argues that understanding and responding to the dropout crisis facing the United States has overlooked one major element – school culture. The book provides a practical theory of action aimed at challenging the ways schools and communities work together to transform education practice, policy, and, ultimately, student engagement and achievement among students of color.

Are we bold enough to recognize our own excellence in our schools and communities? This question drives , an audacious attempt at developing a Pedagogy of Excellence in Latina/o schools and communities as a result of observations, insights, and lessons learned from work with schools and communities across the United States.

argues that understanding and responding to the dropout crisis facing the United States has overlooked one major element – school culture. The book provides a practical theory of action aimed at challenging the ways schools and communities work together to transform education practice, policy, and, ultimately, student engagement and achievement among students of color.

challenges the standard narratives of "achievement" to think about how Latinx students can experience an education that forges new possibilities of liberation and justice.

challenges the standard narratives of "achievement" to think about how Latinx students can experience an education that forges new possibilities of liberation and justice.