Prior to joining the education faculty at Northeastern Illinois U., Schultz taught at an impoverished grade school in the Chicago public school system. Schultz entered that arena with previous experience teaching at the university level, guiding groups in adventure education and Outward Bound expeditionary learning, and providing corporate consulting for several years--all of which may explain his resistance to "teaching to the test" and his interest in creating a curriculum based on his students' needs, wants, and desires. He presents a reflective account of how he challenged his students to identify a problem in their community that they wanted to fix, and to explore possible solutions. Educators and parents will enjoy this fascinating and thought-provoking story of how an alternative approach to the more typical high-stakes testing and standardization of education can be used to enable children to transform themselves. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)