In this Book
- Searching for Hope: Life at a Failing School in the Heart of America
- Book
- 2012
- Published by: Indiana University Press
Searching for Hope is a gripping account of life in a once-great high school in a rough Indianapolis neighborhood. Granted unfiltered access to Manual High throughout an entire school year, award-winning journalist Matthew Tully tells the complex story of the everyday drama, failures, and triumphs in one of the nation's many troubled urban public high schools. He walks readers into classrooms, offices, and hallways, painting a vivid picture of the profound academic problems, deep frustrations, and apathy that absorb and sometimes consume students, teachers, and administrators. Yet this intimate view also reveals the hopes, dreams, and untapped talents of some amazing individuals. Providing insights into the challenges confronting those who seek to improve the quality of America's schools, Tully argues that school leaders and policy makers must rally communities to heartfelt engagement with their schools if the crippling social and economic threats to cities such as Indianapolis are to be averted.
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- pp. ix-x
- 1. Why Are You Here?
- pp. 1-9
- 3. Can You Believe This?
- pp. 15-23
- 5, I Hate this School
- pp. 32-39
- 6. Go to Cclass, Zach
- pp. 40-51
- Illustrations
- pp. 53-67
- 8. Where's the School Spirit?
- pp. 80-86
- 9. I Don't like Being Called Stupid
- pp. 87-99
- 10. You Have to Crawl First
- pp. 100-112
- 11. We're Dropping Out
- pp. 113-123
- 12. I Get Hit all the Time
- pp. 124-130
- 13. We Just Couldn't Get Anything Started
- pp. 131-136
- 14. What's Gonna Happen, Mr. Grismore?
- pp. 137-143
- 15. Could You Image If We Filled the House?
- pp. 144-149
- 16. It Feels Like I'm a Somebody
- pp. 150-160
- 17. I Used To Be Bad
- pp. 161-168
- 18. I Knew I Didn't Want That
- pp. 169-174
- 19. There's Nobody that Can't Do Something
- pp. 175-185
- 20. It Never Stops Around Here
- pp. 185-192
- 21. I Like to Solve Problems
- pp. 193-200
- 22. I'm the Kid Who Doesn't Exist
- pp. 201-210
- 23. Trouble Follows Me
- pp. 211-217
- 24. I'm Willing to Run These Schools
- pp. 218-226
- 25. Now I know Why I'm Tall
- pp. 227-235
- 26. Wow, This is Amazing!
- pp. 236-242
- 27. We've Acted Like This Is Okay
- pp. 243-247
- 28. You Are Survivors
- pp. 248-255
- About the Author
- p. 262