Soar

June 2, 2014
Advocating a holistic approach to education—the founding principle of the Eagle Academy for Young Men, a public charter school serving the South Bronx—founder Banks demonstrates that reaching young men at risk requires providing support beyond the classroom. As Banks, who went on to become president and CEO of the Eagle Academy Foundation, notes, “If it takes a village to raise a child, then our method is not just a guide to raising that child, but a system of mutual reinforcement for the hard-working villagers.” Banks’s reminiscences about his childhood show why community and parental support are such critical components of his philosophy. Most of the book details a “conspiracy of care,” which includes providing each student with a mentor from the community and creating a parents’ space inside the school to help parents to build a support system. He conscientiously weaves these ideas into the curriculum and culture of school to provide a remarkable 24-hour safety net for his students. While his school’s graduation rates and college attendance are rising, the author acknowledges struggles, and movingly demonstrates that the definition of success must be tempered by reality. Banks’s mission is backed by fierce dedication to ensure that, whether they want it or not, these boys will have a chance to succeed. Agent: Todd Shuster, Zachary Shuster Harmsworth.

September 1, 2014
Having grown up in Brooklyn witnessing the fate of his brother, an underachiever who might not have succeeded without the persistence of their parents, Banks learned that black and brown boys often written off by the school system can indeed be educated. With that faith in persistence and the sponsorship of the One Hundred Black Men organization, Banks helped to found Eagle Academy in the Bronx in 2004. Taking inner-city boys just as they are, with no cherry-picking, Eagle has achieved high graduation rates. Drawing on data and his experience as an educator, Banks notes that black and brown boys are more likely than other students to be labeled behavior problems or slow learners. Eagle methods include tapping the natural competitiveness of boys, providing rituals that structure the school day, and, most importantly, finding teachers who can identify with the challenges the boys face and still have confidence they can succeed. Banks details his own life and the lives of his students for compelling portraits of young men who've succeeded against the odds of poverty, gang violence, and other disadvantages.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)