James Madison High: a school for winners; by instilling a sense of pride in students, teachers and parents, a principal restores a New York high school to its former glory

On May 11, 1984, a James Madison High School student was selected to represent the students of New York State at a White House ceremony inaugurating the President's Academic Fitness Awards Program (PAFA). This honor was a fitting culmination to our school theme "James Madison High School: A School for Winners." During the past two years our students have received considerable recognition for their accomplishments in many areas; from chess, football, and soccer championships to a Westinghouse Science Talent Search semi-finalist award and increases in the number of New York State Regents-endorsed diplomas from 39 percent (1983-1984), and a 33 percent increase in the number of New York State Regents Scholarships awarded.

These accomplishments and our participation at the White House ceremony was in sharp contrast to a racial incident that occurred in May 1982 which marred our school's reputation and changed our school's image in the community. They reality that James Madison High was a school that had served its students and its community well since 1926 was being challenged. During its history of academic excellence--with rigorous training in the traditional subjects, where the great a majority of students went on to college--it was consistently a source of pride to its community. Among its graduates were judges, a congressman, nationally-known entertainers, educators, and successful business people. James Madison High school could have served as a model for any study of academic excellence. However, as was the case with many urban schools, changing demographics, an aging population, and increased attendance at private schools shifted James Madison from a predominantly middle-class school to a high school that reflected the diversity of New York City's population. It appeared that many community residents, as well as students and parents, as well as students and parents, no longer perceived their school as a solid academic institution, but one in which violent confrontation was commonplace. It was under these circumstances that I was assigned to James Madison High School as principal in September 1982.

It was apparent to me, if not always to all of its constituents, that there were many things right at James Madison High School. It was on the whole a happy place that studetns found inviting and where teachers enjoyed teaching. A sizable portion of the faculty volunteered to serve as advisors to clubs and activities after the school day. In reality, we were not a school at risk academically, but we were at risk of becoming a school that was complacent with past accomplishments. Although we had many students who were academically fit, there were others who did not feel part of the school and still others who left our school with inadequate preparation for their lives. If not at risk, James Madison High School was certainly being challenged.

In essence, our goal at James Madison High School was to build upon its foundation of excellence while meeting the many challenges. Our efforts took many forms.

The challenges we identified at James Madison High School included:

The challenge to personalize a youngster's education to insure a sense of belonging to the school community.

To support our theme, we developed new programs and expanded on existing ones to build a series of smaller schools within James Madison, a school with 3,200 students. Each school or institute program was made up of 50 to 250 youngsters. These smaller groupings enabled our students to participate in programs based on their interests and to build personal bonds of friendship. Each student in an institute takes a common core of subjects: English, social studies, science, mathematics and a foreign language. But each youngster is also afforded an opportunity to select additional course offerings based on personal interest.

The institute system also allows us to implement co-curricular activities that support the particular institute's theme. (These activities are also available to the entire student body.) Our Law Day Program enabled our Law Institute younsters and their advisors to provide a series of workshops that featured a Deputy Police Commissioner, the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City, and the Brooklyn District Attorney.

The challenge to recognize that our youngster come to us with a different set of needs than previous generations

The education studies published during the past two years encourage raising standards for all youngsters.

At Madison, we have put into effect many of the suggested reforms, but not without the recognition that youngsters--especially those in an urban environment--come to James Madison High School with a different set of needs and values from those of previous generations of students. We know that a sizable number of students come to us from single-parent homes, and it is the exception rather than the rule to find a parent at home during school hours. The problems of our youngsters can be found in all the headline stories of the media, including child abuse and violence.

Each of our special institutes publishes its own magazine and develops a number of special event programs. In addition to a Law Institute, we have successful programs in the Center for Administration and Management (CAM), the Bio-Medical Institute Programs, and the Theatre-Arts Program. The emphasis on specific fields helps secure the support of private sector organizations. They "adopt" our youngsters for both intensified learning sessions and external learning experiences. Our Law Institute youngsters are paired with Cadwalader, Wickersham, and Taft, and have toured their offices as well as witnessed a variety of court proceedings with Cadwalader's legal staff. The youngsters gain insights not only into law careers, but also into the role of high technology in law while working with Lexis, the legal computer. Our Theatre Arts youngsters work with a performing arts troupe from Lincoln Center, and our CAM students have been paired successfully with the Hyatt Hotels for the past two years.

