EduShyster Unmasked
Why I’ve decided to come clean…Reader: I have a problem. As you may recall, I have long nursed shy hopes of attending the education reform event of the year, theEdReformies. But I’ve been vexed by a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. I can’t figure out how to purchase a ticket without using my real name. So I’ve decided to come clean. One gala ticket has just been purchased in the name of—drum roll please—Jennifer C. Berkshire. What do you mean you’ve never heard of me???
Here’s my story. I used to work part-time as a newspaper editor for the American Federation of Teachers in Massachusetts. The position gave me an opportunity most people never get: to see urban schools up close. From the very beginning, I was fascinated by the question of why some schools struggled while others were successfully reaching students despite incredibly challenging odds. I was particularly interested in turnaround stories and returned