Your Assignment: Fix New York's Schools v

udy Crew, the Chancellor of the few people in our society who are still programs, schools and systems that fail to from the dull and ordinary is the reason they New York City leads the nation in schools New York City's public expected to work in buildings that do not achieve high literacy by third grade should get involved in drugs. I am certainly not where this happens - small public schools of schools, occupies one of the have, at the very least, fans. be restructuredand their personnelre- implying that all teen-agers who seek origi- choice, communities of mutual trust with -e .hottest seats there is. Par- Earlier this month the heat index hit 103 trained - or they should be replaced. nality turn to drugs and crime. What I am interesting and challenging curriculums; ents, teachers, the Mayor and degrees. Health advisories were being broad- saying is that after-school activities like schools where students and adults know each many others have had criti-cast - but when you're stuck in any school all ,JUDITH SLOAN is an actress, writer and clubs and sports teams promote self-regard other well; schools where faculty members Scns of the schools, and suggestions of all day, it's not possible to "get to a cool place" juggler who guest teaches in the New York and feelings of uniqueness. For me, the de- are responsible for their work and their -sorts have been offered - vouchers, tougher and "drink plenty of liquids." It is archaic City schools. bate team has been such an activity. ideas, not merely implementers, factory- ,standards, year-round classes, bigger budg- and inhumane to expect anyone to excel as a I know a lot of people have already pointed To stop the teen-age violence associated style, of test-driven mandates. ,g s. Here, an assortment of responses to the student or be productive as a teacher under this out, but what New York needs is fewer with drug use, we need to promote the idea Before charter schools were politically ,question, "What would you do to improve city these conditions. It is especially unfair to, kids per class and more physical space. I that all young people are different and that "in," New York City invented such schools in schools if you were Rudy Crew?" discovered this firsthand at the International all are able to succeed. Clubs and sports the regular public sector: the Central Park those students who have to take the lengthy schools, International High School, Ur- Regents Exams in the heat High School in Queens in December while teams should come into this equation by East CLARA HEMPHILL is the author of teaching juggling for physics and geometry providing an extra sense of security that may ban Academy, City-as-School, Beacon, and on Every classroom in this city needs at least and on, more than 100 in all The hard data on "The Parents' Guide to New York City's one fan. As we approach the 21st century, a classes. Best Public Elementary Schools" and the First I showed the kids a three-ball pattern. these schools prove the case; they are not long-overdue goal would be to take us out of only good for achievement, they're even cost- .. forthcoming "Public Middle Schools: New 19th-century sweatshop conditions. Then I showed them some group patterns. .York'sBest." The next week, I divided the class into teams. Anyone can criticize effective. .,Making principal salaries competitive is They had to come up with three different We do not need fear, threats, shame and , BENNO C. SCHMIDT JR. is chairman the single most important step the city can geometric patterns for the balls, on paper privatization. These schools can in time lead of the Edison Project and led the Mayor's Rudy Crew. But try Stake to improve schools. The city is hemor- and in the air. They had to mark the path of us to where a half century of ever greater Task Force on the City University of New ,'rhaging talent to the suburbs, where princi- the balls, figure out how many balls could be reliance on centralized test-driven reform York. being Rudy Crew. pals typically earn $25,000 a year more. tossed among how many people, at what has not and cannot. Teachers who only carry The key to success Salaries have been frozen since 1995, and is getting nearly all speed, with how much arc, and so on. And, out state mandates aren't good intellectual some principals now earn less than staff students to read and write by third grade. A while they were at it, they had to explain models. school or system in which 90-plus percent of moving My advice? Keep breaking up the big :.members they supervise. inertia as it relates to the ball not be conveyed by the often seen message: nego- third graders are on track in reading and the air. schools into little ones, reduce class sizes, Chancellor Crew has held contract through "Don't do drugs." ..tiations hostage to his demand to abolish writing will be able to meet its other chal- The teams went to work furiously on paper. give the schools more control over the stuff :tenure. But nearly half the current princi- lenges. A system where lots of third graders Then they all got up to work out the patterns that matters and then hold them responsible. at 'pals aren't tenured. Working conditions are physically. Thirty kids, 12 languages, 80 balls. TED FORSTMANN is senior partner so poor that vacancies go unfilled for years. AHHHHH! Forstmann Little & Company and co-chair- SEAN ALTMAN is a Manhattan singer- .. Better to compromise on tenure than to I kept looking for empty space, anywhere. man of the Children's Scholarship Fund. songwriter and the composer of the theme 'allow the brain drain to continue. Stop the brain drain, There was no one in the hallway. I told two If I were Chancellor Crew, I would ask song