Getting It Done

More about the book

"If you build it, they will come -- " That simple, can-do mentality worked wonders in the movies, and now it's generating equal magic in real life. In backwoods Iowa, a modest ballpark attracted countless folks seeking to recapture lost youth and relive the American Dream at the Field of Dreams. In not-so-humble Niagara Falls, New York a tourist destination of international renown befallen by more than its share of hard times a stunning new, state-of-the-art high school moved the city to the head of the class in the world of public education. And the massive, $83 million project did so without raising taxes one thin dime. It only took years of planning, complicated legal maneuvering, a circumvention of state laws and a unique public-private partnership, the likes of which had never been seen in these parts. Not only did the project put the district "on the map" in terms of offering world-class schools, it also triggered an economic renaissance that may just turn the tide for the city and its citizenry. This is the remarkable story of the "new" Niagara Falls High School, how it "got done" and how it could happen elsewhere.