Class Dismissed : A Year in the Life of an American High School, a Glimpse into the Heart of a Nation

by Maran, Meredith

• ISBN13: 9780312283094
• ISBN10: 0312283091
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-09-10
• Publisher: Griffin

Summary

Class Dismissed takes us inside California's Berkeley High, one of the most ethnically diverse high schools in the country. For one year, author and journalist Meredith Maran reported on the lives of three different but representative students from the Class of 2000: a troubled yet well-meaning young white man from an affluent family, a highly gifted and academically overachieving young woman from a biracial background, and a functionally illiterate African American young man who excels at football. In telling their stories, and in fully depicting their turbulent year as seniors-a year that saw arson, corruption, professional ineptitude, and dismal teacher morale-this book offers a fascinating, up-to-the-minute account of the socio-economic and racial realities in our public schools. Maran's eye-opening inquiry also shows how even a progressively multi-racial educational institution like Berkeley High can operate not as one school with a common objective but as several different schools under one roof, where students' opportunities and options are as limited as they are varied. Revealing as much about our society as it does about our teenagers, Class Dismissed is a must-read for everyone interested in the possibilities and truths behind American public education today.

Author Biography

Meredith Maran's two sons recently attended Berkeley High, where she was a long-time volunteer. The school has provided her unlimited, exclusive access for this book. Meredith Maran also works as a consultant to socially responsible businesses and writes for publications as diverse as Parenting, Utne Reader, New Age Journal, and New Woman. She lives in Oakland, California.

Table of Contents

Introduction: All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in High School	p. xi
Prologue--April 2000: Fire!	p. 1
August 1999: Same Old Same Old	p. 6
September 1999: What's Up	p. 27
October 1999: Bling, Bling	p. 54
November 1999: Stressing	p. 79
December 1999: Crackdown	p. 103
January 2000: Scandalous	p. 130
February 2000: Breakdown	p. 154
March 2000: On the Down Low	p. 180
April 2000: Feelin' the Heat	p. 208
May 2000: Ready or Not	p. 231
June 2000: Class Dismissed	p. 256
Afterword: Everything We Need to Know We Can Learn from Our High Schools	p. 287
The Year After: "What Ever Happened to Autumn, Jordan, and Keith?"	p. 297
Acknowledgments	p. 311
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