A Chance to Make History: What Works and What Doesn't in Providing an Excellent Education for All

by Wendy Kopp

Since 1990, Teach For America has been building a movement to end educational inequity in America. Now its founder, Wendy Kopp, shares the lessons learned from the experiences of more than 25,000 teachers and alumni who have taught and led schools in low-income communities during those years. A Chance to Make History cuts through the noise of today's debates to describe precisely what it will take to provide transformational education -- education that changes the academic and life trajectories predicted by children's socioeconomic backgrounds. Sharing her experiences in some of the country's most underserved communities, Kopp introduces leaders at the classroom, school, and system levels who, driven by passionate belief in their students' potential, have set out to accomplish what most think impossible. Their inspiring stories show how we can provide children facing all the challenges of poverty with an excellent education, and that doing so involves the same ingredients that account for success in any visionary leadership that sets ambitious goals and puts forth the energy and discipline to reach them. Kopp's experiences and insights also shine light on why we have not made more progress against educational inequity -- how and why the intense but misguided quest for easy answers actually distracts from the hard work of expanding on the growing pockets of success in low-income communities -- and on what we need to do now to increase the pace of change. America's failure to educate millions of children to fulfill their potential is a crisis that strikes at our fundamental ideals and health as a nation. A Chance to Make History offers tangible evidence that we can change direction and provide all children the opportunity to attain an excellent education.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Professional Development, Teaching, Unfinished

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 29, 2010

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as part of my pre-institute work as a 2013 TFA corps member. I know opinions about TFA are super polarized, and as a new-comer to the organization I am working hard to tip toe carefully among all those opinions - I don't know enough yet to say what is true. What I do know is that, personally, I'm not trying to use under-served children or communities as a stepping stone in my career in law or business or medicine as is often a criticism of TFA corps members. I don't have a clear vision for my own future, but tentatively I think that I would like to stay at the school I'm placed at for at least five years if I feel that I am useful to the community and that from there I may want to get involved in education administration to try to effect broad positive change in the system. I am not working under the assumption that as a first year teacher I will be a better teacher than those who have decades of experience - in fact, I'm pretty sure that at first I won't even be a good teacher at all. But I do know that my constant presence in the classroom will be better for my students than a string of long term substitutes, which is what TFA is meant to replace - not veteran teachers. I will strive every day to be the kind of transformational teacher that Wendy Kopp describes in this book.

That being said, this was an interesting book to read. I think she makes a case for a kind of broad scale, no excuses education reform that doesn't rely on any one "silver bullet" as she calls it - not even TFA. I found myself throughout wondering what SPECIFICALLY makes a "transformational teacher," but I'm sure that that is explained in more detail in Teaching As Leadership, the other TFA pre-institute book, which I am beginning now.

This book served as my March non-fiction challenge book.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Early on, I was excited about this book. About half way through, I realized its purpose was mainly for Wendy Kopp to brag about Teach for America. Excitement waned, and I found myself wishing she would share some great things their teachers were doing instead of just stating how great they've done.

[Qwerty · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I respect TFA, I found this book a very superficial treatment of the subject of school reform. The author, TFA founder Wendy Kopp, doesn't really get much beyond the buzzwords of "high expectations," "accountability," and "transformational teaching." Besides listing one study, she also doesn't answer the critics of the so-called school reform movement. For a much better understanding of these criticisms, I would recommend Diane Ravitch's "Death and Life of the Great American School System." The only saving grace of this book is that at roughly 211 pages, it is a relatively quick read.

[Cristiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

All in all, I appreciated the overwhelming affirmation that you can achieve stellar results for the most under-served children if you "believe in them" (i.e. set goals, communicate the goals clearly, get everyone on board (kids, parents, community), work overtime (be a "transformational" teacher), etc.). It is not a function of throwing money or equipment into a school system. Also good to learn that you can achieve incredible results if you treat the school system exactly like any other organization - measurable, results-driven system with accountability and strong leadership at all levels. It's a compendium of lessons that I might have guessed (or believed to be true via movies like "Stand and Deliver") but they mean so much more that they actually happened and these school systems are still in place and these leaders are still active.

