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"Unusually clear in explaining how institutions work, and especially how certain individuals can seize the right opportunity to bend them for good ends."
—From the Foreword by William J. Reese"This could well become a landmark book."
—Floyd M. Hammack, New York University
"In this important contribution to the understanding of school reform, Harold Wechsler brings his powerful historical lens to bear on the ‘middle college movement.’ With care and nuance, he reveals the complexity, the challenges, and the successes of the movement's attempts to address the educational needs of at-risk adolescents."
—Sheila C. Gordon, formerly dean at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY and administrator at the Ford Foundation.
This fascinating history of one school innovation recounts the painstaking labors of those willing to help at-risk youth succeed in our complex society. Harold Wechsler examines the middle college movement by focusing on a quarter-century of growth at the first Middle College. Started in 1974 at LaGuardia Community College in New York, this successful alternative school has since been widely replicated and adapted throughout the country. Anyone interested in the processes of educational reform will find this captivating story and Wechsler’s in-depth policy analysis to be essential reading.
