Schools in the Forest narrates the history of Projeto Seringueiro, a radical educational experiment undertaken in Acre, Brazilian Amazon, from 1981 to 2008. From an adult literacy program oriented to teach seringueiros (rubber tappers) basic math and literacy skills to market their products, to a network of primary schools that was finally integrated into the Brazilian official schooling system, "Projeto Seringueiro brought literacy to seringueiros and helped them claim their political rights as citizens, preserve their culture, and defend their forest habitat. In the process, it inspired reformers not just in Xapuri or Acre, but outside the region as well" (xi). The book consists of two very different parts. In the first, more analytical part, after presenting the broader sociopolitical context of Acre during the first years of Projeto Seringueiro, Heyck provides an historical account of the project by describing its different phases: its origins as an adult literacy project (1981-1985); a critical phase of disarray (1985-1989) caused by uncontrolled growth of the project and exacerbated by a chronic lack of funds and frequent personnel turnover; a third phase of renewal (1989-2000) with the infusion of new leaders and the articulation of new goals for the project that although still based on extractive reserves changed the focus to children's education; and a last phase of growth (2000-2008) when Projeto Seringueiro expanded its influence to areas other than extractive reserves, until its schools and personnel were finally integrated into the official school system.