Carnegie Reporter, Vol. 4, No. 3

Quett Ketumile Joni Masire was one of the founders of the nation of Botswana and a framer of its constitution. A close political partner and friend of the nation’s first president, Seretse Khama, he took over the position upon Khama’s death and served for eighteen years. Yet Masire, who early in his career worked as both a journalist and teacher, calls himself a “reluctant politician” and says he, like many Botswanans, will always be “a farmer at heart.”

Since gaining independence from Great Britain in 1966, Botswana has moved from economic and political desperation to vibrant, multi-party, non-racial democracy with recognized low levels of cor-ruption. Although threatened by tragically high rates of HIV, Bots-wana maintains the developing world’s fastest rate of economic growth. Masire is one of the principle architect’s of his country’s success.

In this memoir, written with Carnegie Corporation support, Masire, now over eighty years old, takes readers on a journey from his earliest days helping to plow the land and rear cattle, through political independence and nation building, to his role as an elder statesman helping to establish South Africa’s post-Apartheid government and leading the investigation in the Rwandan genocide. He ends with a postscript of fifteen basic principles that guided the founders in establishing democracy in Botswana.

Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev Volume 3: Statesman
edited by Sergei Khrushchev
The Pennsylvania State University Press

This third and final volume of Nikita Khrushchev’s memoirs, which received support from Carnegie Corporation, takes readers around the world with the Soviet leader, from Paris to India to the Middle East and beyond. Such unforgettable incidents as the shooting down of the U-2 spy plane and the Cuban Missile Crisis are recounted complete with context no one outside Khrushchev’s inner circle would have known. He offers opinions on the benefits of American-style factory lunchrooms, describes a trip to the top of the Empire State Building and remembers with evident fondness his friendship with an Iowa farmer.

Here’s what Khrushchev recalls about the infamous shoe-banging incident at the United Nations: “Our delegation and the delegates of other socialist countries made a lot of noise and stamped their feet, although some were smiling….Remembering reports I had read about the sessions of the State Duma in Russia, I decided to add a little more heat. I took off my shoe and pounded on the desk so that our protest would be louder. This provoked a storm among the journalists and photographers. Our friends made a lot of jokes about it afterward.” In a more serious vein, the increasing tensions between the U.S.S.R. and China as well as Eastern Europe are thoroughly discussed.

From the Advancing Literacy Initiative

Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy An Implementation Guide for School Leaders
by Judith L. Irvin, Julie Meltzer and Melinda Dukes
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

The literacy skills students develop in elementary school are seldom sufficient for the sophisticated learning tasks of middle and high school. All adolescent students, no matter what their level of achievement, can benefit from direct instruction in reading, writing, speaking and thinking. This book offers five action steps secondary school leaders can use to improve students’ literacy and learning and, as a result, boost test scores, lower dropout rates and better prepare students for higher education and the world of work. Also included are helpful charts, graphics and resources for further learning.

Teaching Reading to English Language Learners, Grades 6 to 12
A Framework for Improving Achievement in the Content Areas
by Margarita Calderón
Corwin Press

Secondary ELL students are more likely than others to be affected by interrupted schooling and zero-English proficiency. They present educators with a particular challenge in instruction and language acquisition across all content areas. This book offers a comprehensive research-based approach to building literacy skills and accelerating language development aimed at achieving higher test scores and helping students reach their full potential.

Lesson plans in math, science, language arts and social studies along with descriptions of successful programs and professional development designs make this book a valuable aid for teachers in all subject areas as well as literacy coaches and curriculum specialists.

Informed Choices for Struggling Adolescent Readers
A Research-Based Guide to Instructional Programs and Practices
by Donald D. Deshler, Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar, Gina Biancarosa and Marnie Nair
International Reading Association

Many adolescents fail and/or drop out of school because of their inability to read. Others stay in school, but are unprepared for the reading demands of college or the workforce. Written with middle and secondary teachers, principals, specialists and district administrators in mind, this book provides an overview of current research on what works best with adolescents, and discusses the process by which an instructional program can be implemented to fit the needs of the unique learners in any school or district. A directory of more than 40 instructional programs offers a range of literacy solutions applicable to a wide variety of situations.

Development of these three books on adolescent literacy was funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York.