John B. King — Teacher by Teacher: The People Who Change Our Lives - with Denise Forte

Watch author John B. King's book talk and reading at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C.

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The story of John B. King, Jr's inspiring path to President Obama's Cabinet begins the day that his mother died. He insisted on going to school that day, knowing he would find comfort in his classroom. As he navigated living alone with a father dying from undiagnosed Alzheimer's, it was public school teachers who saved his life. King's teachers believed in him and saw his potential. They made school a safe, supportive, and engaging place where King could be a kid despite the challenges at home. While some might have dismissed a rebellious young Black and Puerto Rican teen whose life was in crisis, King's teachers and counselors gave him a second chance.

King went on to earn degrees from Harvard, Columbia, and Yale and committed his career to trying to do for other young people what educators did for him. Teacher by Teacher is an inspiring account of how dedicated educators--both King's own teachers and the phenomenal teachers who he has encountered throughout his career as a teacher, principal, and education policymaker--can profoundly shape the lives of their students. King's experiences constantly reinforce the role of schools as places of survival, healing, and hope.

This book is about overcoming challenges and the mentors who help us make it through them. Teacher By Teacher should inspire students, parents, teachers, and everyone who believes in the transformative power of education. But more than that, this book examines the life-changing impact of mentorship, especially for those who are underserved by public institutions and social systems in America.

Dr. John B. King Jr. served in President Barack Obama's cabinet as the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education. Over the course of his extensive and influential career in public education, he has been a high school social studies teacher, a middle school principal, the first African American and Puerto Rican to serve as New York State Education Commissioner, a college professor, and the President and CEO of The Education Trust, a national education civil rights organization. Currently, King is the Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), the nation's largest comprehensive system of public higher education. Both of King's parents were career New York City public school educators. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, an education researcher and former teacher, and has two daughters.

King is in conversation with Denise Forte. Forte is the President and CEO at The Education Trust, a national advocacy organization often described as “the most important truth teller” in American public education. As one of the country’s leading voices on education equity, Denise is on the forefront of engaging policymakers and diverse coalitions of advocates to advance progressive state and federal education legislation on behalf of students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. Her lifetime of service includes 20 years in senior congressional staff roles on Capitol Hill, and a stint in the executive branch, serving in the Obama administration as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary in the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development in the Department of Education. Denise has a B.S. in Computer Science from Duke University, and a M.A. in Women’s Studies from the George Washington University. She lives with her family in Washington, D.C..

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Founded by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 1984, Politics and Prose Bookstore is Washington, D.C.'s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub, a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. Politics and Prose offers superior service, unusual book choices, and a haven for book lovers in the store and online.

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