Description:
Thriving in a Public School is part memoir, part how-to guide for teachers searching to connect with and unlock the vast dormant potential of students though mentoring & community organizing.
Review Quotes:
Al Levies' social justice education approach is essential for teaching today's highly inquisitive students. It merges the principles of community organizing, democratic participation, and cultural understanding, integrating them into classroom teaching to fulfill academic standards. This method equips students with the comprehensive knowledge necessary to be proactive, engaged citizens, driven to enact changes that enhance their own and their community's quality of life. Graduates leave school not only with high academic achievements but also as experts in socio political engagement, ready to become accomplished and successful adults. Mr. Levies' teaching approach is indeed revolutionary within an academic context, it needs to be studied and I believe it should be implemented across all high school settings. It represents the modern pedagogy that students are seeking and deserve to receive in order to thrive in life.
-Edward McDonald
Harvard - John F. Kennedy School of Government, MPA 2001
Al Levies' instruction provided his students with the power to be critical thinkers, skilled communicators, producers of quality work, and, most importantly, advocates for themselves and their communities.
-Jacqueline Loiacono, Professional Development Consultant, AlignMeant Consulting
Horlick students, under the guidance of Al Levie, have made a major contribution to social justice organizing both in their school and in the community for the past two decades. Youth Empowered in The Struggle, the youth arm of Voces de La Frontera, was started by Al Levie, his students at Horlick High and community leader Maria Morales and continues to connect students, teachers, and their parents to their communities.
Al's book contains many examples of successful organizing activities and how those activities positively affected his students. It's a must-read for those who are interested in making positive changes in the schools and the community in which the students live.
-Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director of Voces de La Frontera