Interview with Jitu Weusi on Mayoral Control of New York City Schools (excerpt)
Jitu Weusi, born and raised in Brooklyn and originally named Leslie Campbell, was an educator and educational activist.
democracy
Mayor Bloomberg Remarks on Education Reform (excerpt)
At the 2012 United States Conference of Mayors, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg reflected on the first ten years of mayoral control in New York City’s schools.
Goldie Chu
Please note: This is work in progress. Please keep that in mind as you read.
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.
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.
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.
Community Control is Not Decentralization
New York State’s 1969 decentralization law drew strong opposition from many Black and Puerto Rican New Yorkers who had been advocating for community control.
Fifteen Demands of Black and Puerto Rican Students
Please note: This is work in progress. Please keep that in mind as you read.
Community Control March
During the 1968 teacher strike, community control advocates continued to participate in leading local school districts and arguing for self-determination in education.
Parents Speaking on Ocean Hill-Brownsville
This video captures New York City parents speaking of their desires for community control of their children’s schools.
A Proposal for an Independent Board of Education in Harlem
Over 1 million new Black Southern migrants and Puerto Rican immigrants had settled in New York City by the 1950s.
The High Tide of Immigration
Immigrants helped New York City grow and prosper in the late 1800s and early 1900s, yet they faced many anti-immigrant attitudes in their new home city.
First Patriotic Election in the Beach Street Industrial School
Many New Yorkers lived in poverty in the 1890s, and depended on their children to work to help support the family.