A University Press Week event!
Third Place Books welcomes Reid Saaris to our Seward Park store! Saaris will be discussing his new book,
The Kid Across the Hall: The Fight for Opportunity in Our Schools, a powerful story of learning and unlearning; of leading and learning to follow. This event is free and open to the public.
For important updates, registration is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book!
November 13–17 is University Press Week! Since 2012, University Press Week has provided an annual opportunity to raise awareness of the work of university presses. University presses and other nonprofit scholarly publishers perform invaluable services for researchers, teachers, librarians, and the rest of the scholarly community, for the broader world of readers, and ultimately for society itself. While university presses individually highlight what they do year-round, University Press Week allows us to celebrate the value and quality of university presses with one voice.
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Growing up, Reid was confused and disturbed by the radically different opportunities his best friend received. After a childhood spent together, Jamie and Reid found themselves on opposite sides of a high school hallway that separated kids based on a misunderstanding of their supposed "potential." The gap between the two friends widened as Reid's classes enabled him to pursue an elite college degree across the country studying educational opportunity and teaching.
Then, Reid became a teacher at an under-resourced South Carolina high school where efforts to serve the incredible students were stymied by internal segregation and administrative ambivalence. He was disabused of the Hollywood myth that a good teacher could simply save the day, when each false start with his students forced him to reckon with how much he didn't know. After Reid assigned students a project to create a positive change, they pushed him to figure out how he, too, could make a bigger difference.
While an individual's efforts are no match against entrenched systems, Reid learned firsthand that a community of people powered by data can effect change. This lesson motivated him to found Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS), a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to finding the students who were overlooked, discouraged, or otherwise missing from higher-level classes.
As EOS became more successful, partnering with major philanthropies, universities, and even the White House, Reid grappled with his role as a leader. Only through the efforts of, first, his students in South Carolina, and later his team at EOS, would he come to understand, and begin to overcome, the limitations of his vision. Informed by extensive new data on educational opportunity in America, The Kid Across the Hall is a powerful story of learning and unlearning; of leading and learning to follow.
"It's great to know that my father's work is continuing in classes all around the country. It's reflected in The Kid Across the Hall. I encourage you to read it."
—Jaime Escalante, Jr.
"If you're concerned about the future of our schools and children, The Kid Across the Hall will be well worth your time. As an expert and a practitioner, Reid is an incredibly thoughtful educator who models learning, engaging difference, and collaborating through challenge."
—John King, Jr., Tenth United States Secretary of Education
"This is a masterful blend of scholarship, autobiography, policy, and passion. It's nearly impossible to write a serious book about a crucial topic—here it's America's fumbling treatment of schooling, opportunity, and equity—while vividly incorporating one's own remarkable saga. Reid poured himself into solving the problems that he agonizes over, made major contributions to their solution, and what he learned along the way is gripping. Keep an eye on him!"
—Chester Finn, Fordham Institute; Former Assistant U.S. Secretary of Education
"Reid's story made me think deeply about the best ways to address challenges in the education system. His book also made me reflect on how the social sector can better live out its espoused values of compassion and integrity. His narrative challenges all of us to see the best in others, and bring out the best in ourselves."
—Shawon Jackson, Founder & CEO, Vocal Justice
"There is a broadening awareness of how important a sense of belonging is to a person's education. But this book makes a special contribution. It brings this process to life as it exists on the ground, in the lives of real students and educators. It is a must-read for anyone dedicated to seeing our schools fulfill their democratic mission."
—Claude Steele, author of Whistling Vivaldi
Reid Saaris is a former high school teacher, candidate for WA State Superintendent, and the founder of Equal Opportunity Schools, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that students of all backgrounds have opportunities to succeed at the highest levels. He is an Echoing Green, a Draper Richards Kaplan, and a Stanford Social Innovation Fellow, and has advised federal, state, and local leaders, teachers, philanthropies, companies, and universities on topics like justice, impact, data analysis, communications, and learning.
Want a signed edition of the featured book, but can't make it to the event? Order through our website or over the phone, and write your request for a signature or personalization in the comments field at checkout. Please call the hosting store if you're placing your order within 24 hours of the event.
Third Place Books Events Code of Conduct: Third Place Books is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of event attendees and guest authors, during both online and in-store events. By registering for this event, you are agreeing to refrain from engaging in inappropriate behavior and harassment of any kind throughout the course of this event (i.e. racial slurs, profanity, hate speech, spam comments, etc.). Please note that any participants who engage in inappropriate behavior or harassment of any kind will be immediately ejected from the event.
For media inquiries, access inquiries, or questions about our Covid-19 policies, please email events@thirdplacebooks.com or call our Lake Forest Park store at (206) 366-3311.
