A Lesson for Ms. Fort

NYC reading expert Elizabeth Fort is called to save the day at a failing school whose math and reading scores are dangerously low. What she discovers, however, is that the billions of dollars that have been spent on programs designed to improve student achievement have basically been wasted, as most of the city’s low-functioning students are coming from dysfunctional homes—from homes where a child’s education is simply not a priority. Dozens of actual examples from the author’s years as a teacher support this statement. Even more frightening, however, is the reality that many of these low-functioning students are being pushed through the school system and are now entering the city’s colleges. Readers will experience all of this shocking truth in F. Stewart Kallinger’s soon-to-be released work of creative non-fiction, A Lesson for Ms. Fort [January 2016].

True to Kallinger’s own experiences teaching in NYC’s inner-city schools, A Lesson for Ms. Fort is a story connecting failing schools and low literacy rates to the breakdown of families. The message is that parents and teachers need to join forces to ensure student success. Hopefully decision-making politicians and voters alike will hear the message. Kallinger explains, “ . . . perhaps Washington will now stop spending taxpayer dollars on educational programs that (are going) absolutely nowhere . . . I wrote my book so that the public will be able to see for itself exactly why some public schools are failing.”

Ending the book with a letter from Ms. Fort to the president of the United States—a letter that includes specific recommendations on how to turn the sinking ship around—a raw and captivating story proves that Kallinger is a force to be reckoned with in the creative non-fiction arena.

Author is available for interviews, blog tours, autographed book giveaways, contests, and book club discussions. Print copies are available upon request.