Book excerpt: This book, written by an experienced urban classroom teacher and coach, aims to document effective practices in urban schools and to provide insight into productive program building and educational practices. The book rejects the up-by-your-bootstraps theory of success, offering in its place a set of concrete strategies for teachers and educational leaders who are committed to fundamentally rethinking the business-as-usual approach which continues to fail urban school children. This book is well-suited for classes working with educational leaders, classroom teachers, sports coaches, and educational researchers.