Dr. Steve Perry - Push Has Come to Shove: Getting Our Kids the Education They Deserve-Even if It Means Picking a Fight

Copyright 2011 by Steve Perry, MSW, Ed.D.

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com

CROWN and the Crown colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Perry, Steve, school principal.
Push has come to shove : getting our kids the education they deserve, even if it means picking a fight / Steve Perry.
p. cm.
Summary: a guide to saving Americas schoolsProvided by publisher.
1. School improvement programsUnited States. I. Title.
LB2822.82.P47 2011
371.207dc22 2011010504

eISBN: 978-0-307-72033-7

JACKET DESIGN BY JEAN TRAINA

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MORE PRAISE FORPUSH HAS COME TO SHOVE

Take it from a guy who knows what its like to work a lot of gigs: Dr. Steve Perry, who divides his time between being the planets most effective school principal and a shake-up-peoples-thinking contributor on CNN, is the hardest-working man in the education biz. And thats damn lucky for the thousands of kids who, because of Perrys serious as a heart attack approach to education, are now heading off to four-year colleges rather than talking trash on street corners. Its lucky, too, for parents who get to read this amazing book. Its about time someone inside the education system pulled back the curtain on whats 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

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

Steve Perry is an extraordinary leader and a much-needed voice in the education reform debate. 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 importantour kids.

Kevin Johnson, mayor of Sacramento, California

To all the families and children who have
allowed me to play a role in their lives.

MY WIFE REMINDED me recently that, when we first met back in Philly, Id promised her an exciting life. I was just talking big. I was twenty-four years old, broke, and so skinny that my shoulder bones made it look like Id left my shirts on the hanger for too long. All I had was a promise.

An exciting life? Come on. I was just trying to sound cool. I had no idea what an exciting life would look like seventeen years ago. I do now.

Push Has Come to Shove is a story about what happens when you fall in love. Theres no science or logic to falling in love. If there were, either love would be more predictable or its impact would be less powerful.

Im often referred to as a tough love principal. Yeah, thats true. Im in love. And I can confirm that all love is tough.

When I was younger, I never dreamed of being a principal, never interviewed for the jobbut then this principals life called me. It was a blind date. I was a social worker, a community college adjunct professor, and the director of a pre-collegiate program. I was pleased, doing good workbut not in love. I still felt unfulfilled. I knew there was something else out there for me. I knew that there was a life in educationbut I didnt know what it was. When she called in 2002, I was ready.

The day I declared that I wanted to start a school was the day that the fighting began. This book is so deeply personal because helping you to educate your kids desperately matters to me.

Solutions greet you throughout the book. This is the result of my being a member of a dedicated, groundbreaking team of educators. Weve learned a lot from our success, which makes it possible to share answers to issues that you may have believed to be intractable. The solutions we uncovered from our battles with parents, politicians, pontificators, and bureaucrats will help you be a better parent. They could also improve your kids school.

My team and I have both lost and found ourselves while building the Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut. Today were a family of educators where once we used to be coworkers. The journey from colleagues to family has brought great insight. Each section of this book introduces you to the challenges we encountered and how we beat them to become one of Americas most successful schools.

I want education to make sense to you, even the things that are designed to be complicated. I want to give parents like you the information that my single mom couldve used. Ive spelled out those frequently asked questions that I get from caring parents, but more important, Ive tried to offer practical, real-world solutions. (And though this book is mostly for you parents, I also hope plenty of teachers and my fellow principals will read it, because Ive tucked in some helpful pointers for them, too.)

I hope that sharing the love Ive found in helping children willat the leasthelp you to help your own children. Perhaps it will even inspire you to get further involved in the struggleand yes, its a daily struggleto help other children.

Push has definitely come to shove. Ive taken all that I can take. Americas children deserve better and we can give it to them.

For me, answering that call to start a school and commit to the tough love of marriage delivered the grown-up version of an exciting life and gave birth to my lifes purpose.

THERE WERE TWO boys whod grown up togetherboth poor, both living in public housing, both Black and both with big, really big dreams. Both were athletesfootball was their game. They werent related, though they spent some part of every day together. They rode bikes, played door-knob-ditch together, convinced the girls to hide-and-go-get together, cheated on tests together, stole from convenience stores together, and grewtogether. They werent related, but these two boys were brothers.

High school brought change for each of them. One took to the streets, selling drugsthe other didnt. It wasnt that the boy who didnt sell drugs loved school; he just didnt see any future in the sale of drugs. These two young men still spent almost every single day together until they graduated high school. They still played sports together, still convinced the girls together, but they werent stealing together. Knocking on doors stopped making sense before high school came to a close.