David C. Banks knows a few things about at-risk boys. In 2004, he petitioned New York City's mayor to allow an all-boys public school to open in one of the most troubled districts in the country, the South Bronx. He had a point to When rituals that boys are innately drawn to are combined with college prep-level instruction and community mentorship, even the most challenging students can succeed. The result? The Eagle Academy for Young Men - the first all-boys public high school in New York City in more than 30 years - has flourished and has been successfully replicated in other boroughs and other states. In Soar, Banks shares the experiences of individual kids from the Eagle Academy as well as his own personal story. He discusses the specific approach he and his team use to drive students, from tapping into their natural competitiveness and peer-sensitivity to finding teachers who know firsthand the obstacles these students face. Result-oriented and clear-eyed about the challenges and the promises of educating boys at risk, this is an audiobook that no one who wants to see our young men flourish can afford to miss.
Author
David Banks (born 24 September 1951) is a stage and television actor and occasional writer and producer. He is best known to Doctor Who fans for his portrayal of the Cyber-Leader in Earthshock, The Five Doctors, Attack of the Cybermen, and Silver Nemesis. Banks also played Karl in the stage production Doctor Who: The Ultimate Adventure. As Jon Pertwee's understudy in the production, he played the Doctor for two performances when Pertwee fell ill. He also wrote Iceberg, a novel in the Virgin New Adventures which featured the Cybermen. He wrote the part non-fiction, part speculative Doctor Who: Cybermen, the in-universe portions of which were adapted for audio (with Banks' narration) as The ArcHive Tapes. Banks also produced a series of audiocassette interviews with Doctor Who actors including The Ultimate Interview (with Colin Baker), Pertwee in Person (with Jon Pertwee), and Who's the Real McCoy? with Sylvester McCoy.
