David Kirp is a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, a contributing writer at The New York Times, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as a member of the National Academy of Education. His most recent book, Improbable Scholars: The Rebirth of a Great American School System and a Strategy for America's Schools, was awarded the 2014 Outstanding Book Award by the American Educational Research Association. He served on President Obama's education policy team during the 2008 transition.