Over the past 35 years, there has been constant pressure to increase accountability in American high schools from the media and politicians, many preaching “magic bullet” solutions that haven’t made any lasting impacts on student learning. Anyone who has spent time in a high school knows that there is no singular answer to how to prepare high school students for their future. Instead, the only answer available is the nuanced, thoughtful, and effective use of the multitude of resources that all schools and districts have at their disposal.
 
In Rethinking the American High School, Will Dwyer and Chuck Hiscock detail an improvement framework to stop operating in a frenetic state of crisis and how to find a true north to guide a school’s philosophical, instructional, and structural decisions. The book outlines four lenses to view your high school through, how to find leverage points for improvement, and ways to align all the pieces together so that everyone in your school has a shared vision. The authors share stories, strategies, and activities that high school principals and staff can use to make a lasting difference in their school