Guest author Richard Rothstein, a research associate of the Economic Policy Institute, is the 2003-2004 Julius and Rosa Sachs Distinguished Lecturer at Teachers College. From 1999 to 2002, Rothstein was the national education columnist of the New York Times. His most recent book, Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic and Educational Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap, was published by the Economic Policy Institute and Teachers College in May 2004.