Now in paperback, the national bestseller that's changing America, one student at a time fter publishing his New York Times bestseller The Essential 55, award-winning teacher Ron Clark took his rules on the road and traveled to schools in 49 states. He met amazing teachers, administrators, students, parents-all kinds of people involved in bringing up great kids. In the best of them, he noticed the same qualities that he'd observed in many of the outstanding individuals he'd worked with during his time teaching in North Carolina and Harlem.