The Education Shelf

When Kids Can't Read - What Teachers Can Do, second edition
Kylene Beers
Heinemann
PO Box 6926, Portsmouth, NH 03802-6926
www.heinemann.com
9780325144597, $39.95, PB, 432pp

https://www.heinemann.com/products/e14459.aspx

Synopsis: This new and expanded second edition of "When Kids Can't Read - W= hat Teachers Can Do: A Guide for Teachers 4-12", by Kylene Beers is based u= pon the bedrock belief that reading, though not an innate ability for anyon=
e, is a critical skill for all.

Reading changes us. It changes the way we think, the way we see the world, = the way we process information and dream new thoughts. It allows us to disc= over more about ourselves and the world around us so that we might become b= etter versions of ourselves, so we might fully participate in our communiti=
es and our nation, so that we might flourish intellectually, emotionally, c= reatively, and socially as passionate and compassionate beings.

And when we don't read, when kids can't read, all that is gone. We lose tha=
t ability to learn in this transformative way. We run the risk of being man= ipulated by others. We are diminished. And in that moment of being less, al=
l around us might suffer, too. Our understanding of complex issues then bec= omes dependent on what someone else tells us. When kids can't read the resu=
lt is far worse than lowered test scores. The result is an illiterate life.

This new and updated second edition recognizes that helping kids who strugg=
le with reading means knowing how to help kids with: Comprehension (literal=
and inferential meaning); Word Work (phonics, fluency, spelling, and vocab= ulary); Engagement (required and independent reading, relevance, and motiva= tion).

This new second edition of "When Kids Can't Read" also recounts author and = educator Kylene Beers' journey with one student who changed the course of h=
er professional career, and it is a guidebook for other educators in their = journey with their students as they too discover What Teachers Can Do!

Critique: Informative enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a Prolo= gue (Twenty Years Later), an Epilogue (Final Letter to George), a five page=
listing of Acknowledgments, a fourteen page listing of References, and a a=
n eight page Index, this newly published second edition of "When Kids Can't=
Read - What Teachers Can Do: A Guide for Teachers 4-12", is an ideal and c= omprehensive curriculum textbook that is unreservedly recommended for perso= nal, professional, school district, college, and university library Seconda=
ry Education collections and supplemental curriculum Reading/Phonics Teachi=
ng Materials studies lists.

Editorial Note: Kylene Beers (https://kylenebeers.com/blog/about) is a form=
er middle school teacher who has turned her commitment to adolescent litera=
cy and struggling readers into the major focus of her research, writing, sp= eaking, and teaching. She taught in the College of Education at the Univers= ity of Houston, served as Senior Reading Researcher at the Comer School Dev= elopment Program at Yale University, and most recently acted as the Senior = Reading Advisor to Secondary Schools for the Reading and Writing Project at=
Teachers College. Kylene has published numerous articles in state and nati= onal journals, served as editor of the national literacy journal, Voices fr=
om the Middle, and was the 2008-2009 President of the National Council of T= eachers of English. She has served as a consultant to the National Governor=
's Association and was the 2011 recipient of the Conference on English Lead= ership outstanding leader award.

Leading Within Systems of Inequity in Education
Mary Rice-Boothe
ASCD
www.ascd.org/books
9781416631835 $31.95

https://www.amazon.com/Leading-Within-Systems-Inequity-Education/dp/1416631= 836

Synopsis: This timely guide will help leaders of color succeed within white=
spaces while working to dismantle those spaces for a new system where they=
- and students - thrive.

As a leader of color, what do you need to succeed in the systems that often=
have marginalized the populations you represent? What skills and support w= ill help you to replace these existing systems with new ones that will bett=
er serve today's students?

In Leading Within Systems of Inequity in Education, Mary Rice-Boothe addres= ses these questions with specific recommendations, outlining the "whys" and=
"hows" of 10 individual, interpersonal, and institutional competencies for=
leaders:

1. Demonstrate self-awareness.
2. Operate outside your comfort zone.
3. Practice love and rage.
4. Practice self-care.
5. Engage in authentic dialogue.
6. Attend to relationships.
7. Create a coalition.
8. Be patient but persistent.
9. Take a stand in pursuit of a liberatory education system even if it's un= popular.
10. Act to change systemic racism every day in policies, procedures, and sy= stems.

You will learn from the experiences and insights of equity officers and pri= ncipals in districts of all sizes and explore key takeaways, reflection que= stions, and additional resources. Both inspiring and practical, Leading Wit= hin Systems of Inequity in Education is an indispensable liberation guide f=
or overcoming obstacles and creating the path to genuine equity in schools.

Critique: Leading Within Systems of Inequity in Education lives up to its t= itle as a guide to help educational systems better serve students, especial=
ly when existing systems are marred by inequity and discrimination against = students (and teachers!) based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nat= ional origin, or other factors. Educators of all backgrounds will find the = practical advice to create change for the better invaluable. Highly recomme= nded, both for college library Education Studies collections and the person=
al reference of professional educators in the field. "You will not achieve = liberation by fighting for just one community or area of oppression. Inters= ectionality is paramount. Social movements are often tied together by a sin= gle issue or point of identity. This strategy has generated progress, but w=
e need to try something different to experience liberation."

Editor's Note: Mary Rice-Boothe, EdD, has more than 25 years of experience =
in education as a teacher, principal, principal coach, curriculum designer,=
and equity officer. She currently serves as an executive director of curri= culum development and equity at The Leadership Academy. In this role, she o= versees the organization's internal and external equity strategy. Rice-Boot=
he is also the lead designer for the organization's instructional tools and=
resources.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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