:
"Perry's meticulous journaling over a period of years as teacher and principal in an inner-city alternative high school has been transformed into a book that enables readers to get a profound sense of daily life in this school. It is a rare and special gift for teachers and teacher educators."
–Susan Huddleston Edgerton, Western Michigan University
"Perry reveals to us the gestalt of a school climate where teachers and students, teaching and learning, are interconnected as part of a whole."
–Rosalie Romano, Ohio University
"What is valuable about this book is Mark's willingness to talk with equal candor about the successes, half successes, near failures, and failures he experienced; as well as how and what he learned in the process. Reading this, teachers and administrators will both recognize themselves and learn how to, and how not to, proceed."
–Barbara Osborne, Alternative High School Teacher, Seattle, Washington
At the heart of this volume and central to current efforts to improve public education is the attempt to create anti-racist, democratic, student-centered schools. Mark Perry shows how racially mixed teaching faculties can model democratic ideals and how white teachers and administrators of color can effectively deal with their differences. As a former principal and teacher, he is committed to developing and implementing a culturally relevant curriculum that offers realistic alternatives to inaction. An honest, readable, and succinct account of real-life teaching, this book provides a framework as well as valuable insight for all educators, parents, and community activists who work toward social justice, particularly at the grassroots level.
Mark Perry is a teacher educator, an alternative high school teacher, and a former principal. He works primarily with marginalized, dropout, and adjudicated students. He holds master’s and doctorate degrees in Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
