Know Better Do Better

Know Better, Do Better

Meredith and David Liben have spent decades transforming education, working as teachers, researchers, leaders, and founders of an alternative public elementary school in Harlem"€"the Family Academy. The Libens have been on the front lines of the reading wars since 1994, when the Family Academy's first cohort of students failed the NYC end of year reading exam and they were confronted with the question: How can a school with plenty of resources, dedication to outstanding instruction, and support for social and emotional learning fail so spectacularly at teaching children how to read? The answers are collected here in Know Better, Do Better: Teaching the Foundations So Every Child Can Read. The Libens have poured through the research, pedagogical movements, and deeply entrenched classroom myths to find the literacy practices and instructional materials that actually improve student learning outcomes. Through their work, the Family Academy reading scores rose to the highest of any non"€"gifted school in Harlem. The best of intentions aren't enough to make children literate; educators have to know better so they can do better.

Know Better to Do Better

With horses, we don’t get a “do-over button,” as much as we’d sometimes like one. We have to live with the choices we make, even when—looking back—we know there might have been a better way to communicate, a different way to teach a new lesson, or another means to reach the desired end.In this smart, honest book chock full of valuable takeaways, gold medalist and renowned rider and coach Denny Emerson uses stories of the standout horses from his own riding career, which spans almost 70 years, to detail some of the things he wishes he’d known “then” that he knows now. With a candid willingness to share mistakes he’s made over the years and clearly articulated ideas on how others can avoid them, he commits himself and those reading to finding more conscientious ways to ride, train, and work with horses. From basics like aids and equipment to more specialized subjects, such as rider fitness, emotional control, and how to determine what success with your horse really means, riders of all skill levels can gain valuable, hard-won knowledge from his bite-size lessons in life and horsemanship. Perhaps most importantly, Emerson insists that it is never, ever too late to change—for the good of the horse and for the good of oneself.

Can We Know Better?