Many kids take backpacks to school. Many teachers write on dry-erase boards or use computers. But long ago, these tools didn't exist. Students carried their books with book straps. Teachers wrote on black chalkboards. In what other ways has school changed? Read this book to find out! Learn how daily life has changed over time in the Comparing Past and Present series-part of the Lightning Bolt Books ™ collection.

"Hamish Brewer (aka the Tattooed Skateboarding Principal) grew up in a home disrupted by poverty, addiction, and family dysfunction. He understands the feelings of fear, lostness, and desperation that overwhelm too many children today--because that was his life. That experience is what drives him to work relentlessly to empower people living in the toughest areas to envision and create a better future for themselves." -- p.4 of Cover.

Argues for an end to the outmoded industrial educational system and proposes a highly personalized, organic approach that draws on technological and professional resources to engage all students, develop their love of learning, and enable them to face the challenges of the twenty-first century.

"The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability....