Push Has Come to Shove: Getting Our Kids the Education They Deserve--Even If It Means Picking a Fight

by Steve Perry

Overview

When we ask our kids, “What’d you do in school today?” and they mumble, “Nothin',” they’re telling the truth.

Steve Perry gets it. He understands why some parents are panicked about what’s going on in their kids’ classrooms, and how other parents, whose kids supposedly attend the “good” schools, still fear that their children are falling behind. As principal of one of the best performing schools in America – one that sends 100% of its mostly minority students to four-year colleges – Perry delights in proving “the system” wrong.

In this solution-oriented manifesto, Perry covers the full range of issues holding back today’s students. He shows parents and principals how to find great teachers (and get rid of the bad ones), how to make readers out of kids who hate to read, how to make the school curriculum thrilling rather than sleep-inducing, how to conduct an all-important education “home audit,” how to “e-organize” if school boards and administrators aren’t getting the message, how to build a “school of the future,” and much more.

The era of third-rate education is over. Push has come to shove!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307720320
Publisher:	Crown Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/06/2012
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

STEVE PERRY is the Founder and Principal of Capital Prep Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut, a paradigm-busting success story that has been praised by education experts across America.  He is the chief CNN contributor on issues relating to education and can be seen regularly on Anderson Cooper 360 and American Morning.  He is also the author of a bestselling self-published book Man Up!, a columnist at Essence magazine, a frequent radio and television commentator, and a sought-after speaker at colleges and education forums around the country. You can find him at www.dr-steveperry.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part 1 Inspiration

The Promise 7

The Push 13

Part 2 Purpose

Why Should You Care? 21

Sue 'Em 27

E-Organize 33

Part 3 School

What Makes a Good Teacher? 39

How to Find Great Teachers 47

Anatomy of a Good Lesson 57

Thriller 63

The Principal 79

Part 4 Parenting

Dazed and Confused 87

Adults vs. Parents 99

"I Have No Idea Where He Learned That…" 105

Parents Are like Cars 107

Daddy's Kids 115

Lemonade 119

Audit Your Home! 127

More Than They Can Handle: A Note to Your Teenager 131

Part 5 Gatekeepers

Teachers' Unions: The Worst Thing That Ever Happened to Education 137

Evaluation Frustration 155

Life-and-Death Stakes of Accountability 163

Part 6 Outdated

Strap Up 173

Of, for, and by the People 175

Closing of the Old School 179

The Intern and the Senator 189

Part 7 Solutions

Leaders of the New School 195

New Schools, Old Books 199

Cracking the AP Myth 207

Time Keeps on Slippin' 211

It's Not About the Benjamins 215

Charters, Magnets, and Tradition 217

Vouchers Are a Real Solution 221

We Know What Works 225

Making a Life-Making a Living 235

Appendix A American Federation of Teachers 2011 Connecticut Legislative Agenda 241

Appendix B We Are Capital Prep! 247

Acknowledgments 251

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Dr. Steve Perry's refreshing honesty and fierce work ethic have made him successful in turning very bad schools into very good schools.  This book he's written about how to help others (including parents, teachers and administrators) do the same is pure gold."
—Bill Cosby
 
“A stellar book…very powerful… Steve Perry, an extraordinary educator, is sick and tired of being sick and tired.  America’s public schools are broken, and the kids who are bearing the brunt are mostly poor, black or Latino.  Perry pulls no punches in showing that, while the kids fail, no one is accountable because the system protects the adults.  This book will upset some people, but that’s okay.  Change doesn’t come quietly, and our kids desperately need change.”
—Joel Klein, former New York City School Chancellor
 
"I've long been a fan of Steve Perry's blunt, no-nonsense approach to improving American education.  It's why Black In America2 focused on his school and his leadership.  This book boils down all his trade secrets and brilliant advice:  it's a must-have, a must-read and a must-apply!”
—Soledad O’Brien

"Steve Perry is an anomaly in the world of education reform. Not only is he a smart, savvy educator with a proven track record of success with urban kids, he is unafraid.  He knows that fixing our broken education system means kicking up some dirt, and he does so unapologetically.  There is no stronger defender of the rights of children to attain an excellent education than Perry.  His book provides common-sense solutions to the seemingly intractable problems of public education and should be read by everyone who wonders what's wrong with our schools."
—Michelle Rhee, former Chancellor of the DC Public Schools and CEO of StudentsFirst.
 
