The School That Refused to Die: Continuity and Change at Thomas Jefferson High School - Paperback

by Daniel L. Duke (Author)

A fascinating, and disturbing, story of an urban high school's struggle to survive in the post-integration era of educational reform

Thomas Jefferson High School faced court-ordered busing, student unrest, white flight, district-sponsored alternative schools, high school consolidation, budget crises, closure threats, magnet programs, and co-existence with a Governor's School. Each event impacted the culture of academic excellence that had been painstakingly crafted during the school's first thirty years. This book offers a history of Tee-Jay from its inception in 1930 through its "glory days," covers the school's efforts to deal with the challenges of the post-integration era, and concludes with a discussion of what the Tee-Jay story can tell us about the future of academic high schools and integration in the urban areas of the United States.

Back Jacket

This book chronicles the life of Thomas Jefferson High School in Richard, Virginia. From its opening in 1930, Tee-Jay, as it came to be known, developed a culture of academic excellence that eventually led observers to consider it one of the finest high schools in the South, if not the entire nation. The history of Tee-Jay, in the final analysis, is a record both of stability and change.

Author Biography

Daniel L. Duke is Professor of Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Virginia. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1965, the first year the school graduated a black student. Subsequently, he taught high school history and served as a high school administrator.