In the aftermath of the now- infamous, inter-racial confrontations at South Philadelphia High School, I’m concerned that, rather than using what appears to have been a relatively isolated, negative occurrence as a springboard for much-needed learning and for more effective inter-cultural, inter-ethnic communications, we’ve actually figured out a way to utilize the situation to drive us all farther apart and to promote other ongoing, negative agendas.
When I saw Tony Auth’s editorial cartoon in last week's Philadelphia Inquirer, depicting South Philadelphia High School’s principal as “sleeping on the job," I knew that we, in the City, were still heading in opposite directions, on one more critical issue, at break-neck speed.
I read Judge Giles’ “Report and Recommendations” on the incident and, aside from the general complexity of the issue, what struck me was the clear impression that LaGreta Brown, the school’s principal, was not only wide awake, but that she also took several decisive steps to ensure the safety of all of her school’s students, at a time when tensions at the facility were extremely high and no one else seemed to be available to do so.
Contrary to the grossly unfair characterization in the Inquirer’s cartoon, the report indicates that Principal Brown, among other things, swiftly and efficiently put into place a comprehensive emergency security plan, which included: Clearing and securing all halls and stairwells; locking of lavatories; revocation of hall passes; recruitment of City Year Volunteers as additional support; and the assignment of the school’s assistant principal and a school police officer to assist on the building's second floor. In addition, she decided that she, herself, would also be present on the second floor, during parts of the day. Even further, the principal called a “dismissal strategy meeting,” wherein she decided to have a “silent dismissal” of the building’s students and initiate its longstanding “Safe Corridor Program” to ensure safe passage home for students who were concerned.
Does that sound like a principal who was “asleep on the job?”
It appears, now, that the primary reason that safety was compromised, at all, for any of the students, once they left for home that day, despite Principal Brown's plan, was that several members of the Philadelphia Police Department, who had been assigned to the school, were called away, just before dismissal, to respond to an incident at another South Philadelphia school.Curiously, there doesn’t appear to be very much energy being expended by any of the most vocal critics of the South Philadelphia High School incident – in the Asian community, in the media, or even among parents – to find out why that decision was made.
Nevertheless, with "perfect 20/20 hindsight," and from the comfort and safety of their own homes or offices, the "armchair principals," including the Inquirer editorial cartoonist, have been full of suggestions about things that Principal Brown might have done differently. But, for Brown, her staff, and those students “-- black, Asian and Caucasian”-- all of this was taking place in “real time,” and it appears to have been done in an absolutely responsible way. That, of course, made the Inquirer’s editorial cartoon, in my opinion, an indefensible, inaccurate "cheap shot.”
In addition, I can’t help but believe that the cartoon was also intended to serve as just one more piece in what has been an ongoing pattern of irrationally harsh media criticism of Superintendent Ackerman and her administration.
I have no doubt in my mind, whatsoever, that a major contributing factor to the appearance of that cartoon was the fact that the School District would not make either Superintendent Ackerman or Principal Brown available to be interviewed for the paper’s feature story on Judge Giles’ report, two Sundays ago. It was apparent, even in the body of that story, that reporters and editors felt that they deserved to have a much more detailed reaction to Judge Giles’ report than Dr. Ackerman’s statement that implied that it was “time to move forward.”
The Inquirer's reaction and the appearance of the cartoon, therefore, shouldn't have come as a complete surprise to anybody. It's clear that if you don’t make yourself available to speak to reporters when they seek your input, that doesn’t stop them from doing their story. They just won’t include your side of the issue in the finished product. In a more perfect world, both Dr. Ackerman and Principal Brown should have offered more substantive comment on the report.
Another critical reason for the South Philadelphia incident playing out in the way that it did is the fact that local Asian advocacy groups are exceptionally well organized and don't hesitate--for a second--to put up picket lines, print posters, write op-ed pieces, work the Internet and reach out to reporters on any of the issues in which their community is involved. Most media accounts about "South Philadelphia," not surprisingly, have been heavily influenced by their perspective. The black community used to be like that....
So, beyond what actually took place at South Philadelphia High, what are all of these ongoing cases of media sniping, calls for public apologies and for intervention by the Justice Department really all about?
There is no question in my mind that there has been, and continues to be, a concerted campaign being waged in the City to discredit Arlene Ackerman in her role as Philadelphia Schools Superintendent.
Ackerman has brought a direct, informed, no-nonsense style and a strategic focus to her responsibility. It seems, however, that, in Philadelphia, we’ve always been more comfortable with “leaders” who err on the side of being overly polite to one another, even while, “the house is on fire.” We especially seem to prefer that our black leaders (and our black athletes) in Philadelphia be low-key, self-effacing, constantly smiling and overly polite, even if they get nothing, at all, done.
We need to “get over that.” We no longer have that luxury.
It’s been interesting to watch as moves toward greater teacher and principal accountability, espoused early on, here, by Ackerman, and strongly opposed, immediately, by many in the local education establishment, begin to be made at the federal level. In the same "Ackerman-esque" way, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, four months ago, proposed that student test scores be used to determine teacher tenure, up in the “Apple.”
When the new Superintendent arrived in town and seemed to want to make the school system accountable for improved performance for all students and also, finally, for its largest population segment– low income black students – that didn’t seem to sit too well with those who’ve always lived very comfortably at underperforming black students’ expense. The undeclared war against the Superintendent has been waged ever since.
There’s another clear lesson to be learned from the South Philadelphia incident. If black, Hispanic, Asian and white parents don’t soon begin to have forums available to them for ongoing dialogue among themselves and for breaking down long-standing stereotypes and misunderstandings, their children will certainly have a very slim chance of successfully negotiating our increasingly multicultural educational environments. In addition, our schools, already cognizant of the growing diversity among their students, need to have improved programs and resources, now, to ensure that multi-cultural input from communities is also welcomed and acted upon.
And while we're working on solid, long-range solutions such as those, people in our community--regardless of race-- who have always said that they cared about improving the educational performance in public schools and, especially for long-overlooked black students, need to step up now and protect the assets they have right now in people like LaGreta Brown and Dr. Ackerman, who are in the trenches, doing just that, every day.
Step up now, before it's too late.
#########
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment