Tony Danza Heads Back to School in 'Teach'

Whether you know him as Sam’s dad on “Who’s the Boss” or as an unsuccessful talk show host, actor Tony Danza is headed back to school this fall for A&E’s new reality series “Teach.”
In this new show, Danza will co-teach a 10th grade English class in one of Philadelphia’s low-income school districts. The setting, Northeast High School, is preparing for the onslaught of attention that it will undeniably receive and the actor is also hard at work preparing for his teaching debut. Danza has been spending a good portion of his summer re-reading some of the classics like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Julius Caesar,” in addition to attending a new-teacher orientation hosted by the school.
Philadelphia has a struggling public school system. Seventy-percent of the district’s school system is at or below the poverty line, and in 2001, the state of Pennsylvania took over the school district in order to save it from its fiscal and academic problems.
While Danza’s entry into the academic world is seen as a positive by many, students from Northeast High School will have an opportunity to intern on the show’s production set and the school district will receive payment for each episode. There are also some critics who see the mix of celebrity status, reality television and education a recipe for a failing grade.
The show is set to air this fall and EduInReview.com will be on hand to dole out gold stars or red check marks to Danza and his attempts to inspire some of Philly’s young minds.
Danza graduated from a New York high school in 1968 and has a B.A. in history from the University of Dubuque.