European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 2, 1969, Darmstadt, Hesse The world of learning to by Benjamin Fine Nana staff writer never has there been As much tur Moil and Strain in the operation of Public schools. The Center for the in fighting is Newyork City where strikes and threats of strikes have kept the 55,000 teacher Sand More than a million children in a state of unrest and uneasiness since school began. New York City has the largest school system in the nation. For the past half Century it has been centrally administered from Headquarters where thou Sands of supervisors directors assistant superintendents and curriculum build ers gathered under the direction of the school superintendent. More than a year ago some of the local communities complained that they did not have any say in the direction i which the system was going. This was particularly True among groups in har Lem where the pupils Are almost entirely negro or puerto rican. As a re sult of political pressures on the local school Board and in Albany the official agreed to establish experimental decentralized school boards with Power to hire and fire teachers and select their own administrators and principals. The Ford foundation helped to under write one of these local districts which has now become the focal Point of the chaos. The Battle of Community control in the Ocean Hill Brownsville District has gotten out of hand. The local governing Board holding that it has the hire and fire right has refused to admit some 100 teachers to their former classrooms despite the fact that the Board of education has insisted that the teachers be assigned to their former places. This Issue unless resolved May bring about another strike by the United federation of teachers. And it May also set a pattern for the thirty or so local school districts who May also decide that they have the final say As to what Type of education should take place i their school districts. What is taking place in new York City is closely watched in the other major cities such As Boston Philadel phia Chicago St. Louis san Francisco and los Angeles. Unless a solution is found the entire Public school system May fall apart. Already there a a scramble by parents to find private schools for their children. We As one of the angry parents said i m new York squabble resulted in children being locked out of school. Not interested to politics. All i want Isa decent schooling for my child. He s not getting it while the teachers Are on the picket line or the police Are club Bing demonstrators in front of his schoolhouse. There May be an answer under Way Twenty six experimental projects have started this fall in the nation s big three year experiments known As the Central cities project cup work they May be adopted and used by schools across the country. The program s main Effort will be to involve the Community in educational planning something that new Yor City has tried but failed thus far. But the projects will also. Concentrate on rive other characteristics of Good Urban schools Early childhood education individualized instruction transition to the Mil i work staff training and racial up Ugo ode ample of the Experiment aiwcenlal1 is 8tart with �000 children is the Syracuse Campus plan. It win place the City s 18,000 elementary school children in four Educa anal the first Campus isto we p i9n placing the so Buu dings school estimate that the str Stajl Cost 110.5 Mijlin. A Mai rival of the Campus plan ish Sarf All children will be bussed to school. On tie unless a solution is found the entire Public school system May fall apart. those in Central cities according to John Leeke of the National education association task Force on Urban Educa Tion. He pointed out that the projects maybe effective in la a Angeles Milwaukee new Orleans. San Diego and Angeles is planning two educational complexes of negro and mexican american communities. Their goal will la i de in Hergarten to Grade 12, a adult education school child welfare services and adult courses in family relationships. , Wlla Experiment with do. Centralization using five schools in Aigro Ai?8 he commendations for changing these schools will be made Byan Ady Eory a Pencil of teachers Par Al prncp5il supervisors and teacher elected by students. The Central to wide school toward will hold final control. San Diego s project involves Model l strife has dramatized Issue of who will pa0c 16 have final say on education issues. Up the continent Seaf Progress Center up clip create a on stration project for kindergarten to Grade 4. School officials define continuous Progress As no graded individualized instruction which is constantly re designed to insure optimum methods and facilities Are kept flexible. The Central cities project offers real Hope for improving All schools not just the stars and stripes programs air Refl at retaining get stu4enrfi Pride in the mexican Lan Guage and culture. Memphis will have Community learning lab to create and demonstrate new programs and serv ices. The new Orleans project Hopes to create a Model for educating student with diverse backgrounds All of these experiments May help develop a workable acceptable Public school system. It is to be hoped that other cities will have Learned from new York City How far and in what direction decentralization can go and still be effective. Sunday february 2, 1969 of
