Our School - An Education Success Story

I got this note from Joanne Jacobs, an author with a new book on education:

I’ll be in San Diego and Orange County this week to promote my book, Our School: The Inspiring Story of Two Teachers, One Big Idea and the School That Beat the Odds (Palgrave Macmillan). I’ll speak and sign books on Thursday, April 20 at 5:30 pm at High Tech High, 2861 Womble Rd., San Diego and Saturday, April 22 at 2 pm at Borders Books, South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa. At High Tech High, a successful charter school (featured last week on Oprah), biotech students will sell copies of their field guide, Perspectives on San Diego Bay, which just won a $10,000 national environmental award.

Would you mention the events in your blog? And please come yourself, if you can.

The book follows the principal, teachers and students at a San Jose charter school founded by “grumpy optimists” determined to make a difference for Mexican-American students. Most Downtown College Prep students come from immigrant families and start ninth grade with fifth-grade reading and math skills. DCP promotes the work-your-butt-off style of education. Teachers don’t tell students they’re wonderful. They tell them they’re capable of improving. DCP now outscores the average high school on California’s Academic Performance Index, ranking 7 out of 10, and sends all its graduates to four-year colleges.

After 19 years as a San Jose Mercury News editorial writer and Knight Ridder columnist, I quit in 2001 to write Our School and to start joannejacobs.com, which may be the first education blog. My justification for all the time I spend blogging is that it will help with book marketing. Please help support my delusions by spreading the word about my book events this week.
-- Joanne Jacobs
joanne@joannejacobs.com

I've not read the book, but certainly looking at the reviews and other information, it looks like it would be interesting to educators and parents who have deep concerns about the state of the modern school system. I like the attitude that's represented by the teachers in this school. Instead of worrying about self-esteem issues, they're worrying about the kids actually learning something, and that's a refreshing change for today's schools.

If you attend one of these events, be sure you tell Joanne that I sent you.