The Street Stops Here offers a deeply personal and compelling account of a Catholic high school in central Harlem, where mostly disadvantaged (and often non-Catholic) African American males graduate on time and get into college. Interweaving vivid portraits of day-to-day school life with clear and evenhanded analysis, Patrick J. McCloskey takes us through an eventful year at Rice High School, as staff, students, and families make heroic efforts to prevail against society's expectations. McCloskey's riveting narrative brings into sharp relief an urgent public policy question: whether (and how) to save these schools that provide the only viable option for thousands of poor and working-class students—and thus fulfill a crucial public mandate. Just as significantly, The Street Stops Here offers invaluable lessons for low-performing urban public schools.
The Street Stops Here A Year at a Catholic High School in Harlem
About the Book
Reviews
Powerful, eloquent, candid . . . should be required reading for those who seek to remedy the academic woes of our troubled urban schools.—Publishers Weekly
Should be required reading for anyone who is interested in the welfare of our kids.—Wall Street Journal
“ A primer for urban school districts. . . (A) tale of educational triumph that the book rises to page after page.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“If President Obama . . . . wants to know "what works for kids," particularly students on the social margins, he should pick up The Street Stops Here.”—The Weekly Standard
“Not only an engaging read; it actually provides a model for reforming a segment of our nation’s schools.”—Christianity Today/ Books & Culture
“While others have told the story of Catholic education today, none have told the story on the school level better than McCloskey.”—National Catholic Reporter
“Anyone who questions the value of a good Catholic school education must read Patrick J. McCloskey’s “The Street Stops Here.””—New York Times
“Hollywood should grab this plot and ensure Denzel Washington gets the lead role.”—Ottawa Citizen
"A harrowing, honest, and often moving story."—Andrew Greeley
"McCloskey shows how challenging it is to succeed under adverse circumstances, how tenuous are the victories, how relentless are those who wage the battle to overcome the historic disadvantages of their students."—Diane Ravitch, New York University
"Sheds light on important issues cutting across all city schools."—Joseph P. Viteritti, author of Choosing Equality
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"McCloskey shows how challenging it is to succeed under adverse circumstances, how tenuous are the victories, how relentless are those who wage the battle to overcome the historic disadvantages of their students."—Diane Ravitch, New York University
"Sheds light on important issues cutting across all city schools."—Joseph P. Viteritti, author of Choosing Equality