Educational reform is among our most pressing needs, and it is not enough to demand competence in simple basic skills. A deeper, broader definition of literacy--one that includes the capacity to think critically and creatively and to exercise judgment--is essential. To find out how the school reform movement is working toward these ends, Rexford Brown visited classrooms across North America, from the backroads of the rural South to native shcools on the plains to the industrial northeast and beyond. These classroom scenes are alive with the struggle to devlop more thoughtful students and to provide a rich education for all our children.