Soar
How Boys Learn, Succeed, and Develop Character
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- £9.99
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- £9.99
Publisher Description
“The more the Eagle Academy approach and its successes can be shared, the more opportunities young people will have to find their way to their own triumphs.” —Wes Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Wes Moore
From New York City public schools chancellor David Banks—a respected educator who has advised Hillary Clinton and Cory Booker on scholastic issues—comes a “rare book that can bring tears to your eyes while showing the way to deep and meaningful social change” (New York Times bestselling author William Pollack).
In this country, the failure of black and Latino men in schools has become the norm. Some go as far to say that young men of color are helpless cases and they are treated as such in school. Though this unfair experience hits brown and black boys the hardest, the underlying causes are shared by boys of many backgrounds. There needs to be a change, and David Banks had some ideas to help at-risk boys. In 2004, he petitioned New York City’s mayor to allow an all-boys public school to open in one of the most troubled districts in the country, the South Bronx. He had a point to prove: when rituals that boys are innately drawn to are combined with college prep-level instruction and community mentorship, even the most challenging students can succeed. The result? The Eagle Academy for Young Men—the first all-boys public high school in New York City in more than thirty years—has flourished and has been successfully replicated in five locations in the city and in Newark, New Jersey.
In Soar, Banks shares the experiences of individual kids from the Eagle Academy as well as his own personal story. He reveals the specific approach he and his team use to drive students, from tapping into their natural competitiveness and peer-sensitivity, to providing rituals that mimic their instinctual need for hierarchy and fraternal camaraderie, to finding teachers who know firsthand the obstacles these students face.
Results-oriented and clear-eyed about the challenges and promises of educating boys at risk, Soar is “a must-read for those concerned with the welfare of young men” (Kirkus Reviews).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Advocating a holistic approach to education the founding principle of the Eagle Academy for Young Men, a public charter school serving the South Bronx founder Banks demonstrates that reaching young men at risk requires providing support beyond the classroom. As Banks, who went on to become president and CEO of the Eagle Academy Foundation, notes, "If it takes a village to raise a child, then our method is not just a guide to raising that child, but a system of mutual reinforcement for the hard-working villagers." Banks's reminiscences about his childhood show why community and parental support are such critical components of his philosophy. Most of the book details a "conspiracy of care," which includes providing each student with a mentor from the community and creating a parents' space inside the school to help parents to build a support system. He conscientiously weaves these ideas into the curriculum and culture of school to provide a remarkable 24-hour safety net for his students. While his school's graduation rates and college attendance are rising, the author acknowledges struggles, and movingly demonstrates that the definition of success must be tempered by reality. Banks's mission is backed by fierce dedication to ensure that, whether they want it or not, these boys will have a chance to succeed.
