{"product_id":"the-grit-and-the-grind-joshua-l-glazer-9780226852638","title":"The Grit and the Grind: Building High-Performing Education Systems in an Era of Polarization","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOffers a much-needed perspective on the connections between community, policymaking, and the improvement of underperforming schools. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSchool reform remains a fraught issue in the United States as educators, policymakers, and communities strive to improve outcomes for all students. In \u003ci\u003eThe Grit and the Grind\u003c\/i\u003e, Joshua L. Glazer, Cori Egan, William R. Berry, and Amar Fattal examine two ambitious efforts to improve the lowest-performing schools in Memphis, Tennessee. The book offers a rare inside look at the political, organizational, and educational challenges of improving schools at scale.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe two initiatives, the Achievement School District (ASD) and the Shelby County Innovation Zone (iZone), shared a common goal but pursued it through fundamentally different approaches. The ASD was a state-run turnaround district that removed schools from local control and placed them under the management of charter organizations. By contrast, the iZone operated through existing district institutions, relying on local educators and leaders to drive improvement. Despite common goals and substantial resources, the reforms developed in strikingly different ways. Drawing on years of research in Memphis, the authors move beyond familiar debates about charter schools and district reform to explore a deeper question: What does it take to improve schools in complex, pluralistic, and contested democratic societies? Their analysis reveals that educational improvement is simultaneously professional, organizational, and political. Efforts to enhance educational opportunities depend not only on curriculum, leadership, and expertise, but also on the legitimacy, trust, and community support that allow educational systems to learn from experience and sustain improvement.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt once a study of reform, organizations, and politics, \u003ci\u003eThe Grit and the Grind\u003c\/i\u003e challenges simple explanations of success and failure, showing that meaningful improvement is forged through the slow, uncertain work of building systems capable of earning community trust while continuously strengthening teaching and learning.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Joshua L. Glazer,Cori Egan,William R. Berry\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0226852636\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780226852638\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Chicago Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/26\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs","brand":"Joshua L. Glazer","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":49001186459903,"sku":"9780226852638","price":27.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-grit-and-the-grind-joshua-l-glazer-9780226852638","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}