Human Rights at Home and Abroad: Past, Present, and Future

Most six graders are between the ages of eleven and twelve. Before they even reach adolescence
some teachers can predict whether their minority students are on the verge of dropping out of school. Are
we failing our young minorities?
The 1989 movie ―Lean on Me,‖ based on a true story, was about a principle who attempted to
improve the test scores of one of the worst schools in the state of New Jersey. Joe Clark was
working at an elementary school before he took the position as principal of East Side High. East
Side High was supposed to be an inner city multicultural high school, but instead Clark walked
into a world of crime, drugs, and walls full of graffiti. He was questioned about his many tactics
for improving the school. His first strategy was to kick out all of the kids who had no chance of
graduating. He believed that it was important to expel all of the unfit kids because they were
preventing other students who had potential from learning. Clark expelled 300 minority students
whom he claimed were "educationally hopeless and overage underachievers, parasites, hoodlums,
and drug pushers" (Education Digest, 1989). After expelling these students the next step was to
secure the other students. Although putting chains on the doors was a fire hazard, Clark put
chains on the doors to keep his students in and keep the ones that were expelled out. Clark‘s
second step was to get his students to develop school pride. He made all students learn the school
song and those who had detentions paint the school‘s walls that were covered with graffiti.
Towards the end of the movie under Clark‘s leadership the students‘ test scores more than
doubled, but in reality the students‘ test scores did not change. In fact, students at Eastside High
had the lowest test scores in the state of New Jersey between the years of 1986 to 1988.
It was unfortunate that he kicked 300 hundred students out of school, but I believe that he did the right
thing. It is important for the students to learn. I believe when students have school pride they enjoy going
to school every day. I witnessed he effectiveness in having school pride. I develop closer relationships to
all my teachers. Since I knew all my teachers I was no longer ashamed to ask questions.
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