A School in Trouble

A Personal Story of Central Falls High School

By (author) William R. Holland Foreword by Anna Cano Morales

Publication date:

16 September 2010

Length of book:

106 pages

Publisher

R&L Education

Dimensions:

240x161mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781607098737

During and after his term as interim Central Falls superintendent in 2006-2007, Bill Holland sought answers to why some Central Falls High School students had school success while over half of their classmates failed to graduate. Much can be learned from how these students survived in a chronically low-achieving school located in the poorest community in the state. Holland provides behind-the-scenes details on the issues of poverty, ineffective teaching, and cultural differences while also advising students, parents, and teachers on ways to gain greater educational success.
Before the book was completed, a federal and state mandate unexpectedly resulted in the superintendent having to adopt a turn-around model and fire the entire high school faculty and staff-an action that set off a firestorm between the school and state leadership and the American Federation of Teachers. The conflict made national headlines and was mentioned by President Obama as a prime example of a "last resort" approach in reforming failing inner-city schools.

Chapter 1 Foreword
Chapter 2 Introduction
Chapter 3 Interim Superintendent in Central Falls
Chapter 4 The Obstacles to Success in an Inner-City School
Chapter 5 A Jaded Perception of Urban Schools
Chapter 6 An Urban Principal Questions Dropout Figures
Chapter 7 Residential Instability Among Latinos
Chapter 8 The Role of Poverty
Chapter 9 The Need for Better Teaching
Chapter 10 Is It Poverty or Better Teaching?
Chapter 11 The Unique City of Central Falls
Chapter 12 Central Falls High School Today
Chapter 13 An Agenda for Change
Chapter 14 The URI-Central Falls Partnership
Chapter 15 A Severe Bump in the Road
Chapter 16 Central Falls Students
Chapter 17 Theresa Agonia - Overcoming Adversity
Chapter 18 Bryant Estrada - An Independent Thinker
Chapter 19 Guillermo Ronquillo -The Importance of Faith
Chapter 20 George Carle - A Basketball Dream
Chapter 21 Summary
Chapter 22 Postscript

William R. Holland's book is required reading for finding solutions to the challenges facing urban schools. Central Falls is a microcosm of America, and in his book, Holland debunks the superficial assessment of the high school as a "dropout factory." The author illustrates four students whose challenges were great and whose successes came as a result of the determination of parents and teachers who refused such a label for their school. His book gives us an in-depth look into a school full of pride, fear, and hope and at the complexities facing education in this century. It is a sobering portrayal of a school whose problems are complex and for which solutions don't fit a bumper sticker or a three-minute report in the six o'clock news. If you want the real story, read this book.