While there are lots of books about education that propose to change what is done in classrooms and schools, here's one that promises to transform how educators think. Drawing from 35 years of taking on tough schools with disadvantaged kids and achieving the kind of progress that many thought "couldn't be done", Dennis Littky explains the principles and rationale of a model for schooling that gives students what they need most. Discover how a philosophy of personalized learning-one student at a time-is the key to creating schools where motivated students are engaged in a meaningful curriculum, and academic progress is measured against real-world standards. Vivid stories of real students and Littky's penetrating insight will reenergize your approach to issues that are at the very essence of teaching and learning, including: (1) What are the real goals of education?; (2) Why are so many students failing or just going through the motions?; and (3) How can schools be designed to ensure that students acquire what they need to live fulfilled and productive lives? This book is organized into the following nine chapters follow: (1) The Real Goals of Education; (2) Kids, Schools, and the Bigger Picture; (3) Atmosphere and School Culture; (4) One Student at a Time; (5) Learning Through Interests and Pursuing Passions; (6) Real Work in the Real World; (7) Giving Families Back Their Power; (8) Measuring What Matters in a Way That Matters; (8.5) Standards and How Testing Has Nothing to Do with Them; and (9) Make It Happen.