America's system of education desperately needs reform: the system continues to struggle with engaging and teaching children of color--even as society becomes more diverse. A longtime educator offers a candid and unabashed account of education in America during the past 130 years and what should be done in the future.
Dr. James "Jim" Taylor describes the system of "separate and unequal" during the Jim Crow era of history, as seen through his eyes as a black child. That glimpse provides both a personal and professional perspective of the events that shaped the system. But even though strides have been made, many "unwanted" students continue to face discrimination in the nation's K-12 public schools and institutions of higher education.
From Unequal to Unwanted: Reforms Needed to Improve K-12 Public and Higher Education in America calls for educators and policymakers to confront real issues, offering evidence-based strategies to create real reform. Educators and policymakers must collaborate to develop the full potential of all children--not treat some as second-class citizens--if America expects to take back its place as a world leader in education.
Dr. James "Jim" Taylor co-owns Taylor and Taylor Education Consultants and is founder and president of a nonprofit civic organization called Black Men United for Children and Humanity. Jim has a passion for education, and he is a frequent presenter at national conferences such as the National Black Child Development Institute. He has a PhD, MA and BA from the University of South Carolina, and completed post-graduate work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Auburn University.
During more than three decades in public education, Jim has been a teacher, school psychologist, hearing officer, director of alternative programs, high school principal, executive director, assistant superintendent, and associate superintendent. He has worked in public school systems in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia as well as serving as an adjunct professor in three institutions of higher education.
Jim's numerous awards and honors include those from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Richland County School District One, Urban League, and the United Ebony Society. He and his wife and business partner, Dr. Wandy Taylor (a retired educator) have five children (three of whom are educators) and a growing-number of grandchildren. They live in the Atlanta area.
