Rating: 
Summary: Too Dramatic...
Review: The SHORT VERSION: This Isn't a Great BuyThe LONG VERSION:I attend Whitney HS, I know some of the people that were mentioned in the book, but.... I have never even heard of some of the stuff that has happend. It starts out shallowly, going from student to student, giving odd glimpses into their world, but not enought grounding for any of it to make any sense. It also begins as, more or less, a biography of the school, and ends as an episode of some soap opera. Rather than asking questions and giving answers to questions that make a difference,he goes into student/ teacher problems, things that can happen in any school. I think that this book should have been more of an observation of the schools success, and how it achieved it,rather than a glimpes into teachers and students lives during the year.
Also, I know for a fact that everyone, does drink coffee, and have every kind of music listening system at the school, but it isn't that important, still, half of the school population doesn't drink coffee, and the allowance of cd players and mp3 players makes student and faculty that much closer.
But I do believe, although, Dr. Brock looks like he has an easy job, im sure he works, no matter what, he is a riot to talk to.
and by the way, i think that the indian population (which is huge) was pretty much unrepresented, and many teachers were passed by dispite there creative ways of teaching.
Rating: 
Summary: Simply superb
Review: This is an important and beautifully-written book about the state of education today -- and I like that it focuses on a school that actually works. The kids are amazing and honest and very real. And I liked that the writer shared their essays throughout School of Dreams. I wanted to cry when Cecilia's parents threw her art portfolio into traffic.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Account of High Achievers
Review: This is an important, readable and incredibly well-balanced book that really brings us into the lives of students and teachers at Whitney High. You can tell that Humes cares for this school, its earnest and impressive students, and its hardworking teachers. What's most impressive about this book is that it makes an extremely balanced assessment of not just Whitney High but the entire history of and debate about the meaning and possibility of public education in the U.S., while telling an engaging story filled with sensitively drawn characters. Every educator, school administrator and concerned parent should read this book.
As for the sensationalism that some readers detect, of course the book won't be representative of every single person who goes to Whitney. But it captures the contradictions inherent in the culture of high achievers, when getting the grades becomes more important than the substance of learning. Anyone who recently attended a top college (especially those who came to that college from a low-achieving public school, as I did) will recognize these students and their uber-competitive culture of studying. These are the kinds of issues that we should all be thinking about and discussing as a country.
Rating: 
Summary: Sorry Mr. Humes
Review: This is basically sensationalism. Everything that's scandalous about Whitney is exaggerated to the Nth degree, leaving the less eccentric voices unheard and in the dust. As a former Whitney student, I can say that not all Whitney parent are abominable Nazis who encourage their children to cheat in order to get ahead. My own mother told me she'd rather see me get an F than cheat. Yet Mr. Humes makes these broad generalizations that make the reader want to slap these parents upside the head. How can the reader expect to get the total picture when there are so many gaping holes in it?
Rating:
Summary: A dream book on education
Review: This terrific book about a high performing public high school in California is one you won't be able to put down. It reads like a novel, with nuggets of wisdom and insightful observations on what truly goes into achieving an exceptional public high school. This is not an uncritical look. The pushy parents and students who would rather cheat than risk a grade below "A" are rampant. But the message of success is clear -- excellent teachers, a supportive environment where all students are known, high expectations planted before puberty kicks in, and focus on an indepth, academmically challenging curriculum, rather than test scores, is the ticket. Most refreshing is the total absence of educational & bureaucratic jargon. School of Dreams is a must-read for anyone who cares about what is going on in public education today. Kudos to Edward Humes for this breakthrough book.
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