“Almost half the nation’s
school districts have significantly
decreased the daily class time spent
on subjects like science, art, and
history, as a result of the federal
“No Child Left Behind” law’s focus
on annual tests in reading and math,
according to a new report released
yesterday. From: “Focus on 2 R’s
Cuts Time for the Rest, Report Says”
- New York Times - July 2007.
There is a Crisis in Education.
This state of crisis in the schools is
not new. The minority populations
have felt this for a very long time.
In 1972, I began to chronicle the
events in the school as parent
involvement began to become an
issue. And now in retrospect, I can
see that the idea of public education
as big business, and its failure to
produce a marketable product,
is not new; nor is the inability of
our students to pick up the ladder
of social and economic mobility,
which rests horizontally at the base
of all walls that surround the innercity.
In 1964 Martin Luther King
warned us about partially educating
youth in the following statement:
“Huge masses are left handicapped
in the shadows of ignorance and
submerged in second class status.”
But the Crisis continued in 2006.
“We are told of one stunning
educational success after another,
with ever more children, passing
the standardized tests. But in reality,
the city’s public school students,
particularly those students of
color in inner city neighborhoods,
are receiving a less than quality
education.” EDUCATION
PLANNING COUNCIL OF
HARLEM/NY - July 2006.
“The system still fails to educate
its African American and Latino
students to the degree that they
are ill-equipped to compete,
academically and intellectually, with
children of other racial and ethnic
groups, attending schools in other
neighborhoods. Our children are
graduating at too low a percentage,
we can also say poorly prepared for
the challenges of higher education
and fulfilling, lucrative new
millennium careers.” EDUCATION
PLANNING COUNCIL OF
HARLEM/NY - July 2006.
These statements are not new.
Our youth are in crisis. And the
educational system is in crisis.
This means that we need to
look for ways to end the cycle
of failure which is systemic
throughout the impoverished
inner city communities. Everyone
should be involved in the process
of ameliorating this situation.
If not, that is the problem.
Since one size does not fit all,

we should certainly try to look
at exemplary programs for our
schools which will work. Of
course there are success stories
whenever these programs work
and enable students to reach their
academic potential. Nevertheless,
we are constantly assessing the
progress of students and tailoring
instruction to meet their needs. The
hours spent by effective teachers
are incalculable. But at least as
educators, we try, because we are
dealing with human lives. We try
because the alternative of not trying,
is too costly, as prisons await those
children who have failed to become
productive citizens. We try because
the school to prison pipeline is
a reality for far too many of our
students as police in our schools
takeover the role once reserved
for teachers and administrators.
Educators in New York City public
schools, know that smaller class

size is a priority; adequate resources
are a priority; staff development is
a priority; and parent participation
is a necessity. We know that we
need highly qualified teachers,
para-professionals, social workers,
guidance counselors, psychologists,
mentors, administrators, and union
leaders. Surely, the schools that
have the aforementioned cadre of
professionals are fortunate.
Nevertheless, it is unfortunate that
NYC has left parents and teachers
out of the decision making process
for too long. However, because of
the United Federation of Teachers
political action, parents and teachers
have never stopped advocating for
children in City Hall, in Albany,
and in Washington, DC. Therefore,
I applaud any positive effort that is
being made on behalf of children in
NYC. Certainly, we have a long way
to go. But we must pull out all stops
to make this broken system work.
The New York City Public School
System was once a viable force for
its earliest immigrants, like Henry
Kissinger, who attended George
Washington High School at night
and worked in a shaving-brush
factory during the day. Today, the
NYC Public Schools must work
for all of its students, again. Arthur
Eisenberg is right: “The state
must seek to break the cycle of
discrimination and disadvantage”.
Certainly, the future of America, as
a strong nation, depends on it.
Phyllis C. Murray is an UFT