Think Together: How You Can Play a Role in Improving Education in America

We are having the wrong conversations about improving public education in America. Some say teachers unions are the main problem, and if we just get rid of them and create more choice and competition, the market will take care of itself. Another view is that corporate reformers are trying to privatize education and profiteer from America's second largest industry. If we would just feed the system with more taxpayer money, and add universal preschool, the system would perform just fine.

Neither approach is likely to meet with broad, sustained success. If America is going to fulfill its economic potential and rebuild its middle class, a high performing public education system is foundational. If you look past the superficial debate, there is more common ground (and reason for hope) than you might think. And in places you might have overlooked.

Randy Barth offers a unique perspective. A former stockbroker and corporate CEO, he founded a nonprofit organization called THINK Together. In little more than a decade, it has grown into the top half of one percent of all nonprofit organizations in America. A fusion of business people and educators, THINK Together works in partnership with more than 450 traditional public schools serving low-income kids. The outsider-insider perspective Randy's gained along the way, supported by data that shows what's working, needs to be heard if we are serious about looking for systemic solutions.

This is a book for everybody. It describes Randy and his colleagues' personal and spiritual journey to the frontiers of hope. If you are a citizen, taxpayer, parent or grandparent, community volunteer, mentor, philanthropist, school board member, teacher, administrator, a classified school employee, a policy maker or influencer, or a person of faith; this book is a must-read as together we look for solutions that will make our schools, and our country, great again. It all starts with you!

"Mr. Barth both illustrates and delivers real improvement." -Gregory Weinkauf, Huffington Post

Every kid on Shalimar Street knew the rules. Hop off the school bus and head straight to your family's apartment. Avoid the sedan, the one parked on the corner of Pomona Avenue, where Latino gang members dealt heroin and coke at all times of the day and night. Don't play outside; the Vario Little Town Gang might roll through at any time. There was no neighborhood park to play in anyway, so why risk getting caught in a drive-by shooting? To continue reading: psmag.com/politics-and-law/after-school-programs-fight-crime-costa-mesa -Nicole Shine, Pacific Standard