for the PBS program "Where in the teams to go out there. Balls were flying, kids myself this question: Does the child exist to World Is Carmen Sandiego?" JOHNNY RAY YOUNGBLOOD is and spring for some were laughing. A security guard came down serve the system, or does the system exist to My music schooling at Bronx P.S. 24 ap- "'chairman of the Metro Industrial Areas the hall: "No playing around in the hallway." serve the child? I am a steadfast proponent peared serviceable at the time. In retrospect, Foundation, a network of churches and fans. The real juggling trick is finding adequate of equal opportunity and the ideal of educat- though, it seems tragic that I didn't attend community groups. space to learn. ing the public. But a delivery system domi- my first live concert (Art Garfunkel at Car- Chancellor Crew must continue what he nated by government that shuts out competi- negie Hall) until I was 17. What's music began belatedly to do last week: own up to ARTHUR LEVINE is president of Teach- tion is not necessarily the best way to accom- education without exposure to real musi- fiindamental shortcomings in the school sys- ers College at Columbia University. plish those goals. cians? Any overheard schoolyard conversa- are lost in reading and writing - in some Indeed, such a system - championed by "tein and insist on tough and measurable schools in New York, it's as many as one-half I would do everything I could to get the tion is evidence that nothing excites kids ",accountabilityfor its front-lineleaders - and would con- Chancellor Crew - commands and enforces - will find it virtually impossible to meet any Mayor elected to the Senate more than music. Musicians, even more than cur- a 90 percent market share while providing a k~hool principals and district superintend- of its other academic benchmarks. tinue stressing standards, assessment, athletes, are the heroes of youth. 'elts. riculum redesign, teacher improvement and clearly inferior product. This is rather typi- One would think schools and school sys- Happily, the feeling is mutual; a performer -The Chancellor must follow through on his accountability. cal of monopolies the world over. joy than when a youngster tems would organize themselves in relentless feels no greater ipimise to cull the ranks of the 1,100 princi- I would also make the strongest case I Dr. Crew ought to embrace the same open, smiles, as I know from my experience with pursuit of this goal, but most have not. Yet 'als. As.many as 100 principals of persis- could for increasing state and city financing free-market environment that our Founders Rockapella. I thus propose "Musicians Back "tently falling schools should go, as well as up there are some proven ways to achieve a high for repairing crumbling buildings, guaran- envisioned for education, and that now flour- to School," an ongoing series of unpaid school to 10 superintendents. Meanwhile, Dr. Crew level of literacy: choose a reading program teeing pre-kindergarten education for the ishes in virtually every other aspect of Amer- performances by the huge crop of willing S1:atldMayor Rudolph Giuliani must finish de- that uses several different strategies (phon- most disadvantaged youngsters and hiring ican life. local talent. While admirable piecemeal ef- '-vising a new contract that recognizes the ics, word recognition, etc.), .put kids in small more teachers for summer school and for A system can be a means to an end but forts have been made in the past, it's time for "demands of the principal's job, generously groups for reading, train teachers, get par- class-size reduction. shouldn't be the end itself. The system is not an all-out music awareness juggernaut: "rewards success and sanctions failure. ents involved and introduce students to the sacred - children are. This is the most eclectic music city in the This is the Chancellor's final and most joys of mastering books rather than just ELISHA GASTON is a senior at Eras- world; our kids should be the nation's most "important test. snippets from anthologies. mus Hall Campus, High School for Human- DEBORAH MEIER, former principal of well-versed. No student should be able to If despite such efforts students fall behind, ities and the Performing Arts in Brooklyn. the Central Park East schools in East Har- graduate without having experienced live, "LINDA NIEDERMAN SILVER teach- schools need to do whatever it takes - one- I would mandate that students belong to at lem, now leads the Mission Hill School in in-school renditions of the 11 Indispensable es psychology and literaturethrough acting on-one tutoring, summer school - to get all least one after-school activity, like a club or a Boston. Post-Renaissance Compositions: Branden- at Health Professions High School in'Man- but seriously impaired children to read well sports team. Participating in such positive For children there's no shortcut to becom- burg Concerto No. 5, "Ode to Joy," "Waltz of ,h.attan. by the end of second grade. Getting outside activities gives young people a sense of com- ing thoughtful, responsible and intellectually the Flowers," "Begin the Beguine," "Unfor- Every September and June the tempera- testing experts to check children's progress munity and direction. accomplished adults. What it takes is keeping gettable," "Hound Dog," "Crazy," "Re- tiiureduring the day varies from 70 degrees to along the way can also be extremely helpful. Young people want to believe that they are company with adults who exercise these spect," "Yesterday," "Rapper's Delight" ;, degrees. Students-- and~--~---- teachers are among ----Once more~- point: accountability. Reading special. For many, the desire to stand out qualities in their presence. and, emphatically, "Free Bird." [