The Make-or-break Year ― Solving the Dropout Crisis One Ninth Grader at a Time

When Pam Glynn, a no-nonsense daughter of immigrants, became the principal of Hancock High School, the students were disengaged, not headed toward college, and the staff was dispirited, detached, and even mutinous. Yet before long, Glynn and others managed to turn one of the state’s worst-performing high schools into one of Chicago’s best.

The Make-or-Break Year weaves together stirring accounts of students and educators from two very different struggling high schools—Hancock and Tilden—with cutting-edge research on the pivotal nature of ninth grade to depict a program-cum-movement: Freshmen OnTrack. Initially envisioned as a dropout prevention strategy, it became a revolution—altering how teachers assigned grades, meted out discipline, and provided social, emotional, and academic support to students.

In a book for anyone who cares about education, justice, or the human costs of widening social inequality, Emily Krone Phillips, a former education reporter and communications director, narrates a riveting story of real change happening within a faulty system. In the tradition of vivid youth dramas including The Prize and There Are No Children Here, The Make-or-Break Year reveals a holistic approach that is transforming lives and tapping the tremendous potential inside America’s urban high schools.