Historically, schools in African American communities delivered the hope of success and a better life if education were to be pursued. These institutions have been a key factor in the life of many Black successful individuals who overcame obstacles to become the first in their family to attend college and to be a pioneer in their career fields.

Every community, regardless of economic status, location, or ethnicity, deserves schools that are viewed as a “Beacon of Hope” where every student has the promise of greatness. In this book, the reader will gain insight from Dr. Clara Walters, based on over sixty years of firsthand experience in public education as a student, teacher, principal, district administrator, and educational consultant who has seen the worst of times and the best of times in education during the three phases of societal change – segregation, desegregation, and gradual re-segregation.

The reader will experience the following: 1) Some of the impact of those changes in schools in the African American community 2) The diminishing hope that resulted 3) School leadership as the most effective intervention in reversing that trend