School of Dreams

Making the Grade at a Top American High School

Set in a Los Angeles-area high school where a grass roots revolt transformed failure into one of the best public schools in the nation, School of Dreams chronicles the lives of America’s stressed-out academic top performers. Young people struggle to balance their dreams against their parents’ ambitions, and teachers walk the line between manufacturing test-takers and fostering great learning. A Washington Post Book World “Rave,” a Booklist Editor’s Choice, and an American School Board Journal’s “Must Read.” Published by Harcourt. 

Washington Post: “A masterly example of passionate yet even-handed reporting… It deserves an A+, even without grade inflation.”

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “ Reveals more about what’s missing in public education than No Child Left Behind or any high-stakes test ever could.”

Booklist: “Humes captures the angst and yearning of high school students who want to achieve, for themselves and their parents, but who have a vague sense they’re missing out on something less tangible than a grade-point average.”