Gene I. Maeroff's Building Blocks, A New Book
For Anyone Interested in Education and Public Affairs
Building Blocks: Making Children Successful in the Early Years of School
"This book describes what works in early childhood education. It is a treasure. It is a must read for educators, policy makers, practitioners and academics as well as parents and the general public." -- Arthur Levine, President, Teachers College, Columbia University [More]
Gene Maeroff takes a close look at primary education in America, examining it in a way that will interest anyone who cares about this nation’s future. A student’s entire journey along the educational continuum is affected by what occurs—and, crucially, by what does not occur—by the age of eight or nine. Yet, early learning does not receive the attention it deserves and needs. The future of the United States is at stake. [More]
About Gene I. Maeroff
Gene I. Maeroff is senior fellow at the Hechinger Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he was the founding director in 1996. His latest book, in 2006, is Building Blocks: Making Children Successful in the Early Years of School, published by Palgrave Macmillan. Among his 12 earlier books are A Classroom of One: How Online Learning Is Changing Our Schools and Colleges; Altered Destinies: Making Life Better for Schoolchildren in Need; and The Empowerment of Teachers: Overcoming the Crisis of Confidence. His articles have been published in such general interest magazines as New York, the New York Times Magazine, and the Nation, as well as in such education periodicals as American School Board Journal, Principal, Teacher, and the Kappan.[More]
Question and Answers with Gene Maeroff
Why is there continuing interest in your book?
Maeroff: Because the case it makes for strengthening education in the early grades does not grow dated.
Have you done much to promote interest in Building Blocks?
Maeroff: Yes. I’ve spoken about the book at gatherings in California, Washington State, Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, New Hampshire, the District of Columbia, and Maryland. I’ve been on radio and tv. The book has been mentioned in such newspapers as the Washington Post, USA Today, the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, the Milwaukee Journal, the Dayton Daily News, the (Louisville) Courier-Journal, the Cincinnati Enquirer, and others. There are tens of thousands of books published in the country each year so it’s important to get out the word.
Doesn’t everyone already realize the importance of learning during the years from prekindergarten through third grade (PK-3)?
Maeroff: If everyone realized it, we wouldn’t continue to have children reaching the fourth grade unable to do fourth grade work.
Who can benefit from reading your book?
Maeroff: Everyone. This is a book for educators, parents, policymakers, and concerned citizens. I have written it in a manner that makes it widely accessible. Our whole society has a stake in improving education during the PK years.
Note: You can purchase Building Blocks online though Amazon.com.