ABOUT THE AUTHORS - Personal Data

Barbara Beswick has been a part of the educational community since 1962. Her teaching experiences in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Utah and Florida have covered all grade levels and adult education with many subject areas including art, English and math. In addition to her Bachelor of Science in Education from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, she has graduate credits from American University in Washington, D.C. and Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia. She was named top art teacher in the country by Grade Teacher Magazine in 1969. She was nominated for "Teacher Of The Year" in New Jersey and twice in Florida and was a finalist in Broward County, Florida in 1991. She has been published by Prentice Hall (Every Child An Artist) and in many trade journals. Ms. Beswick resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with husband and twenty year-old son.

Ralph Robinson has unusual qualifications to make this proposal. A Master's degree in education from University of Maine at Orono and a basket of credentials provide skills and academic background. His 30 years as administrator and teacher in Maine and New York States and volunteer work in schools of the South provide intimate knowledge of the common traits of risk youngsters, the common problems of all schools and the ponderous bureaucracy of education.

His most important insights, however, came from people he met while growing up on a farm, the many summers spent in construction work, and years in the army (where life is stripped of some of its cultural and academic veneer). In these situations, he came in close contact with that large portion of humanity who are wise, ingenious, or charismatic and who view schools, scholarship, scholars and erudition with disdain--with good reasons of its own. Because of his understanding of them, he is able to contribute how to reach youngsters at risk and because of his experience with education, he is able to envision schools which are workable by people who are not paragons.

He resides in Port St. Lucie, Florida and Poland Springs, Maine with his wife.

Beswick and Robinson share the realization that large or small, urban or rural, north or south, structured or unstructured, US schools have common visceral problems with common solutions.

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