Publisher's Synopsis
In The Hardest Questions, Headmaster Linda Nathan tells the story of an unusual and ambitious urban public high school, the Boston Arts Academy. BAA is highly diverse both ethnically and socio-economically, yet 95% of its graduates go on to higher education. The secret to its success, writes Nathan, lies in asking better questions. Tough, at times uncomfortable questions, such as: How do you formulate a vision of what your school stands for? How can teachers engage students of varying skill levels in the same classroom? Why must we talk openly about race in school, and what happens when we do? How can schools help kids from less privileged backgrounds tap into some of the social goods and networks of power that richer neighbors take for granted? What are alternatives to standardized testing? How can a principal help good teachers get better? While some of the examples she uses are specific to an arts school, they illustrate the most pressing issues facing American education today.