A mini-school has been in operation for the past eight years for students who are over seventeen and have not earned sufficient credits to graduate with their class. A special year-long curriculum was developed in the basic skills and culminates in youngsters sitting for the General Equivalency Diploma. The success rate was 100 percent for the 63 students who were in our mini-school to earn an equivalency diploma. Although the program is a success, still it reflects the school's failure to integrate every student into the mainstream of education. We must resort to a last-ditch effort to save these youngsters. Our success with students who had personal and academic problems in one mini-school has led to a teacher-initiated proposal to personalize the program for all entering 9th grade students beginning September 1984. If successful, our General Equivalency Diploma Program may become obsolete in the years ahead, as we seek a formula for success for all youngsters. The teacher-initiated 9th grade institute program takes into account the need to serve as a model holding-power program. To be successful, the program will ensure that youngsters will not be anonymous and will participate in school programs. Also, their performance and attendance will be monitored on a regular basis, with appropriate feedback to their parents.

Education reform without plans to meet the individual needs of students will be fruitless. At Madison, we have moved to heterogeneous grouping for almost all students. We have identified youngsters who are seriously deficient in basic skills and have provided them with special courses in mathematics and English. We recognize that no two youngsters are alike and that they require alternative strategies of instruction. In addition, we have honors level classes for students who excel in a subject area. We have reduced mathematics remediation from a two-year program to a one-year course in Fundamentals of Mathematics. After the one-year program, 65 percent of our students go on to algebra classes for college-bound students. This program results in greater numbers of students who go on to take courses in geometry and trigonometry.

The use of heterogenenous groupings has been most successful in foreign language instruction. We attribute the success to the fact that, unlike other disciplines, youngsters begin foreign language instruction without the need to have mastered previous concepts, as is true in other disciplines. All youngsters enter foreign language instruction without prerequisites and must go on to complete a three-year sequence. Our success in foreign language instruction is demonstrated by a passing percentage of more than 90 percent in French, Italian, and Spanish on the New York State Regents Examination. Many of our Level 1 Classes are taught with a Mastery Learning Model which enables youngsters to learn the language at their own rates. This program is based on the concept that most students can raise their level of achievement when given corrective feedback and/or enrichment materials during the learning diagnostic test prior to the formal test. Our success in foreign languages has encouraged us to introduce new offerings in Hebrew and Latin. A Foreign Language Apprentice Teacher Program has been implemented at local intermediate schools where our youngsters earn independent study credit while serving as tutors and assisting the lower school teachers.

The guidance staff meets with each student at least twice a term to review appropriate selections for our heterogeneous program. A paraprofessional is assigned to make telephone calls prior to the school day, beginning at 6:30 a.m. when parents are still at home, to arrange a meeting if the youngster is doing poorly or has poor attendance patterns.

An evening conference is held the first Thursday of each month, when the guidance staff invites parents to discuss problems they may be having with their youngsters. Parents are offered opportunities to exchange ideas with guidance staffers and to share common concerns about their youngsters' performances.

The guidance staff includes the deans, and unlike the traditional model of a dean's office in which the primary focus is to deal with disciplinary infractions, it has been a department that tries to be preventive rather than punitive. Our deans have been taught to be sympathetic listeners and to ensure that every youngster receives a similar response for the same infraction. In addition, only one dean remains in the office during any given period, while the other deans and school security officers are highly visible in our corridors, the student lunchroom, and in front of our school building. The number of suspensions has decreased dramatically from 199 in 1980-1981 to 96 in 1983-1984. In a recent junior high school students were harassed at a local video arcade, the youngsters chose to run the few blocks into our school for assistance. Although this is only soft data, it certainly is rewarding to know that a school that had witnessed racial disturbances two years before is now viewed as a sanctuary by some youngsters.

