"Perfect for readers who are passionate about the future of American children." —Library Journal "By opening up the discussion to fourth graders themselves, Schaenen offers an outlet for voices often overlooked in the debate about education in America." —Publishers Weekly "Perspective-taking is all over this book. A caring, curious teacher in the Midwest talks ... Read morewith children nearing the cusp of puberty and learns that they all believe in school. Fourth graders analyze what and how they have learned and how well their teachers and schools are faring. A welcome invitation to other teachers to reverse roles in order to become the learner. What these children think about school offers some thoughtful lessons." —Shirley Brice Heath, Stanford University "By listening well to fourth graders, Inda Schaenen manages to bring all the most hotly contested issues of U.S. education into high relief. Paying meticulous attention to the full range of their experiences, she makes a passionate and powerful argument for the student-centered schools we need." —Kathleen Cushman, author of Fires in the Bathroom "No one knows the experience of schooling better than students, yet we rarely hear their voices in today’s school reform discourse. Speaking of Fourth Grade powerfully breaks the silence and invigorates the debate by allowing students’ authentic voices to ring through." —Gloria Ladson-Billings, author of The Dreamkeepers "At a time when (even classroom) space for student perspectives is shrinking, Inda Schaenen reminds us that adults have a lot to learn and that listening closely and deeply to students is at the heart of good teaching." —Deborah Meier, author of In Schools We Trust and founder of the Small Schools movement "Fourth grade was my favorite when I was a classroom teacher. Fourth graders are that unbeatable combination of curiosity and innocence, enthusiasm and honesty that make teaching them exciting as well as unpredictable. Inda Schaenen has captured the essence of fourth graders in this book that teaches us not only about children but also about the current state of education in the United States with its broken promises and unmet possibilities, its successes and failures. This is a book for teachers, parents, and perhaps most of all, policy makers." —Sonia Nieto, professor emerita of language, literacy, and culture, College of Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Show Less