Horace's Hope - What Works for the American High School

From America's "most prominent school reformer" (LOS ANGELES TIMES) comes a stirring personal meditation on what works-and what doesn't-in our high schools today. Revisiting America's classrooms, Sizer assesses the changes over the past decade and a half - from school choice to interdisciplinary learning - that give us reason to be hopeful. Tracy Kidder has called this"an eloquent book."

Based on years of visiting classrooms, Sizer identifies the fundamental compromises that cripple our schools—and the essential principles that offer real hope.

Through a Teacher’s Eyes: Meet Horace Smith, an amalgam of the nation’s best teachers, and discover the daily compromises that undermine real learning in the traditional American high school. The Coalition of Essential Schools: Explore the nine common principles behind a nationwide reform movement, focusing on personalized learning, intellectual rigor, and the "less is more" philosophy. School Reform in Practice: Journey inside real schools—from the failing "Tillson High" to the transformed "Thayer High"—to see what successful educational change actually looks like on the ground. Beyond Standardized Testing: Understand Sizer’s powerful critique of an over-reliance on testing and his argument for assessment based on a student’s actual work and demonstrated mastery.