The support services and the recognition that everyone gets a "fair shake" at Madison are the key factors for our decline in the number of discipline problems.

The challenge to provide every youngster with the opportunity for success

Although we emphasize the importance of student academic achievement, we understand that youngsters must have practical reasons, as well, for doing well in class. In the Center for Administration and Management, students established their own corporation, called Business Leaders of Madison. (We adapted this program from Community School District 22.) The 120 students participating in the program learn the fundamentals of business by going into business themselves. During the school year, the students sell engraved lucite desk clocks, canvas tote bags, credit card calculators and a variety of other items. The Business Leaders keep their own books, establish their own marketing techniques, earn a profit, and determine which items to reorder. This unusual program was highlighted in the New York Daily News of May 9, 1983. Student Sandra Forskin was quoted: "Because of this program, I've taken tons of business classes. I'm learning how to work a word-processor, how to handle balance sheets, and I've developed a good sales pitch. I see myself in ten years sitting behind a big desk giving orders to a male secretary." It is this type of success that schools strive for--where a youngster recognizes the value of her own education.

A program to encourage students graduating from local feeder schools helps them continue to develop their special talents at James Madison High School. A local elementary school has a devoted teacher who established a chess club and competition at the school. Her husband, a teacher at James Madison, enrolled the students in a club to sharpen their chess skills and to compete in chess matches with other schools. The 1982-1983 school year New York State Chess Championship, the North American Chess Championship, and the U.S.A. Chess Championship. You can be certain their success has led to better performance in the classroom. Since the N.Y.C. Board of Education has implement stringent requirements for students to play in any competitive sport, they have to have up and pass all classes or be barred from playing.

Our students have worked harder both on the field and in the classroom. We are proud of our football and soccer teams who have won city-wide recognition. However, we are most proud of the fact that of the 88 seniors on varsity teams, 18 students earned Regents Scholarships, and 79 of the 88 entered college in 1983.

The model of success has encouraged us to develop new programs that--once again--have come about from student interest. Youngsters in our Bio-Medical Program exhibited an interest in sophisticated scientific research. With the support of our superintendent, Mr. Martin Ilivicky, who provided our school and others in his ditrict with additional funding for a research class, as well as with a computer with research and networking capabilities, we encouraged students to select a research project. This enabled four students to enter the National Westinghouse Science Talent Search. These four students were the first applicants in more than a decade from James Madison High School; one student became a National Semi-Finalist with a research project called "The Effects of Ethyl Alcohol on Volvox Carteri (a Bacterium)." Her successful research project could never have been accomplished without the tireless efforts of faculty members and a Brooklyn College advisor.

The laboratory facilities available at nearby Brooklyn College cannot be duplicated at most high schools. Many of those in our Bio-Medical program and research classes plan a career in medicine and seek admission to the special medical program. Four members of the class of 1984 were accepted to the Sophie Davis Medical School Program of the City College of New York. This program offers a BA/MD program in seven years and guarantees acceptance in a participating medical school. In addition, three students were selected into the Downstate Medical School/Brooklyn College Program.

Our concern for raising standards and encouraging all students to take a college-bound program with the heterogeneous classroom has succeeded far beyond our expectations. The most coveted diploma in New York State is the Regents-endorsed diploma. Fifty-five percent of the class of 1984 earned this diploma, as compared to 39 percent two years ago.

Each youngster who finds a "hook"--whether in business, sports, or research--is successful and a winner at James Madison. Our goal is to provide a variety of alternatives and options for making winners out of as many students as possible.

