Search the Fresh Air Archive

Close Search

Jonathan Kozol on Educational Inequality.

Author and Educator and activist Jonathan Kozol. In 1967 he wrote about teaching fourth graders in a poor black Boston public school in the book, "Death at an Early Age." Since then he's written three other books about schools and teaching, as well as a book on adult illiteracy, "Illiterate America," and on the homeless, "Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America." For his new book, "Savage Inequalities," (Crown Publishers) he visited rich and poor schools across the country, where he found schools in worse shape than when he was teaching in the 60s. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

21:42
Queue

Guest

Host

Related Topics

Other segments from the episode on September 17, 1991

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, September 17, 1991: Interview with Jonathan Kozol; Interview with Raymond Sokolov; Commentary on accents and prejudice.
Queue
16:01

"Why We Eat What We Eat."

Editor and columnist Raymond Sokolov. His new book is "Why We Eat What We Eat: How the Encounter Between the New World and the Old Changed the Way Everyone on the Planet Eats." (published by Summit Books) His premise is that Christopher Columbus initiated a worldwide culinary revolution when he discovered the New World. Sokolov is the editor of the Leisure & Arts page of "The Wall Street Journal," a columnist for "Natural History" magazine, and a contributor to "Food and Wine" magazine. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane).

Interview

Transcript

Transcript currently not available.

Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

You May Also like

Queue
27:29

Homeless Families and "Welfare Hotels."

Author Jonathan Kozol. His new book, Rachel and Her Children, is about The Martinique Hotel, one of the largest welfare hotels in New York City. Kozol spent two years interviewing the families who lived there. Kozol's previous work has focused on inner city education and illiteracy.

Interview
Queue
15:44

The Keys to the Future of Public Education.

Edward Fiske, the education correspondent for the New York Times. Fiske's new book is called "Smart Schools, Smart Kids: Why Do Some Schools Work?" In it, Fiske looks at the decline of the American school system, and he examines some of the grass-roots programs that are reversing that trend. (It's published by Simon and Schuster). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Interview

Did you know you can create a shareable playlist?

Learn How
Advertisement

Recently on Fresh Air Available to Play on NPR

52:30

Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

Queue

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

43:04

This fake 'Jury Duty' really put James Marsden's improv chops on trial

In the series Jury Duty, a solar contractor named Ronald Gladden has agreed to participate in what he believes is a documentary about the experience of being a juror--but what Ronald doesn't know is that the whole thing is fake.

Queue

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

See All Recent Segments

There are more than 22,000 Fresh Air segments.

Let us help you find exactly what you want to hear.
Just play me something
Your Queue

Would you like to make a playlist based on your queue?

Generate & Share View/Edit Your Queue