Boston Public Episode Rating Graph

Hanson asks Claire to marry him; a student uses rap music to critique Shakespeare; a producer pushes Aisha to sign a record deal; Lifehouse performs at Doyle's Bar.

An investment banker, convicted of securities fraud, avoids jail time by agreeing to community service: teaching math at Winslow High. A sexy and eccentric woman smashes into Guber's car and then crashes her way into his life.

After a cheerleader is attacked, blame falls on another student's mother (Sean Young); Carmen goes head to head with a ""bad boy"" student (Milo Ventigmilia); Hansen copes with a student who says he is the son of God.

A student writes a letter to Whitney Houston asking her to attend the prom with him; Harper tries to prevent teachers from being fired for budgetary reasons; Danny asks Claire's father for permission to marry her.

Courtroom drama energizes Ronnie, who's defending two teens in a murder arraignment; high test scores by poor students prompt Guber's undercover investigation.

Harper's meeting with a parent becomes heated; a new teacher stirs things up in the classroom; the teachers must evaluate one another.

Temporary synopsis from TV Guide: Harsh echoes resound from the student riot; the Danny-Marla confrontations lead to racist allegations against her; a drug deal entraps one of Guber's prized pupils.

A former student of Winslow High dies in Iraq while serving the U.S. Army. Principal Harper receives a letter from the deceased student which brings back old memories back to the days when he took care of him and pulled him away from a life in the gutter. Danny Hanson struggles with a student in his class who's been hacking into the school's computer base; finding out about the teachers' private lives and upcoming tests.

An enraged student slaps Marla's face in front of the class, and Marla slaps her back; Hanson discovers Allison behaves like a bully at school; Carmen asks Harper to remove Jake from her class.

Marla berates Aisha and the other performers in the school musical; the incumbent mayor grills Harper about low test scores; students land a juicy story about a teacher for their news broadcast.

Aisha's ailing father leaves a song manuscript in her possession, and she writes lyrics for the melody.

Rehearsals are in full swing for the annual charity show. Marilyn is dismayed to learn that the main skit the students have prepared is a spoof of the Winslow High faculty -- complete with a gun-toting Senate and Buttle stuck inside a donkey! Elsewhere on campus, Lauren enters a stairwell and catches two student body presidential candidates engaged in a sex act. Lauren confronts the students -- Peter and Susan -- who deny any wrongdoing. However, when Peter later drops out of the election, it becomes clear that Susan's sexual favor was a motivating factor. On top of all this, Lauren must also deal with John LeBlonde. John's an excellent student on the recently suspended soccer team and needs Harper's approval to apply for a prestigious academic award. Harper is refusing to sign, not because John cheated -- he didn't -- but because he failed to report his teammates. Lauren is caught in the middle and is even more uncomfortable when John confesses that he is in love with her. The night o

Senate's erratic behavior rattles Ronnie and prompts a telling showdown with Harper; pupil misconduct provokes a new teacher, whose youth belies grit.

Young teachers join the faculty; students plan a walkout because of the administration's apparent lack of concern for student issues.

Last week's bra protest has resulted in school unity. All the girls have decided to go braless in a show of solidarity with Dana Poole. As bras flap ceremoniously from every other locker, Principal Harper juggles a variety of other issues. The superintendent is breathing down Harper's neck because Lauren has rallied a few of the other teachers and they all refuse to get fingerprinted. Also, Marla, who's supposed to be on medical leave, has shown up for work, and Lipschultz, the man behind the bra debacle, has shown up on Sheryl Holt's infamous Web site -- in a bra and panties! Harper decides the two of them will co-teach a class in order to keep an eye on each other. Meanwhile, Vice Principal Guber tries to regain control by meeting with Dana Poole. He suspects that she's high, so he wants a urine sample. She protests and bolts straight to Harry -- whom she blackmails for the second time in order to avoid suspension. It seems that earlier in the year she and Senate shared a kiss, and s

Principal Harper's job is in jeopardy and an impending school board meeting has him on edge. Still, he can't help but get involved when Anthony Ward is found hanging upside down from the roof. It turns out the entire soccer team has ganged up on little Anthony since he thwarted their attempts to download answers for a test. Harper's decision to suspend the entire team, and thereby forfeit the soccer season, only adds fuel to Superintendent Marla Shinn's fire. Meanwhile, Harry Senate confesses to kissing Dana Poole and explains her blackmail scheme. Guber sends a shocked Dana to Bob ""Big Boy"" Lick for counseling but Harper does not suspend Senate. Coach Riley, on the other hand, is dealing with a football team who has marked one of their teammates as gay and will not shower with him. Plus, Lauren is left to defend herself when Superintendent Shinn questions the topic of cannibalism being taught in Lauren's classroom. At the school board meeting, things come to a head when all of the fa

It's Thanksgiving week, but no one seems particularly grateful. Guber, for example, is still upset over his onstage serenade at the charity show. Football player Jason Harrelson broke bully Malcolm White's arm during a fight in the hall. Buttle is starring in yet another Sheryl Holt original online humiliation cartoon. Last, but not least, Lauren discovered a senior sex posse which awards senior guys points for sex. In response to the sex posse scandal, Principal Harper organizes a sophomore assembly to preach the benefits of chastity. The teachers draw straws, and Lipschultz is chosen to head up the event. Later at the assembly, Lipschultz' boring speech turns shocking when he confesses to catching his beloved late wife in bed with another man. In his office, Harper confronts Jason Harrelson about the fight. Harrelson says he used a fighting technique that Harper taught Anthony in order to defend Anthony's honor. Repercussions ensue -- including a lawsuit by Malcolm's family and a con

Hanson's troubled sister drops off her 4-year-old daughter for him to watch; Marylin urges Aisha to stand up to her boyfriend; Ronnie and Marla vie for the position of assistant principal.

One of Senate's most promising students and his brother become entangled in criminal acts with fatal results; Hanson draws criticism for sending a letter to a girl's parents because she is overweight.

A sex scandal among teens rocks Winslow and prompts a mock trial of the accused instigator, a clean-cut senior who's defended, prosecuted and judged by his peers.

Staff and students at Winslow High struggle to get on with their lives after a number of tragic events.

Controversy strikes Hanson's classroom over a reviled racial epithet; Ronnie draws ire for a class assignment to experience life as a homeless person.

The students and teachers at Winslow High School deal with the tragedy of a car accident caused by a drunken driver; Senate tries to convince a man to keep his son in school; Marla and Meredith clash over teaching methods.

Ronnie witnesses an attempted rape, then receives a shock when she presses for legal action on behalf of the victim (guest star Amanda Fuller); Hanson tries to prevent a student from being expelled for drugs.

A female student files a serious sexual-harassment charge against Danny; a classroom debate over the U.S. involvement in Iraq turns violent; the tension between Harper and Guber over Marylin reaches the boiling point.

While heading to work, Lauren's car breaks downs. She gets so frustrated with it that she starts jumping up and down on it and smashing the windows with a baseball bat. Suddenly, an old student of hers appears named Daniel Evans who thanks her for changing his life. He shows her a history text book he has written and she is very impressed. He asks her out for a drink, and she immediately says yes. After, they head to her place and have a night of passion. The next day she tells Marilyn, who finds it a little immoral. Lauren cannot get past how great the sex was. Lauren admits she finds it a total turn on when Daniel calls her Ms. Davis. Marilyn is dealing with a boy named Jeremy who throws up after an anxiety attack related to his mom not being able to accept his mark of a B+. He goes to the nurse, where Marilyn notices a huge bruise on him. He says he got it playing basketball. When Jeremy's mom shows up, she says he must of got it on his scooter. Marilyn suspects abuse.

As Senate approaches the school grounds, he saves a student from being attacked by gang members. After numerous attempts, Harry finally manages to get the boy to reveal that he is a member of the Crips and is attempting to leave the group because he killed a rival gang member. However, Senate is unable to help because he gave his word that he wouldn't discuss the situation with the authorities. Prevented from taking action, he reluctantly hides the truth from Lauren, his co-workers and the police. Meanwhile, Harper grows even more suspicious about Lisa and Buttle's deepening friendship, so Guber takes the reins and alerts Lisa's parents about their daughter's rumored affair. Thoroughly panicked, Milton tries to break it off, but Lisa pushes him to have sex one last time and her father catches them in the act. Buttle is immediately fired and the news rocks the halls of Winslow High. But when Riley attempts to soften the blow for Milton, Guber fires him as well for withholding informatio

Lauren gets a gun to protect herself from Daniel. Jeremy won't tell Marilyn what happened to his mother. Scott gives Winslow High's first student to get accepted to Harvard an F.

Henry gives bad advice to a brainiac student who wants to become an artist; Marla has a miscarriage; Rainy is thrown out of her foster home.

A revelation concerning Jeremy fractures the relationship between his mother and Guber; a plea from a death-row inmate troubles Harper; a student's ADD affliction disquiets Ronnie.

Hanson is arrested after a domestic dispute, causing Harper to seriously consider firing him. Lauren is skeptical when a student decides to drop out because a record company wants to sign her, and Harper is livid when he discovers that someone close to him has been anonymously dispensing sex advice in the student newspaper.

Lauren continues her realtionship with Daniel. Marilyn finds out that Jeremy's mother is locking her son in the basement for punishment. Steven can't date a student's mother. Kevin punches an opponent ina debate.

