.edweek-chat.org/

Submit advance questions:

http://www.edweek-chat.org/question.php3#question

Read TEACHER MAGAZINE's review of "The Children in Room E4: American Education on Trial":

http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2007/01/01/04books-3.h18.html

Read PUBLISHERS WEEKLY's review:

http://reviews.publishersweekly.com/bd.aspx?isbn=156512488X&pub=pw