Gail Robinson writes about education in New York City. This post is about the fate of John Dewey High School in Brooklyn, about which I posted earlier.
In this article, published in June, she detailed the dreams and anticipated demise of John Dewey High School. Once it was seen as the cutting edge of progressive reform. Over time, the school became a dumping ground for students excluded from other schools, and city officials expected the school to die a quiet death. Dewey was one of 24 schools slated to close over the summer, but the execution was stayed by a judge.
But WAIT! I just received an email from an anonymous student who insists that John Dewey WILL NOT DIE.
He writes:
Hello Ms. Ravitch,
I am a student at John Dewey High School, as you may know, JDHS is one of the schools the NYCDOE abandoned and damaged by forcefully accepting unruly students that were rejected by Bloomberg’s smaller schools, and other unwanted academically deficient students. In 2007, John Dewey High School was named one of the Best High Schools in the United States by U.S. News & Report, even though the NYCDOE stripped funds that year. How coincidental that a year later, after Dewey forcefully accepts 400 academically deficient and unruly students causing discipline problems and overcrowding, there’s a gun scare. Then Dewey was placed on high alert, receives a C on the annual progress report, with graduation and safety rates plummeting. Obviously, this was all part of the NYCDOE and Bloomberg’s plan to destroy one of the ex-best high schools in the city. They tried, Ms. Ravitch. And just when they thought that they succeeded once again [since 2002] in destroying another school, Dewey gets back up on its feet and shows the DOE and Bloomberg how damn wrong they were. So very wrong.
Yes, I was that same student under the name “Rupert” that previously commented on your blog. Since the 2011-2012 high school progress reports have been released recently, I tell you with great satisfaction and joy that John Dewey High School’s graduation rate increased from 65.9% in 2011 to 72.4% in 2012! The college readiness rate also increased from 29.7% in 2011 to 35% in 2012! And last but not least, this school that the DOE considers “failing” received a high B for the 2011-2012 progress report, up from the C on the 2010-2011 progress report. Can you believe it? The NYCDOE neglects and bullies Dewey, it also strapped a lot of money from the school eliminating facilities and teachers (about $3 million) and yet the school improves!
Long story short, I go in depth on this issue like the little high school journalist I am. I have a blog titled “The Chronicles of a Dewey Student” in which I make monthly posts about education, like you do, Ms. Ravitch. Except mines are related to Dewey more per se, you can access my blog by clicking here.
I know that you may have a busy schedule, but please, please… Whenever you have time, please read this article I published on my blog The Road to Recovery: A B for John Dewey High School in which I visually but thoroughly speak about Dewey’s progress in depth in just ONE year! Please, please, whenever you have the time, it would mean so much to me and the Dewey community if you read it. Here’s the link to the article:
http://studentatjdhs.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-road-to-recovery-b-for-john-dewey.html
I use images and make comparisons from the 2010-2011 school year to the 2011-2012 school year, and the changes are so noticeable. It is jaw dropping how much progress a so-called “failing” school can make in just one year. Would you consider a 72% grad rate and 35% college readiness rate (above the city average), along with a high B on the progress report, failing?
I just hope you that when you finish reading my article, that you’ll share it on your blog, or even with colleagues, and even other blogs! Because this is something people throughout the nation must see! So they can see how ugly public education and bureaucracy in NYC can be. The worst part is that the NYCDOE is still ripping away funds from the school and expects more progress. I just hope my article gets the publicity it needs, in order for people to see and realize that John Dewey High School is NOT a failing school, nor has it ever been. It was just a failed attempt by the DOE to crush a beautiful school, well they didn’t win this time!
The teachers of John Dewey High School, and my experience attending this lovely special public school has molded me into a well rounded intellectual, and I plan on becoming a high school teacher. Most certainly, I plan to return to Dewey one day and teach here for the rest of my life. Something I never would have wanted to do, had I not attended Dewey. I love this school so much, and I hope you feel the same way.
Thank you for your time, and I sincerely hope that you had the time to read my article. Take care, and have a nice day. 🙂
Yours truly,
Random Dewey Student
What a wonderful student. I’m a little choked up or I would say more.
We need a lot more Randoms.
Let’s take a look at the names of the schools under attack–maybe this whole thing is really all about eliminating schools that honor hero’s the mayor doesn’t like.
It’s as good a theory as any other. I can just imagine the sitting around–maybe at ALEC–and picking out all the schools whose honorable titles should be eliminated. Aha–Clinton! (Which Clinton is irrelevant, the name is toxic to some.)
Your love and dedication to your school and community is mind-blowing! Your school and YOU represent the ‘Little Engine That Could’. Just amazing! What the school accomplished, with unstoppable determination should be a MODEL for the entire country. Schools, teachers and students are constantly bombarded with negative press, funding cuts, closures, firings, and haters. Given that climate, your school did the impossible.
Many residents in Brooklyn have been written off for many, many years. My husband grew up on Jefferson Ave. in Brooklyn, went to St. Johns, Fulbright Scholar to France, PhD at U. of Illinois and became a Dean GA State Univ. His family has attorneys, doctors, teachers, researchers, financial experts, city managers, and all were productive within the last 50 years. It can be done inspite of the nay sayers. It is just a hell of a lot harder, and for some, impossible. But you guys did it! Congratulations!!
I know you will continue to care deeply about human conditions in everything you do.
Thanks for giving us all hope.
Random, you are a light in a dark world! Can you imagine what Dewey would have done if the NYCDOE has not bullied it so? What an incredible documentary film this would make. This story truly gives me hope.
This would make an excellent documentary indeed! Call PBS, or any other media, we must show this nationally! Even internationally… If possible. Dewey deserves a documentary,
Now THIS post gives me hope. HOW did they do it?
its very easy how yhey did it the numbers are fudge—passing grades for the numbers
I’m a 2007 graduate from JDHS and a handful (I have freakishly small hands)of the numbers were fudge. I’ve seen guidance counselor suggest it and teachers going with it.
But I don’t think that’s the problem. What I perceived to be the problem when I attended was the fact they treated us like prisoners. This started my sophomore/Junior year and I hated it. I felt like the only safe haven available were RC’s and the library. And my goodness were those overcrowded, so it was basically first come first serve. When those options were out and sitting in guidance wasn’t an option we snuck out. We knew it was wrong but they were trying to enforce a one gate rule and that made us want to sneak out more through the gates leading to Occupational Training Center school next door. When school policy treated students like prisoners it breeds the unruly student you see on the news.
The school is beautiful though and it has excellent teachers. For JDHS to survive though, I don’t think it should rely on it’s past history of ambitious experiment in progressive education(education 60’s style) nor should it rely on the fact of it eventually housed the first AOF. Instead show the DOE that while JDHS has it troublemaker, students will learn and be successful
This past summer several of Dewey’s best teachers, all of whom were loved by their students, left to teach at other schools. Such an exodus of gifted educators has never happened at Dewey. If you want to know why it happened now, just look for that special name that appears in the posts prior to this one.
The reason these great educators have left is because of Kathleen Elvin.