It was a great introduction to the world shakers in the education community. I wish I had a digital version so I could "ctrl + F" to find the parts about particular school systems, leaders.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

TFA's practice of identifying bright, active young people, training them for a very short period of time, and then sending them into the country's worst (i.e. struggling) schools is either a brilliant bit of public policy, or disasters waiting to happen. Fact of the matter is that kids learn better when they have a teacher who wants to be there and TFA only places people (usually post-college kids, but occasionally mid-career/ or retirees) in school districts where no one else wants to teach. A good way to burn out potentially good teachers, but if the point is to impact as many kids as quickly and as meaningfully as possible, then it is at least someone trying to do something. The location of a child's school should not determine their future course in life - schools everywhere should be able to graduate everyone with the ability to read and do simple math, and understand concepts of the world at large.

Idealistic, yes? Achievable, TBD? But someone has to do something.

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides specific examples of how teachers and students have transformed the lives of their students. Detailing the steps that these transformational leaders have taken, the book provides a "how-to" guide to show that this transformational process is not elusive, but tangible and doable by setting aggressive goals, working incredibly hard and always putting kids interests first.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent book - very thought provoking - I probably would have rated it higher if I hadn't just seen her speak in DC. A lot of the ideas in her speech were in the book, so since I'd already heard it, it didn't have as much of an impact.

[CTEP]

In June, I read “A Chance to Make History: What Works and What Doesn’t in Providing an Excellent Education for All” by Wendy Kopp, the founder of Teach for America. I originally picked up this book because it sounded like it would be about the successes that TFA members have had in the classroom and what strategies they employed to bring this success. Instead, it read as an educational policy statement and was, at times, difficult to read.

The main theme of “A Chance to Make History” is that unless school districts make a commitment to hire the best talent and provide ongoing support, training, and mentoring to teachers, any effort that is implemented by the school, whether it is smaller class sizes, technology in the classroom, longer school days/years, or updated curriculum, will not be successful. Several school districts around the country are discussed at length; the school district transformations in Washington DC and New Orleans and their successes are documented throughout, primarily because they are led by TFA alumni.

Kopp talks throughout the book about the great lengths that schools have went to to add more technology to the classroom, but how it is being misused, underutilized, or just isn’t working. School districts often believe that adding technology to the classroom will result in instant student success, but fail to realize that if teachers are ineffective, the technology will be too.

The book highlights some extraordinary teachers and their experiences in the classroom, but most of them left teaching to become administrators and policy makers, and the book focuses more on success at the policy level, rather than on the front lines. Several times, Kopp states that 60% of TFA teachers stay in the school system, but for the program to work, I believe that more need to actually stay in the classrooms. Unfortunately, TFA primarily recruits their talent out of Ivy League and other prestigious private universities, and this may be why their alumni do two years in the classroom and move on to better-paying careers.

When we met with the deputy director of MCN during our Capitol Corps Day, she made a statement that resonated with me, but that I generally disagree with – that to make change to “the system”, it needs to start from the top down, rather than the bottom up. In my opinion, it needs to happen at both ends, and that is a lot of what Teach for America is all about.

[Aditya Mallya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through a collection of compelling case studies and proof points, Wendy Kopp outlines a convincing formula for giving children from disadvantaged communities an excellent education. While her book focuses on first-hand observations from her time at Teach For America, the lessons are applicable (and the outcomes repeatable) across the world.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring. A book for would-be TFA teachers, or teachers who want to be inspired again.

[Lia Hulit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed examples and Wendy taking us through the trajectory of best practices and lessons learned after more than two decades of educational work.

[Carol Maskus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for solid teaching tips in here, but didn't find them. It does read, as other reviewers say, as sort of a promotion for Teach for America. Still, there are some beautiful stories.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing earth shattering

[John Juraj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Superficial and boring.

[Matt Morley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kopp's 'A Chance to Make History' excited me. I have just finished my second year of teaching in the UK through the Teach First scheme (the British equivalent to Teach for America) and ever since I first stepped foot in the classroom I have been fascinated by the education system and the huge variety of success that different schools have. I saw this then, as a chance for an experienced and inspiring leader to share her insights into the key factors that establish educational excellence.

In fairness, she does do this. However, the read was at times hard work and this is largely down to her enthusiasm to share largely irrelevant anecdotes and statistics from Teach for America success stories. She is rightly proud of the work that Teach for America has accomplished but I feel it does detract somewhat from the overall purpose of the book.

Having said that she does establish some keys to educational success in under-privileged communities. She establishes that it is a complex issue and she laments governments of recent decades of fixating on narrow solutions - silver bullets such as smaller schools, or improved technology. Instead she takes a holistic approach that encompasses both of the above as well as longer school hours, freedom for schools to innovate, greater accountability for principals and teachers, increased teacher talent pipeline, improved leadership development, etc. She has a wealth of experience and seen inside a vast array of schools, giving her a unique viewpoint to note what works and what doesn't and there are many good ideas here that we should be excited about implementing. I was, however, left desiring slightly more detail in terms of implementation; she presses greater accountability quite strongly but then doesn't suggest what metrics to use to do this or how to overcome the problems that would naturally arise from applying this to the classroom setting.

