How Fifth-Grade Students Became Inspired Citizen Activists

Back when Brian Schultz was a 5th-grade teacher in a struggling urban school, he asked his students to name a social issue that could inform a class project. But when the students decided what they really needed was a whole new school building, no one could have predicted what came next.

Their efforts soon attracted national attention. The project was featured on the popular public radio program This American Life. And it eventually inspired a book called Spectacular Things Happen Along the Way, which received widespread praise from acclaimed authors, academics, activists, and journalists.

Newly published in a second edition, the book is an exploration of what is possible for teachers and student to achieve. Today, Brian Schultz is a Miami University professor of teacher education, and he recently spoke about this incredible experience, its lasting impact on students, and more.

Book authored by Dr. Brian Schultz wins a 2018 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award