Putting Education to Work - by Megan Sweas (Paperback)

About the Book

The story of how The Cristo Rey Network s values-based education model and revolutionary work study program have improved urban schools and inspired education reform across the nation.

Combining the latest advancements in instruction, a focus on spiritual values and character development, and an innovative work-study program, the Cristo Rey Network has reinvented urban education and revived a broken system. Catholic school for the twenty-first century, Cristo Rey offers underprivileged students the opportunities they deserve and the structure and committed teachers they need to succeed and build a better life.

Filled with amazing stories of hardship and transformation, Putting Education to Work is a testimonial to the effectiveness of the Cristo Rey program, demonstrated through the lives of its students. Thanks to its rigorous college-prep curriculum and real-life job experience, students become lifelong learners who graduate with critical thinking skills and the experience needed for college and the work force. But the Cristo Rey education is not limited to the mind. Focusing on character growth, it ensures the formation of a whole person who understands his or her role in helping others.

Presenting the lessons learned along the way, Putting Education to Work shows how any school religious or secular can benefit from the Cristo Rey model and offers a hopeful outlook of what young people and determined educators can achieve together."

Book Synopsis

The story of how The Cristo Rey Network's values-based education model and revolutionary work study program have improved urban schools and inspired education reform across the nation.

Combining the latest advancements in instruction, a focus on spiritual values and character development, and an innovative work-study program, the Cristo Rey Network has reinvented urban education and revived a broken system. Catholic school for the twenty-first century, Cristo Rey offers underprivileged students the opportunities they deserve and the structure and committed teachers they need to succeed and build a better life.

Filled with amazing stories of hardship and transformation, Putting Education to Work is a testimonial to the effectiveness of the Cristo Rey program, demonstrated through the lives of its students. Thanks to its rigorous college-prep curriculum and real-life job experience, students become "lifelong learners" who graduate with critical thinking skills and the experience needed for college and the work force. But the Cristo Rey education is not limited to the mind. Focusing on character growth, it ensures the formation of a "whole person" who understands his or her role in helping others.

Presenting the lessons learned along the way, Putting Education to Work shows how any school--religious or secular--can benefit from the Cristo Rey model and offers a hopeful outlook of what young people and determined educators can achieve together.

From the Back Cover

With its revolutionary work-study program and focus on character development, the Cristo Rey model has presented a new vision in school administration and reinvented urban education. In Putting Education to Work, the inspiring Cristo Rey story is told from its humble beginnings in an inner-city Chicago neighborhood to its current network of twenty-eight participating schools and nine thousand students in underserved communities across the nation, boasting an unprecedented 100 percent college acceptance rate. Through stories of hardship and transformation, the effectiveness of the Cristo Rey method is brought to life, embodied by students who can now reimagine their futures, unleash their inner potential, and fulfill their dreams by preparing for success in college and in life.

Review Quotes

"Cristo Rey is magical. What you see is hope and optimism." - Melinda Gates The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
"We must fundamentally rethink how we define public education, paying for results wherever they occur rather than paying a single provider regardless of results. The achievement of children should trump all other considerations. If we could use a voucher or tax-credit scholarship to send a child to Cristo Rey, where a much higher percent of graduates go to college than in traditional public schools, why would we not do that?" - Governor Jeb Bush
"The achievement of children should trump all other considerations. If we could use a voucher or tax-credit scholarship to send a child to Cristo Rey, where a much higher percent of graduates go to college than in traditional public schools, why would we not do that?" - Governor Jeb Bush
"I am a great fan, supporter and champion of the Cristo Rey model. This is a marvelous program because of what it does for young people in America." - General Colin Powell
"Children gain advantages in maturity when they are exposed to the business world, which grounds them in their future business life. These students are providing value that no one else is...this is a real win-win." - Sascha Bopp, CEO, Crate and Barrel
"The educational quality of the program is fundamentally different in kind from what anyone else offers because these students are employable. They come in articulate, bright, well dressed, and ready to work. For our part, we have to be good adult influences in their lives. It lifts everyone's game." - Christopher Connor, CEO, Sherwin-Williams
"The Cristo Rey story is one of the greatest success stories of the Jesuits, and indeed the Catholic Church, in the United States in the last 25 years. Starting from the idea that high school students can learn while they work (in real-life jobs), and that this work can help offset the cost of their schooling, this network of schools offers a model of Jesuit education that appeals to almost everyone. Plus, it works! In this new book you'll be invited to learn more about the richness of the Cristo Rey model--the charismatic founder, the dedicated teachers and staff, the grateful parents and, most of all, the deserving, hardworking and successful students." - James Martin, SJ, Bestselling author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything
"As a corporate partner, we welcome these students into the Sherwin-Williams family. This work-study model is a terrific opportunity for highly motivated young people to acquire real-world people, business, and life skills that will serve them well as they move on to college and beyond. Our associates love working with these kids. The Cristo Rey/Sherwin-Williams work-study model can and does make a positive, life-changing impact for students." - Chris Connor, Chairman and CEO of The Sherwin-Williams Company
"It seems the real purpose of education has been recovered here. The author has told it well, interspersing personal stories among this readable chronicle." - Mark M. Wilkins, St. Anthony's Messenger