The slight silver-bullet irony is that the under-lying current running through the book is that people - and particularly leaders - are the key to educational success. From my experience, I would agree that this is the most important aspect and governments and organisations need to think carefully about how to increase the flow of exceptional leaders into the education system.

This is an exciting time. If you weren't convinced before this book, you should be now: it is certainly possible to create exceptional education for the very poorest communities, and Kopp clearly demonstrates this, first on the classroom level, then at the whole school level and finally at the district level. If we can learn from our mistakes there is no reason why every child should not be provided with excellent education; an exciting proposition indeed.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read “A Chance to Make History: What Works and What Doesn’t in Providing an Excellent Education for All” by Wendy Kopp, the founder of Teach for America. I originally picked up this book because it sounded like it would be about the successes that TFA members have had in the classroom and what strategies they employed to bring this success. Instead, it read as an educational policy statement and was, at times, difficult to read.

The main theme of “A Chance to Make History” is that unless school districts make a commitment to hire the best talent and provide ongoing support, training, and mentoring to teachers, any effort that is implemented by the school, whether it is smaller class sizes, technology in the classroom, longer school days/years, or updated curriculum, will not be successful. Several school districts around the country are discussed at length; the school district transformations in Washington DC and New Orleans and their successes are documented throughout, primarily because they are led by TFA alumni.

Kopp talks throughout the book about the great lengths that schools have went to to add more technology to the classroom, but how it is being misused, underutilized, or just isn’t working. School districts often believe that adding technology to the classroom will result in instant student success, but fail to realize that if teachers are ineffective, the technology will be too.

The book highlights some extraordinary teachers and their experiences in the classroom, but most of them left teaching to become administrators and policy makers, and the book focuses more on success at the policy level, rather than on the front lines. Several times, Kopp states that 60% of TFA teachers stay in the school system, but for the program to work, I believe that more need to actually stay in the classrooms. Unfortunately, TFA primarily recruits their talent out of Ivy League and other prestigious private universities, and this may be why their alumni do two years in the classroom and move on to better-paying careers.

Some say that in order to make changes to “the system”, it needs to start from the top down, rather than the bottom up. In my opinion, it needs to happen at both ends, and that is a lot of what Teach for America is all about.

[Andrew K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A Chance to Make History” is, of course, written by Wendy Kopp, the founder of Teach For America -- and so it nicely encapsulates and delivers all of her experience with what seems to work in American education. It’s like taking a long walk with Wendy to get her thoughts on TFA and education. And so the book is a good read for teachers, PTA members, or education policy wonks.

However, I am neither of those -- though I certainly have had my moments when I consider dropping everything to go teach -- and so my interest in education policy and practice is a good bit more intellectual. If this describes you, this is a good book anyway, and here's why:

In the education debates, a lot of silver bullet Answers are thrown around -- technology, smaller class size, “break up the teacher unions,” “throw more money at it,” etcetera – and "A Chance to Make History" debunks the silver bullets. Wendy Kopp makes are pretty airtight case that an “all of the above” approach is the only thing that works. She breaks down education into its constituent parts, clarifies the objective (transforming kids’ lives and setting them on a great path for life success), and shows how each part can be optimized, localized, and made to be mutually-reinforcing.

This kind of “break it down and put it back together” approach really appeals to me. I love understanding complex systems through their parts. And it gives me the confidence, when I hear a Silver Bullet advocated, to think, “Yeah, that’s just part of the answer.”

It’s a really solid book, not too wonkish, and not too sentimental either.

P.S. A couple other things come through loud and clear: (1) Great teachers are the most important part of this complete breakfast, and (2) Schools should be optimized for the needs of the kids, not the adults (which, alas, happens most of the time).

[Trissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Princeton graduate decides to start a program where college graduates (all majors) go teach in inner-city schools for 2 years. She says this will help the teacher shortage, giving kids a better education (insinuates that the current staff cannot). So she uses her family/friends/school connections to raise 2.5 million dollars, just to START the program. She did this at a time when corporations were focusing on schooling and donating for the cause, so that helped her cause. But if she did not come from the background that she did, she wouldn't have raised even a fraction of the money.
I thought it was offensive that the author says that anyone can make a difference when she made her difference through her connections. Most people could not get meetings with CEO's of big companies like Stanley Morgan, and later companies like Apple. And I think the program is condescending to the school systems because it's saying the current school can't do anything to help themselves (maybe the millions, up on millions this group raised could have gone to better use). It is also my opinion that her program took jobs from actual teachers that needed their jobs. The teachers the program provided came in at or below starting salaries, pushing out teachers that "cost" more. I don't like it when people think so highly of themselves that they have to write a book about it. This isn't a business model or even inspirational; it's a memoir and a bad one.

[Ryan Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wavers between memoir of the first 20 years of Teach for America and a call to action to change the education system in the United States. I have heard of Teach for America before but didn't know much about it so those sections of the book were very interesting.

The author gives several examples of "transformational teaching" in mostly poor communities. She highlights the problems we have by comparing these transformational teachers with everyday teachers. What makes someone a "transformational teacher" and how can we find more of them? I thought that the author had some good ideas and found it refreshing that she didn't have an obvious political ax to grind. Her goal: give each child the best education possible.

I found myself thinking about my struggling teenager. He definitely does not have a transformational teacher in his classroom now as described in the book. These "transformational teachers" work crazy hours on nights, weekends and over the summer to get kids caught up. How are we going to find thousands of teachers willing to do this? Unfortunately, the book doesn't provide that answer but the author hopes that a large expansion of Teach for America will help.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's disheartening to realize how uneducated our society is about what it takes to educate children, especially when we spend a large amount of money and resources trying to accomplish this. If everyone would read this book, (especially those involved in education, but also the rest of us who elect school boards and pay for public education through taxes), I think the state of education in this country would start to change for the better.

[Suri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for a discussion about what is failing in education today but it was mostly about TFA and their alumni. it talked about schools they have created and what they have done in the field of education. It seems repetitive and intent on making TFA look like they have the "transformative" attitude to get the change done. It doesn't really address the bigger picture in education and leaves you feeling the way you did when you started reading-what's the answer?

[Roger Haskins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! I was thoroughly impressed by this book and the ways education can be improved. As it stated there is no one issue that is the key problem (ex. Unions) and there is no one resource that will fix everything (ex. Money). But there is so much we can do. As a parent it makes me want to be involved at the school board level to make sure the academic culture is challenging and evaluated properly and that teachers and administrators are invested in the results the children produce.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel that this book was very informative about the problems around education today. I was disappointed that it seemed that her solution was to create more Teach for America recruits, because I don't think that makes sense from a policy perspective, and because I feel that it glosses over some of the bigger issues, like teacher retention.

However, this book is very readable, and a good introduction into the policy issues facing the American education system today.

[Lisa Hawkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

. I suspect that TFA insiders would love this book, but as a curious outside observer it read more like a marketing piece than a "what works" book full of insight. The most relevant pieces of information are interesting enough, but I'm guessing that you could glean them from any number of newspaper articles or the TFA website.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps I'll return to this book at some point in the future, but for now I'm going to give up and put it on my unfinished shelf. It's been a while since I last picked it up, but from what I recall the stories were good. The problem is that each chapter repeats the same pattern, and so the book became repetitive and boring.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book emphasizes the all-around excellence necessary if we're going to get serious about educating all children. A lot of the book covered material I was familiar with, but I still appreciated the anecdotes and (even more) the sense of optimism and possibility. And it was fun to have a "where are they now" section about the cast of Relentless Pursuit, a book I enjoyed.

[Jeffrey Cavanaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The founder of Teach for America discusses what it will take to transform America's mostly failing public schools into centers of transformational achievement for the country's poor and underprivileged. In short, it will take leadership, people, and the willingness of actors at every level of education to "do whatever it takes" to put achievement and success at the heart of the mission.

[Hillary]

Definitely good information but not totally the kind of information I feel like I need when I'm getting ready to start teaching. I want to read more about HOW to teach, not about the systemic approach to ending the achievement gap. But if you're looking for a book on that latter subject, this is a great pick!

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

To summarize if you believe in a student it doesn't matter their race, gender, city or upbringing they can succeed. All students can succeed it just takes a teacher who believes in them to get there. The end.

This book just says everything I said above in a longer drawn out book. Not bad as long as you interested in hearing about teach for America and the school system.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great to read after soaking in everything from last weekend's 20th Anniversary Summit. I appreciate the humility and honesty about what it will take to effect real change in ed reform and am, honestly, only further inspired to do my part.