In Depth: Jonathan Kozol

Books on TV C-Span2 presents In Depth: Jonathan Kozol click the link entitled Watch This Program to view the amazing interview. Roughly three hours with the most respected voice on education today. Warning to privatizers like Green Dot, corporate hacks like LAPU/Parent Revolution, and union bashers like Ben Austin: you will not enjoy this program! GEM posts this excellent quote describing the content of the program.

[Kozol] IS A SHARP CRITIC OF THE CLASS AND RACE BASED EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE USA.

He also challenges many of the "reform" policies such as the NCLB "teach to the test mania", rote learning, Charter schools and vouchers. He is not afraid to take on Sec. Duncan and others who want to use a business model for education, blaming teachers and their unions , and replacing many experienced African American teachers with White "Kinderwonder" middle class recent Ivy League graduates who will only stay in teaching a few years as they have in New Orleans and Chicago, etc.

He points out how KIPP and Green Dot charter schools cherry pick their elite students while leaving most other poor children in run- down Ghetto schools.

From the In Depth website:

Author and education activist Jonathan Kozol was our guest for In Depth on Sunday, September 6, 2009.  Mr. Kozol is the author of over a dozen books, including The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America, Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools, and Death at an Early Age: The Destruction of the Hearts and Minds of Negro Children in the Boston Public Schools that was the recipient of the National Book Award for Science, Philosophy, and Religion in 1968. Mr. Kozol is the founder of Education Action an organization that advocates against the government’s No Child Left Behind legislation and promotes educational reform in the public school system.