Public education in the United States has yet to fulfill its original mission as the great equalizer. In the presence of a rapidly growing underclass, American educators must begin to use public schools to reach privileged students, leading them to an understanding of the truth and significance of their history. Vicki Ansermet, author of Countering Privilege submits that if we desire a more compassionate society, the affluent must begin by adolescence to comprehend, at a deep level of meaning, what has brought them to where they are: an accident of birth and status.With this new awareness, these members of our society may become an invaluable part of a genuine struggle for equality. Beginning with a discussion of privilege, compassion and the poor, there follows an historical overview of traditions of teaching U.S. history and textbooks.Issues of power, ideology, and the consciousness of teachers are addressed. Consideration of how compassion can be taught, understood and learned concludes with recommendations and questions.While the book was written for high school U.S. history teachers, it is also intended as a contribution to new perspectives in public education.

Vicki A. Ansermet holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her Masters Degree, also from the University of Illinois, is in Human Development and Family Studies. She currently works in San Bernardino, California, where she is active in organizing services for homeless young mothers.