ABOUT RECLAIMING THE CLASSROOM With increasing pressure to conform to state mandates and drive test scores, today's K-12 educators may feel like they have little control in their own classrooms. The individual needs of the student-and the indispensable role of the teacher-can take a backseat to bureaucracy and so-called progress, making teachers accountable to high-stake test scores, not to what matters most: student learning. Despite all the inaccurate and negative rhetoric about teachers in America, there is still a way to reinstate teachers as the most vital source of classroom innovation and change the trajectory of K-12 education. Reclaiming the Classroom traces society's journey from trust to fear around education in general and teachers in particular, offering a road back to professionalism, autonomy, and respect.