When he was five and a half years old, Paul Bissex wrote and posted this sign over his workbench: DO NAT DSTRB GNYS AT WRK. The “work” from which this “genius” refused to be “disturbed” was the work typical of all children, namely, the task of learning how to write and read. In GNYS AT WRK, Glenda Bissexgoes far beyond the chronicle of her son’s accomplishment to provide the first in–depth case study of a child’s confrontation with written language, rich in revelations about the nature and processes of the mind.

In this timely volume, which Nathan Glazer describes as “a fascinating account of the rise of student participation in the English universities,” Ashby and Anderson interpret contemporary student activities in the light of the history of student participation during the last 150 years.

Roland Barth believes that there is a way to create a school which, instead of insisting upon uniformity, builds upon diversity among students, teachers, and teaching styles. Unlike many educational theorists, Barth has had ample opportunity to test his beliefs during his many years as an elementary school principal. Run School Run is the chronicle of his theory in action, a nuts–and–bolts study of one school rocky but ultimately quite successful transition toward pluralist education.