Raising the Curve

Brookside Elementary in Norwalk, Connecticut, is preparing for a new school year and another chance to improve its failing scores on the statewide standardized test known as the CMT. The challenges are many, and for the faculty—whose jobs may depend on their students’ ability to improve on the test—the stakes are high.
 
Ten-year-old Hydea is about to start fifth grade with second-grade reading skills. Her friend Marbella is only a little further along. In past years, these students would have received help from the literacy specialist Mrs. Schaefer. But this year, due to cutbacks and a change in job description, she will have to select the few students whom she and the teachers can bet on—the ones who are close to passing the exams. And, for added measure, Principal Hay has already asked his faculty to teach to the test.
 
Journalist Ron Berler spent a full year at Brookside. In Raising the Curve, he offers a nuanced and personal portrait of the students, teachers, and staff who make up the Brookside community, capturing their struggles as well as their pride, resilience, and spirited faith.“Raising the Curve is more than just a fascinating glimpse at life on the front lines of teaching. It’s an education.”—Taylor Mali, author of What Teachers Make

“Berler’s ability to recount the struggles of failing schools through the viewpoints of its primary players—students, teachers and administrators—provides new insight on an old saga.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“In a compulsively readable and fast-paced chronicle of the lives of administrators, teachers, and students, Berler captures the deep love the teachers have for their students and the teachers’ struggles to teach to the test while hoping to instill a love of learning.”—Publishers WeeklyRon Berler has devoted much of his career to reporting on youth issues. He wrote a weekly column on kids’ issues for the Chicago Tribune and served as editor-in-chief of NBA Inside Stuff, a pro-basketball magazine for teens. He has authored one children’s book, The Super Book of Baseball, and edited another, Rising Stars: The 10 Best Young Players in the NBA. His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Wired, Men’s Journal, and on ESPN.com, among other publications. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and dog.