The School That Refused to Die: Continuity and Change at Thomas Jefferson High School

The School That Refused To Die by Daniel Duke is the story of how a school went from a prosperous and thriving entity to a shell of its former self. I found the begining of the book to be very slow and uninteresting. I wasn't until the author began to describe the school and the "glory days" that the book began to come to life. In the beginning, Thomas Jefferson High School had a purpose and a goal of greatness. Teachers and students both shared high expectations and strived for the best. Not only for their sakes, but for the sake of the school. The author takes us through the 60+ year exsitance of Thomas Jefferson High School and its downward spiral. While reading the book, the correlates of effective schools seemed to jump off of the page. The author did an excellent job of pointing out the greatness of this school, as its struggle to somehow stay "alive" through all the the years and changes in society.