Description
The remarkable true story of the high school junior who started his own school—and earned acclaim nationwide—“will make you laugh, cry and cheer” (John Merrow, author of The Influence of Teachers).
Samuel Levin, a teenager who had already achieved international fame for creating Project Sprout—the first farm-to-school lunch program in the United States—was frustrated with his own education, and saw disaffection among his peers. In response, he lobbied for and created a new school based on a few simple ideas about what kids need from their high school experience.
The school succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest expectations and went on to be featured on NPR and in Newsweek and the Washington Post. Since its beginnings in 2010, the Independent Project serves as a national model for inspiring student engagement.
In creating his school, Samuel collaborated with Susan Engel, the noted developmental psychologist, educator, and author—and Samuel’s mother. A School of Our Own is their account of their life-changing year in education, a book that combines poignant stories, educational theory, and practical how-to advice for building new, more engaging educational environments for our children.
Praise
Praise for Susan Engel’s and Sam Levin’s A School of Our Own:
“This wonderfully written and inspiring book will make you laugh, cry and cheer. I predict most readers will also give copies to friends and acquaintances who care about children and their schooling, and I’m praying that at least one of them knows the President of the United States.”
—John Merrow, education correspondent for PBS NewsHour, president of Learning Matters, and author of The Influence of Teachers and Choosing Excellence
“What a great mother and son story and one with a happy ending. It brings back many memories of mothering and teaching. I wish I could start again and design a school, this time alongside of students, with a Sam to prod us along. This is a must-read for all of us of any age.”
—Deborah Meier, author of Will Standards Save Public Education? and founder of the Small Schools movement
“In both form and content, unlike anything that I’ve ever read. The educational experiences it describes are unique.”
—Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education and author of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Reframed
Praise for Susan Engel’s The End of the Rainbow:
“Engel…offers an incisive prescription for America’s sagging educational system.”
—Publishers Weekly
“What, in our hearts, do we wish for our children, and how can schools be designed to help make those wishes come true? These are the most fundamental questions we can ask when thinking about schooling, and in this book Susan Engel combines good sense and empirical research to help us think about them.”
—Peter Gray, author of Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life
“A most enjoyable and provocative read, The End of the Rainbow invites readers to consider the purpose of schooling. Through anecdote and the use of scientific research, Engel makes the argument that schools aim for productivity rather than happiness, with the latter falling by the wayside.”
—Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, author of How Babies Talk, Einstein Never Used Flash Cards, and A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool
