Mission High

"It's easier for a journalist to embed with the Army than to go behind the scenes at an American public school. Kristina Rizga spent an unprecedented four years reporting from the classrooms and hallways of Mission High School in San Francisco. The result is Mission High, a first hand report from inside a "low-performing" school whose students are, in fact, thriving. Rizga expected noisy classrooms, hallway fights, and disgruntled staff. Instead, she found a welcoming place; satisfied students, teachers and parents; plummeting dropout rates; and a diverse student body with an 88% college…