Alright, I admit it, I have something of an intellectual crush--always have, always will--on E.D. Hirsch, the author of several education books and founder of Core Knowledge Foundation. Though I think at some level I have always been interested in the nature and dynamics of the public education system, I remember reading Hirsch's The Schools We Need: And Why We Don't Have Them in the summer of my senior year of high school and realizing for the first time how deep my passion for understanding the formation of our nation's schools and for improving our nation's schools is. If it hadn't been for that book, who knows maybe I would have become, but I'm sure it wouldn't have been pretty. So why am I bringing this up now? Well, Hirsch recently published a new book on our country's (growing) achievement gap, especially with respect to reading skills. I just checked out a copy from the library and, if you're looking for an interesting read (he never disappoints whether you love him or loathe him (Howard Gardner [cough, cough])), I recommend you do the same.

Not buying my Hirsch hype? Check out the interview he did earlier this month with Andrew Rotherham of EdSector and see what you think.