Laying Down the Law is Joe Clark's dramatic story of how he cleaned up Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey, and how his prescription for reform can be duplicated by parents and principals working together to clean up their own neighborhood schools. This is more than just one man's story of what needs to be done to reform our nation's schools. It is a call for people to care enough about their schools, their children, and our nation's future to act with the neces-sary resolution and vigor to stem the pernicious tide of permissiveness, crime, and academic decline that Americans have accepted for far too long. Joe Clark was born into poverty in Newark, New Jersey, in 1938. He worked his way through high school, college, and graduate school, and served in the New Jersey school system as both a teacher and an elementary school principal before he took over the task of reforming Eastside High. His success at Eastside has won him the plaudits of many, including former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett and former President Ronald Reagan. He Is the subject of the major motion picture Lean on Me and has appeared on Donahue, Nightline, 60 Minutes, and numerous other television shows. Used Book in Good Condition