Adopting a problem-centered approach to school reform, this article contends that restructuring American secondary schools first requires understanding the “inhumane” nature of the comprehensive high school, a structure that promotes neither healthy relations between students and teachers, nor the academic development of students, nor the professional growth of teachers, nor the engagement of students as democratic citizens. In contrast, humanizing the comprehensive high school requires that teachers have the opportunity to do what is expected of them, that is, to know their students so that they can both provide support and hold them to expectations that encourage growth and maturity. In addition, to counter the inauthentic learning so many students experience, it is argued that schools “personalize” students 'education by creating structures and promoting teaching practices that allow students to know one another better, that allow teachers and students to know one another better, and that accord students a voice in school matters.
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