Parents Protest for School Transportation
In early 1979, the Board of Education decided to change the rules for private bus operators in a way that would have lowered wages for many drivers.
K-12 organizing
Jose P. vs. Ambach, excerpt
Many major changes in education have come through federal legislation.
Goldie Chu
Please note: This is work in progress. Please keep that in mind as you read.
Statement by Martin H. Gerry, Director, Office for Civil Rights, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, excerpts
In 1977, the New York City Board of Education was the focus of the “largest civil rights investigation of a public educational institution ever undertaken.
Where is District 5?
Under decentralized school governance, each community school district had its own school board, and members of that board were elected by parents and voters who lived within the community school district’s boundaries.
Girls Jumping Double Dutch
According to New York’s Black newspaper the Amsterdam News, Double Dutch is “a skip-rope activity in which two ropes are turned in eggbeater fashion by two rope turners while a third person jumps within the moving ropes.
Clark Hits Integration Plan at Mark Twain JHS
When Judge Jack Weinstein initially issued a court order to integrate District 21 schools, he proposed a wide-reaching plan that called for the Board of Education, District 21’s school board, and private real estate developers and housing officials to integrate the district’s neighborhoods and schools.
“Hart v. Community School Board 21, excerpt 2”
Judge Jack Weinstein ruled Mark Twain unconstitutionally segregated in 1974.
Hart v. Community School Board 21, excerpt 1
Jeffrey Hart was a student at Mark Twain Junior High School in Brooklyn.
Mark Twain on The 51st State, excerpt 4
The all-white board of Community School District 21 in Brooklyn approved a proposal to desegregate Mark Twain Junior High School by making it a school for “gifted and talented” students - or, in the language of the day, students in “special progress” or “rapid advancement” classes.
Mark Twain on the 51st State, excerpt 3
What do schools try to teach their students?
Mark Twain on the 51st State, excerpt 2
In this segment of a 1974 news program, journalist Richard Kotuk introduces Mark Twain Junior High School.
Mark Twain on The 51st State, excerpt 1
In this video excerpt, reporter Richard Kotuk attempts to explain how what he calls “central Coney Island” has become predominantly “poor, Puerto Rican, and black.
The Educational Needs of the Puerto Rican Child, excerpts
In 1970, about one quarter of all New York City public school students were Puerto Rican.
I.S. 55 Graduation Speech
Please note: This is work in progress. Please keep that in mind as you read.
On the Way to School - Community Control, Some Observations, excerpt
Preston Wilcox was a human rights activist and professor at Columbia University who supported Black studies on college campuses and community control for K-12 schools.
¿Le gustaria que sus niños[…]?
Like many Puerto Rican parents in the South Bronx, Evelina López Antonetty was frustrated that so many Spanish-speaking children were not learning to read.
District 21 Population Maps
This map illustrates the boundaries of Community District 21, which includes the Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Gravesend neighborhoods of Brooklyn, among others.
Evelina Antonetty and United Bronx Parents Protest School Lunch
In 1969, parents in the South Bronx were concerned about what their children ate at school.
We Demand
Student protesters at City College (CCNY) explained why they organized a strike on their campus and what changes they wanted to achieve.