Highly relevant and funny novel about the complexities and nuisances in the education system. Very relatable.

As a retired teacher, it’s obvious to me that the author is thoroughly familiar with the world of education. I wish I could say that the situations presented are exaggerated, but unfortunately they are pretty realistic. Elden highlights how even the most dedicated teachers get discouraged not so much by the students, but by all the administrative “stuff” that keeps them from actual teaching time. Diverse characters and various points of view kept me reading. I wanted to know how their year ended.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I honestly expected this to be a candid look at the public school system with all the good and bad added in. In that respect, I wasn't disappointed. The beginning of the book starts out very slow, and the writing style is a bit stilted. The characterization is good, not great, but if does give you a sense of what the teachers are like both on and off the job.

My review is super late on this because I really struggled with the novel. I feel that on paper it had everything I looked for in a piece of fiction but I just couldn't connect with any of the characters. I've picked it up a few times now and felt the same way. There's nothing I actively disliked so I can't say I wouldn't give it a try in the future.

The book is set in an American High School and satirises the bureaucracy and targets that teachers have to deal with. I think that if you're a teacher yourself there'll be lots to enjoy here and it might feel like a bit of fiction themed directly to you! You'll find yourself feeling frustrated and amused at the same time. There's a sort of kafkaesque quality to it that I did really enjoy.

Adequate Yearly Progress is an honest portrayal of challenges teaching in an inner city high school in Texas. Examining personal baggage that teachers carry, as well as difficulties under-privileged teens face, along with pressure from administration to improve performance. Was an entertaining and a powerful journey. Thank you NetGalley, publisher and the author Roxanna Elden for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

I loved this! I have worked as a substitute teacher, have several teachers as friends, and this book totally captured the way teachers think and talk. All the ridiculous meetings they must attend and planning they have to do is here, along with plenty of funny scenes that kept me turning through pages.

This novel was entertaining enough - a bit of a caricature of the types of teachers we've all seen before, and some of the issues that plague education today.

Adequate Yearly Progress tells the story of one year in a typical high school. Some parts are unpleasantly familiar to anyone who’s ever taught, no, to anyone who’s ever had annoying colleagues. Naturally, one hyperorganized, authority-obsessed teacher, with little to no interest in students, is rewarded for her rule-following. A naive young teacher tries to apply what she’s learned in ed school, with predictably awkward results.

This book is a very relatable retelling of work in an urban public school. This is a good reminder for teachers that we are not alone in our experiences!

The novel takes place in Brae Hill Valley, a public high school in Texas. It is an interesting story which serves as a social commentary in the educational system in the United States. The multiple narrative style serves as an interesting backdrop to the story. It is lighthearted and witty and it gives you a glimpse into what it's like to be a classroom teacher.
I think it would make a fabulous present for a friend who is a teacher.

The author's writing style I think is what got me through this book. She writes in a way that's entertaining, keeps the story moving forward at a good pace, and is easily digestible. After some time to think about the story the characters themselves were simply okay for me. However, the struggles the students, teachers, schools, and school district were facing are incredibly relevant and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to read this book.

Well, this hit close to home! If you have ever worked as a teacher, you will completely relate to the ridiculous initiatives, the inexperienced "experts," and every single thing that Elden skews about school culture. It's a satirical novel about education but I actually recommend it for people who aren't teachers. In some ways it is too real for teachers to be able to laugh about. Read it and hug a teacher.

This is a story of a public school in Texas and their extremely hard year. Hard, not just for the students but for the teachers and the administrative board. There is a new publicity loving superintendent on board, someone with ties to money involved elsewhere in the education 'industry'. I do not have any direct involvement with teaching other than having been a student myself but hardly anyone would deny that a good teacher with the zeal to inspire their students are rare and need to be commended. In this book ordinary people try to do the best they know how to while facing hurdles that so many teachers out there must face on a daily basis.

I am normally put off by swearing in books, but I could ignore the instances that they occur here! The story is narrated by multiple people, and this might not be everyone's cup of tea but it certainly was mine. The cast and my feelings about them goes something like this.

Lena is an English teacher by day and a poet every other time, I may not have understood her poetry but the emotion behind them were pretty clear. She may seem smart but she does make some mistakes in her personal life and although her year may not be full of triumphs, there are many learning moments.
Hernan is Lena's closest friend in school. They hang out at happy hour and try to make the other laugh. He was my favourite character because of the interesting variations between his feelings for Lena, his excitement in teaching and his green thumb as well as the brief glimpse of his family.
Maybelline is not a person you can like, she is strict and by the book to the point of annoyance. She does not have any friends around her but even she can surprise you when she finally draws the line.
Kaytee Mahoney is a type of idealist, young and brimming with things she wants to do. She wants to make a difference and her enthusiasm may get tempered in the year that they have but it does not get vanquished. She was a study of contrasts as she is always analysing her surroundings, events and herself.
Coach Ray is a typical coach who does not take time out to second guess his role and his behaviour. Situations get so complicated that even he is forced to reassess his life.
Last but not the least we have the well-meaning Principal, Dr. Miguel Barrios who tries his hardest to make the best of a terrible situation.
There are so many others who contribute their bit to the entire story but we do not have the privilege of listening to their private thoughts.
When the year begins the school is slowly asked to follow an increasing number of slogans and pithy targets which may not be practical in reality. The epilogue was kind of funny and made my reading experience feel complete. Although on the surface this story is not really my usual fare, I enjoyed the people, flaws and all trying to keep afloat amongst bureaucracy.  I felt both weary and angry by the end. This may be a story of a school based in the US but I am sure all around the world there must be many similar cases and that does not feel like a very happy thought. Overall I recommend this book to anyone who found all the above interesting.

