Lessons of Hope

Joel Klein, a lawyer from outside the education establishment, gives an inside account of his eight years as chancellor of the New York City schools. Michael Bloomberg, newly elected mayor in 2002, won control of the city's declining school system and picked Klein to lead the effort to reverse it. The memoir covers Klein's push for accountability, his drive to end political favoritism and his fight with the teachers union, and credits his measures with more school choice, higher graduation rates and better test scores. Woven through it is his own story of growing up in Brooklyn and Queens, where public school teachers helped him succeed. The Economist named it among its best books of the year.

Rupert Murdoch said he was very proud of his friend Klein for the book and called him a relentless advocate for students and better schools.