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The Flat World and Education offers an eye-opening wake-up call concerning America's future and vividly illustrates what the United States needs to do to build a system of high-achieving and equitable schools that ensures every child the right to learn. ''We are so fortunate that Linda Darling-Hammond has provided this road map for educational excellence for all children in today's flat world. She thoughtfully emphasizes the basic strengths that we need in these changing times and then outlines what our schools must do to respond to 21st-century learning needs. Linda is one of the education researchers whom I most respect. 'All children' must mean all children and this book shows us how to do it.''-Richard W. Riley, Former U. S. Secretary of Education ''When Linda Darling-Hammond speaks, America's teachers listen! I listened and learned from her as we together led the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and created the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future. Excellent schools are the key to America's economic future, and superb teaching is the key to great schools. This book makes clear as a bell how to organize schools for successful teaching and what state and national policies are required to support it.''-James B. Hunt, Former Governor of North Carolina and President of the Hunt Institute''Her arguments are sound, rooted in evidence, and unencumbered by the kinds of ideological partisanship that characterizes too much of current educational debates. After reading this book, one will understand why it was that Barack Obama, when seeking advice from the sharpest minds in education, turned to Dr. Linda Darling Hammond.''-Pedro A. Noguera, Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, New York University''Once again Darling-Hammond brings clarity to complexity, thoughtful analysis to politically charged issues, and sound policy recommendations to the hysteria of what to do to save America s public schools. In this volume the macro meets the micro on terms that lets all democratically-minded citizens breathe a sigh of relief.''-Gloria Ladson-Billings, University of Wisconsin Madison''Anyone who desires a quantum leap in the educational achievements of American students-as opposed to the 'quick fix'-must address the issues raised in this carefully argued and well documented work.''-Howard Gardner, Harvard Graduate School of Education''Linda Darling-Hammond has written the definitive description of the problems that drag down the quality and equity of our educational system. Writing with passion, solid scholarship, and compassion, she presents a vision of the changes that are necessary to build a better education system and a brighter future for all our children and our nation.''-Diane Ravitch, New York University''Linda Darling-Hammond's latest is a profoundly important book. She provides both a powerful rationale and a clear, detailed roadmap for how public education must be transformed to meet the challenges of teaching, learning, and assessment in the 21st century. It is a must-read read for educators, policymakers, and others concerned about the future of our country in a 'flat' world.''-Tony Wagner, co-director, Harvard Change Leadership Group - from Amzon