2. Incompetence And Abuse Of Trust

In Fall 1995, the inspectors of the State Education Department, after visiting our school, wrote:

It is evident that the leadership in the building has not had a positive impact on student performance and teacher instruction (...) Staff development activities designed by the school's leadership have not been focused clearly on content areas to promote student achievement. Teachers have a haf-day each week for in-service and staff development built into the master schedule. When questioned, no one could articulate the theme or these sessions.

They could not because the activities were meaningless. The so-called "Themes Units", a set of highly specialized topics that can be found scattered in college catalogs, were assembled by a "committee" -- a clique surrounding the principal that never came out and claimed ownership. In a vain effort to create a new image of our school, they embarked on the most cynical, unprecedented enterprise : click here to appreciate a monumental, educational fraud that went on for at least 5 years, in all impunity.
There was no document accompanying this hodgepodge of topics to set clear goals, and no guidance for their implementation (by whom anyway ? This was Greek to most teachers). While the administration was diverting time and resources to forge a utopian identity for the school, its very existence was contingent on improving the basics : as an unrepentant SURR school (i.e. a failing one) , unless some improvement in reading and basic math were palpable by June, it would be closed down: that was the SED ultimatum. And yet, inexplicably, our counterfeiters, with the blessing of Joyce Coppin [1], whose known achievement as a superintendent seemed to be being black, promised the moon :
  • In ninth grade students will be introduced to the units of Travel and Tourism, as well as, Business Production-Technology.
  • In the tenth grade students will be introduced to the units of Intemational Commerce, as well as, Entrepreneurship.
  • In eleventh and twelth grades students will choose the theme unit of the greatest interest to them and be able to take more advanced courses dealing with that theme.
  • Students with special interests in more than one unit will of course be accommodated.
Cynicism at its height. You can sell this kind of "program" to only minority parents, for obvious reasons. And who is doing the selling ? A minority educator with an educational background that hardly predisposes her to turn a failing school around. Walters holds two masters : it could be impressive if they were not in computer education, and in supervision and administration. Her teaching experience ? "Taught business courses" (call a spade a spade : keyboarding, word processing and the like) in the United States ; prior to that, taught Barbados elementary school. Now she is embarking on teaching " artificial intelligence and robotics, international finance..." to students functioning mostly at literacy level. Having high expectations for children is laudable, but all the same...
If Walters was the best among the applicants for the position, her competitors had to be terribly hopeless, unless she was picked to boost the black children self-esteems -- having a principal of their kind, the myth goes, is beneficial to their psyche.
Let us examine the first theme for a moment :Travel and Tourism.
Why travel? Why Tourism? Mystery. No rationale was provided for either. The same can be said of other themes. Unrelated items are put together (probably copied from some college catalog in an indiscriminate manner) : Introduction to Computers, Reservations, Telecommunications, Leadership, Environment Awareness, Market Research, Economics, Monetary Exchange/ Banking... Phewww. Except for monetary exchange, none of them are related to Travel and Tourism as we understans this phrase.There is no coherence in the choice of these units; and no functionality among them.

To avert the shut-down threat, the same Superintendent sent in a host of supervisors to teach various approaches to instruction, and conduct lesson observations throughout the school year. That they absolutely ignored the themes was a statement hardly flattering ! Since the amount of instruction time is not extendable, and since the administration is not at liberty to eliminate regular courses to make room for its theme units, insistence of implementing [2] this non-program led to schizophrenia. Needless to say that teachers morale was deeply affected : as a result, many seasoned teachers transferred out. The math department was particularly hurt by two transfers, in addition to the lead teacher's assignment to the Superintendent Office.
In many faculty meetings I raised a number of legitimate issues that proved embarassing and annoying for Mrs. Walters and her retinue : 1) It would be helpful if you named the members of the committee that came up with this program so we can have a direct discussion with them ; 2) We have the themes and the topics, but nothing about contents, methods, guidance for implementation,etc... ; 3) Are you aware of any high school in this country or anyhwere else in the world, for that matter, that has a similar program ? If yes, we don't have to re-invent the wheel ; 4) Most nine graders are struggling with basic math. How do you reconcile such deficiency with teaching them " artificial intelligence and robotics, international finance..."?

The school survived not because, but despite of, the school leadership : the SED removed us from the SURR list because improvement was made. The "program" kept teachers busy during professional development for the next five years, despite its failure and the SED's stinging report. Joyce Coppin had receive a copy, no doubt, but she could not provide a solution to a problem because she was part of it.
Fraud like this is not uncommon in New York City public schools. This school administration simply took the cynicism to another level. They fantasized about their ideal school, in which "nine graders would be introduced Business Production-Technology", like in a grossesse nerveuse : all pregnancy symptoms are present except the baby. As of this school year, the themes have shrunk to

Principal's Statement
The Erasmus Hall Campus: High School for Business & Technology is a theme-based
school, with a full academic program incorporating the use of technology across the
disciplines. Students engage in two student-owned and operated businesses, Virtual
Enterprise: The Toy Chest, Inc., and Personal Touch/BT, a partnership with Kings Plaza
Shopping Center, now in its eighth year. In the Hospitality Program/Restaurant
Management, students run an in-school restaurant. In Travel & Tourism students serve as
tour guides of the Museum, where exhibits depict boarding school life in the 1800's. The
Museum is housed in the 1787 historic building located on the campus.

(2003-2004 Annual Report)

Travel & Tourism is the only survivor of the program -- only in name.