This book was a delight. As an educator of 22 years I found myself thinking in the early pages “this author MUST be a teacher.” There’s wit and insight I think one only has access to if they have lived in this world. I’ve already recommended it to several teacher friends, and it’s making its way through our ranks.

Thank you for the opportunity to review "Adequate Yearly Progress." I'm sorry to say that I did not enjoy this book. While the writing was somewhat entertaining, the author's depictions of characters of color left a lot to be desired. I felt the author drew on stereotypes in a way that, particularly as a white person, were inappropriate and missed the mark. It seemed that this story could have more easily been told in the voice of characters that match the author's own lived experience, as opposed to drawing conclusions about marginalized groups.

Get ready to laugh out loud at some of the outrageous situations that arise in the high school described in this novel. While the characters may be caricatures, they are certainly based on real types of educators, for better and worse. Especially skewered are the bureaucratic preoccupation with test scores and all of the demands placed on classroom staff. For those who don't work in schools, this novel will either make you sympathetic to the plight of teachers or make you disgusted with some of the antics.

Roxanna Elden creates a realistic story in Adequate Yearly Progress. I read this book in one day and was entertained and yet, saddened by how accurate this book is in regards to the state of education.

I am a teacher. I know that all of these facets exist but I am so busy doing my job that it is easy to gloss over these facts. Adequate Yearly Progress is what I imagine a teacher survey of concerns would entail. My colleagues and I often lament about the fact that people with no background in education somehow find their way into positions of authority, just as Elden demonstrates in her book. When a new initiative is introduced, we all know that this is a for now mandate. Within two years, the next best thing will implemented and the policy replaced abandoned without thought. This book beautifully told the story of students that struggle both personally and academically and the true failures of education mentioned above.

The writing is engaging and I could easily relate to the characters. I personally enjoyed the fact that the main characters, Lena and Hernand, were POC. Lena's poetry was a high point for me. There are moments of humor, cattiness and camaraderie that are highly entertaining. The faculty meetings were my favorite scenes. This book is great. I am new to Roxanna Elden but will quickly be purchasing her earlier book, See Me After Class.

I think that educators will most relate to the book but even if you are not in the education field, Adequate Yearly Progress is worth your time. Don’t miss out!

Honestly this book is brilliant and yet sometimes so hard to read. As a high school English teacher of 19 years, I find myself nodding my head at so many things in this novel and I think that's what makes it a challenge--sometimes reading this felt like my teaching day was being extended rather than providing me an escape from it all. I suppose that really speaks to the truth and value of this fictional world--it holds many truths, unfortunately some that probably seem exaggerated to the public but all of us teachers know it's as bad, if not worse that what's depicted.

Solid read.
Absolutely spot on when it comes to the life of a high school teacher and all the ridiculous, sad, and funny things that that life contains,

I found this book to be very compelling. It actually did a nice job of bringing to light some of the many, many frustrations and joys that come with teaching, especially teaching in a public school. I've been a teacher for 19 years and the author really does "get it". The hopes and dreams we all enter into the teaching field with and what happens to them when they meet reality. There were times as I was reading that I felt every frustration, overwhelmed feeling, and disappointment along with the characters. It drew me in. There are two things that I'd like to point out specifically. First, I thought the author also did a good job of making the administrators (at least at the building level) seem real as well. It's easy to point fingers at admins any time there's a new mandate, law, or requirement to be followed by classroom teachers. But in reality, there are many times when the administrators have no choice in the matter either. Second, I did feel as I read that there was not quite enough moments of joy shown. As much as the frustrations are there daily, there are big and little moments all the time with students that make it worth doing what we do. Overall, an enlightening read especially for anyone who is not in public education.

Adequate Yearly Progress is set in Brae Hill High School, Texas. We follow a handful of teachers as a new school year starts with some interesting changes, a new superintendent takes over and introduces 'believer scores' a new way of measuring staff performances alongside test results.


The book captures and emphasises the types of characters one usually encounters in schools, the enthusiastic new teacher who tries to start each lesson with a 'fun' activity to get students engaged; the well meaning who just wants to get through lessons with most of the students listening and the procedure driven data enthusiast who always hands in their paper work earlier than needed to show everyone else up to name a few. They're generally well rounded and I liked that the book focused on the teachers lives outside of school as well as inside.


I have a lot of teachers in my family so many of the OOT processes described in this fictional novel reminded me of similar initiatives I've seen come and go in real life. I gave this three stars because for me the plot was a bit slow in places, I do think that for the right person this could make a great gift, potentially giving any teachers in your life a break from another 'Worlds Best Teacher' mug.