Security tapes of the girls' shower room are missing... with footage of Lauren on them. Marla sends her entire class to the principal's office. Anthony's hit list is found. Lauren and Harry break up.

New teachers join the faculty; Lipschultz gets into trouble after giving a student the wrong name; Marla sponsors a club of female students.

Senate is outraged when he learns that a prized student purchased a college-application essay over the Internet. Hanson's class decides to sue Lipschultz in court for defamation of character after he calls a student a derogatory term.

Ronnie catches a student performing a crime; two female students tell Marylin about their sexual conversations online with an older man.

A student discovers Harper and Marilyn have been secretly dating and threatens to go to the school board; Hanson and Claire try to assist a student who is having trouble with his dad.

Harry advises Tyronn to leave town when he is shot at. Harvey sends Scott on a two-hour drive for a non-existing conducting opportunity. A student accuses the cheerleading teacher of touching her in inappropriate ways.

Ronnie tries to persuade an 18-year-old student not to pose for a racy magazine; Guber and Meredith disagree about a classroom incident; Lauren and Marylin are questioned about their teaching methods.

A popular and beloved teacher, Mr. McMahon, has a heart attack and dies at school. A close friend of the deceased, Principal Harper overcomes his own grief to help his students cope with the loss. To make matters worse, it appears that McMahon had been having an affair with a female senior, Karen Fitzgerald. While Harper struggles to deal with the incident's aftermath and maintain status quo, the students and faculty begin to fall apart. A defiant pupil, Webster, spits on Lauren and she vows to have him expelled. The case becomes more complex, however, when Harper learns that Webster was close to Mr. McMahon and is extremely upset over his death. A disciplinary hearing is held and it's decided that Webster will only be suspended, much to Lauren's disgust. Meanwhile, the distraught students hold an assembly to deal with their confusion. The kids quickly embrace God as the answer and their meeting turns into a mass prayer rally. Eventually, Harper and Guber look into McMahon's alleged af

When Coach Riley is fired for withholding information about Buttle's affair, he hires Attorneys Ellenor Frutt and Jimmy Berluti. The stress of the lawsuit has Guber and Harper at each other's throats. Lauren discovers that Harry had dated another co-worker before her. The crossover starts on The Practice S05E14 The Day After (I).

Guber's speech team star has an issue, Russell decides on a college, while mixed signals rattle Colin as his affair comes to a close.

Scott fires an art teacher twice. Christine Banks dies of a heart attack after winning a wrestling match. Harry finds out Dana Poole has become a stripper. Marla insults janitors and she finds one of her student's father is a janitor.

Another school year is off to a booming start at Winslow High School -- an urban high school outside of Boston. Principal Steven Harper spends his days putting out fires, defending his faculty and just trying to keep it together. Lauren Davis, the idealistic head of the social studies department, and Harry Senate, a geology teacher with buried secrets, are embroiled in controversy for failing the star running back before a huge game with the cross-town rivals. But they both have bigger personal problems. Lauren has been asked out on a date by the icy vice principal and Harry has been put on probation for wielding a gun in one of his classes. When he's not dodging the star running back's lawyer or pulling a bully off the class geek, Principal Harper is trying to calm Ms. Hendricks. She left her class after scrawling ""Gone to kill myself, hope you're happy"" on the chalkboard. Meanwhile, English teacher Milton Buttle has become the star attraction on student Sheryl Holt's Web site. His un

Coach Riley has a serious crush on Marylin Sudor but is nervous about asking her out due to their racial differences. But when he and Buttle ask Ms. Sudor how she and Ms. Hendricks feel about dating white men, Marylin mistakenly assumes Coach wants to ask Marla out. Riley's ""infatuation"" with Marla appears on Sheryl Holt's Web site and Ms. Hendricks becomes extremely excited about the prospect of dating Coach. Eventually, Kevin tells Marylin the truth and she is forced to break the news to Marla, who is deeply hurt. While Kevin and Marylin do make plans to eventually go out, they decide to wait until Marla has gotten over her disappointment. Meanwhile, Harper is concerned about the cheerleading squad. They have been rehearsing for an important competition, but their new routine is extremely sexual. The choreographer argues that it's impossible to tone down the program, so Harper cancels the meet. Regardless of the consequences, Lisa and Buttle continue to tempt fate and continue their

Guber accepts Lauren's offer of a platonic date; Ronnie confronts a student about her pregnancy; Hanson helps his students cope with the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.

A jailed Harper faces a manslaughter charge in the death of a student's father; a rebellious teen receives unsolicited help from Hanson, who uncovers the youth's dark secret.

Harper reunites with his ex-wife at a holiday benefit; students ask Louisa, Marilyn and Marla to perform at the pageant; Senate stays mum about a student's tragic secret so that the boy's family can enjoy Christmas.