Book Review

For those all too familiar with the politics and interpersonal conflicts involved in trying to make changes in education, this book may be just more of the same. However, if you are a parent, teacher, or administrator determined to make changes, this book is invaluable.

The specific reforms implemented in the book include helping transition incoming freshmen students into high school through the use of a half-day “freshman academy” that helps students to reinforce math and other basics. The school also established other career academies for high schoolers designed to increase student drop-out rates by allowing students to prepare for careers that fit the students’ interests and academic strengths, as well as the surrounding community’s needs.

Written by two editors of Middle Ground magazine, this book is engaging and easy to read. You feel as though you are there, in the trenches, with the visionaries who were determined to take a large private

grant and turn a troubled urban high school around. The reader will hear from the teachers about the challenges of teaching and how they respond to being asked to teach in new ways; you hear from students who speak candidly about teachers and their views on education and their response to the reforms; and you hear from the superintendent, consultants, the principals, and community members, each with their own perspective on the needs for changes and their opinions on the implementation.

For those determined to make changes in education, this book truly gives you a bird’s eye view on what to expect, what works and what doesn’t work, and how to plan for success. You may have to order your copy from your local bookstore. We ordered ours from Amazon.com.

– Beverly Glenn, director, Hamilton Fish Institute

The Heart of a High School
By Holly Holland & Kelly Mazzoli
Published by Heinemann
ISBN: 0-325-00393-9