"Steve Perry is an extraordinary leader and a much needed voice in the education reform debate.  He is a successful African American educator who has upheld the highest of expectations for his students and ensured that they meet them.  By following his example, we can ensure that Black children in our country are no longer subjugated to lesser standards and poor quality schools.  His commitment to improving the lives of children by refusing to accept mediocrity is second to none.  In this book, Dr. Perry shows he is willing to do anything to fight for what is most important—our kids."
—Kevin Johnson, Mayor of Sacramento, California

Editorial Reviews

“Brutally honest in its indictment of the status quo, PUSH HAS COME TO SHOVE amounts to an urgent clarion call for change by a relentlessly uncompromising iconoclast…Luckily, Dr. Perry only needs to point to the triumphs of his own program as proof that his innovative ideas deserve some serious consideration.”
—KamWilliams, syndicated reviewer
 
“PUSH HAS COME TO SHOVE is a must-read for parents concerned about their kids and feeling powerless against the system.  Dr. Perry empowers parents through his suggestions.”
—Springfield Examiner (MA)

“Dr. Perry brings his rich background as a leading American educator to the forefront in his Push Has Come to Shove.  He makes his book sizzle with the provocative.  If you are a teacher, a parent, or a taxpayer, Push Has Come to Shove is a must read!”
—New York Journal of Books

“This book is a timely addition to the debate on what's needed to fix the public education system. Readers will appreciate Perry's blunt, no-holds-barred, conversational tone as he aims to demystify school-based issues such as testing, accountability, what constitutes a good teacher, and teacher tenure…. Highly recommended for parents, preservice and working teachers, college students, and others who have a vested interest in the system.”
—Library Journal

"A leading agitator for reform of the American school system outlines what needs to be done now, and why. Throughout the book, the author displays an admirably action-oriented approach, with plenty of advice for parents and others on how to get involved effectively."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Dr. Steve Perry's refreshing honesty and fierce work ethic have made him successful in turning very bad schools into very good schools.  This book he's written about how to help others do the same is pure gold."
—Bill Cosby
 
“A stellar book…very powerful… Steve Perry, an extraordinary educator, is sick and tired of being sick and tired.  America’s public schools are broken, and the kids who are bearing the brunt are mostly poor, black or Latino.  Perry pulls no punches in showing that, while the kids fail, no one is accountable because the system protects the adults.  This book will upset some people, but that’s okay.  Change doesn’t come quietly, and our kids desperately need change.”
—Joel Klein, former New York City School Chancellor
 
"I've long been a fan of Steve Perry's blunt, no-nonsense approach to improving American education.  It's why Black In America2 focused on his school and his leadership.  This book boils down all his trade secrets and brilliant advice:  it's a must-have, a must-read and a must-apply!”
—Soledad O’Brien

"Steve Perry is an anomaly in the world of education reform. Not only is he a smart, savvy educator with a proven track record of success with urban kids, he is unafraid.  He knows that fixing our broken education system means kicking up some dirt, and he does so unapologetically.  There is no stronger defender of the rights of children to attain an excellent education than Perry.  His book provides common-sense solutions to the seemingly intractable problems of public education and should be read by everyone who wonders what's wrong with our schools."
—Michelle Rhee, former Chancellor of the DC Public Schools and CEO of StudentsFirst
 
"Steve Perry is an extraordinary leader and a much needed voice in the education reform debate.  He is a successful African American educator who has upheld the highest of expectations for his students and ensured that they meet them.  By following his example, we can ensure that Black children in our country are no longer subjugated to lesser standards and poor quality schools.  His commitment to improving the lives of children by refusing to accept mediocrity is second to none.  In this book, Dr. Perry shows he is willing to do anything to fight for what is most important—our kids."
—Kevin Johnson, Mayor of Sacramento, California

"Amazing…Perry lays it all out here: how to get your kids a better teacher, a better curriculum, and a better future…It’s about time someone inside the education system pulled back the curtain on what’s lacking, so the common man can help his children get an exceptional education."
—Steve Harvey, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man

From the Publisher