Beyond Brick and Mortar

Dennis Clark had more than his fair share of near-death episodes working as Dean of Students in a large Midwestern high school. Starting in his early days as an elementary teacher, Clark strove to connect with and support his students; unfortunately, administrators often failed to take the disciplinary action necessary to keep students - and schools - safe. This memoir details some of Clark's many challenging (and often dangerous) experiences as he continued to seek and implement excellence in the schools where he worked. The stories here are drawn from his time as an elementary principal, his sabbatical adventure to define the qualities of excellence while working on his doctorate in education, and later, Dean of Students.