“A great deal has been written in recent years about the purported lack of motivation in the children of the Negro ghettos. Little in my experience supports this, yet the phrase has been repeated endlessly, and the blame in almost all cases is placed somewhere outside the classroom.”

American writer, progressive activist, and educator

Jonathan Kozol is an American writer, progressive activist, and educator, best known for his books on public education in the United States. His work has focused on the conditions and inequalities of American schooling, and he has become closely associated with writing that examines public education as a social and political issue. Across his books and public work, he has argued from a reform-minded, progressive point of view.