Jonathan Kozol

In 1985, Kozol spent a year working in a homeless shelter, and his resulting book, Rachel and Her Children, gave voice to the people living in desperate poverty and to the tragic death of an 8-month old child. Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation, shed light on the poorest district of America, the South Bronx, and was featured on Oprah.

Kozol's other books include Savage Inequalities, Ordinary Resurrections and Letters to a Young Teacher. His recent book, The Shame of the Nation, was his strongest, most disturbing work to date: a powerful piece exposing dramatic racial isolation in over 60 inner-city schools. Jonathan Kozol's new book, Fire in the Ashes, due September 2012, tells the stories of young men and women who have come of age in one of the most destitute communities in the United States.

Kozol is the founder of Education Action, a non-profit dedicated to grassroots organizing of teachers across the country who wish to help create a single, excellent, unified system of American public schools.

Speech Topics 1. Public Education

• The Path to Better Public Education

  Jonathan Kozol's talks are searing exposes on the tragedy of childhood poverty and sub-standard education. As a speaker, he suggests practical solutions to address the rights and the needs of students, while developing a deeper understanding in those who control their educational path.