COMMON PURPOSE: Strengthening Families and Neighborhoods to Rebuild America,  Anchor Books/Doubleday, 1997.

In Common Purpose, Lisbeth Schorr refutes those who view social reform efforts as inexorably inadequate to the profound problems facing our society.  She carefully outlines the attributes of successful interventions, which tend to be complex, and which evolve to address the constellation of problems facing those in need rather than offering circumscribed, siloed services.  Her devastating critique of the ways that many of our social structures undermine the very attributes that characterize effective interventions provide guidance for building greater effectiveness.   She underscores the importance of systemic reform — grappling with issues of economic growth, educational improvement, and community-building concurrently. In its review of Common Purpose, The Harvard Education Review concludes the “Educators, policymakers, researchers, and all who care about children will benefit from reading this useful, and ultimately hopeful, book.”

WITHIN OUR REACH, Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage (with Daniel Schorr), Anchor Books, 1998

This solidly researched book demonstrates that the knowledge and techniques exist to decrease the incidence of poverty, poor health, alienated youth and neighborhoods that provide little support to marginalized families. In addition to providing a vivid account of the problem, the authors describe twenty- four programs and their unique characteristics that have been successful in changing the lives of seriously disadvantaged children.  The book includes real world evidence that improved outcomes for children and families living in disinvested neighborhoods are possible when we act on what we know — even if we have to act on probable, and not always certain, successes.