Books by Laura Pappano

Veteran journalist Laura Pappano explores how public schools across the country have become ground zero in a cultural and political war in the first book of its kind to address the rise of parent activism and the politicized battle for control over public schools. Weaving the stories of geographically, racially, and politically diverse groups, Pappano […] » More

Pappano's new book, Inside School Turnarounds, is an on-the-ground journalistic take on the developing story that is urban school turnaround. The book delves into the in-the-moment challenges principals, teachers, students, parents and policymakers grapple with as they get serious about fixing our worst performing schools. Read an excerpt in the September/October 2010 issue of the Harvard Education Letter. » More

From small-town life to the national stage, from the boardroom to Capitol Hill, athletic contests help define what we mean in America by success. And by keeping women from playing with the boys on the grounds that they are inherently inferior to men, society relegates them to second-class status in American life. » More

Shopping online. Chatting on the cell phone. Computer games. Instant travel to wherever you want to go. Yet all these conveniences and entertainment come at a high price. By surrounding ourselves with gadgets and material comfort, we are cutting ourselves off from what matters most: our fellow human beings. The Connection Gap explores the new loneliness of people who are over-committing and under-connecting. Laura Pappano takes a passionate look at the pressures and desires of modern culture by drawing on personal experience, academic studies, and perceptive observations of our culture as reflected in advertising, literature, and popular magazines. » More