The challenge of preparing a generation of thinking students

After the release of the national education reports, the buzzword seemed to be the mediocrity of American education. If our high schools were indeed mediocre, I am convinced it is because we expected our classroom to be mediocre. Theodore Sizer, in his study, Homer's Compromise: The Dilemma of the American High School, emphasizes the uniformity of the American high school regardless of size and the diversity of the United States, as well as the politically decentralized character of the schools. Our classrooms were fixed by units of time that encouraged passive learning in which the teacher lectured and students listened. The old saying, "Children should be seen but not heard," seemed to apply in the American high school. James Madison was no exception. A school with a 58-year tradition of many successes and a faculty of veteran teachers is not stimulated to change. Most of us will not tamper with a good thing. The result was success for those students who were highly motivated, but mediocrity for those who were not. Fortunately, I inherited a professional faculty willing to improve teaching strategies. Teachers were encouraged to use a variety of relevant media and materials to supplement textbooks.

In social studies, teachers were encouraged to begin in the present and move to the past. The sending of troops to Grenada began an analysis of earlier American foreign policy, rather beginning in the historical period under discussion. An evaluation of student government accounts became the basis for teaching bookkeeping entries, and an examination of interchangeable parts in automobiles introduced the concept of congruent parts in geometry. The teachers are trained to plan their lessons around a current problem, leading students through a series of questions to understand the problem. In many instances, youngsters are not yet ready for this kind of instruction and feel more comfortable with teacher lectures and a board full of notes. But we keep seeking new and varied strategies to ensure that students learn to think.

In every class, students are expected to write, to do homework and participate in class discussion. At the start of each semester, all youngsters are informed of the key ingredients that comprise their final grades. There are to be no mysteries as to how a final grade is determined.

If I were to tell you we were 100 percent successful, it would be a lie. We certainly are winning student support, as well as increased teacher support, as many teachers recognize that teaching is more fun and "easier" when students become involved.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of our success is the emphasis on staff development. Many teachers were prepared to give up a portion of their summer vacation without compensation to improve their teaching strategies. This past summer approximately 10 percent of the faculty was involved in some institute program to improve teaching strategies. In addition, during the school year teachers are encouraged to participate in conferences and workshops. This program does place a strain on the school, since classes have to be covered without additional substitute teachers, but teacher growth and professionalism makes the effort well worth it. A successful staff development program was instituted by the superintended. This "lead teacher" program enabled teachers in each discipline to visit another school and observe a lesson. This enables teachers to share insights with colleagues and then lead department conferences at their own school based on their observations.

Our monthly faculty conferences are devoted to professional topics and not to administrative concerns. The most successful conferences were those that had a workshop format in which teachers participated and shared insights. Topics that cross disciplines enable teachers to meet with other subject area teachers. We have conducted workshops on teaching strategies for dealing with special education students who are mainstreamed, the role of computers in classroom assisted instruction, how to avoid student confrontation, and a host of other topics.

The challenge to develop an appropriate value structure

If we accept the assumption that youth enter our schools today with a different set of problems when compared to previous generations, then our challenge must be to develop a value structure that is suitable for all. The first step in the development of such a value structure is to treat high school students as adults and as citizens. The principal has to be a "real" person with whom youngsters can communicate. Students participate as consultants in meetings with faculty and parent representatives, providing input into school decisions that include discipline and dress codes. The student representatives have the responsibility to share the discussions with other students. The principal's visibility is essential so that students recognize the principal as a participant who is interested in every aspect of school life. In the principal's disciplinary conferences with parents and students, the students have the opportunity to express their opinions and describe an alternate behavior pattern which they might have followed. The youngsters are made to understand that their anti-social actions have benefited no one. If the low number of repeat offenders is an indication of success for the 99 suspension conferences held during the 1983-1984 school year, only two dealt with the same youngster.

We have also sought to encourage youngsters to demonstrate a value structure that will serve to put our school in the limelight to receive positive press coverage. Once youngsters and a school are presented to the public in a positive manner, every citizen appears to understand the ramifications of negative behavior and the blemish it could be for the community. A positive perception of the school must be promoted through the local press. Our theme, "School for Winners," has instilled a sense of pride in our entire school body. Students wanting to be identified with James Madison High School have increased the sale of James Madison jackets, sweatshirts, and tee shirts.

The results of our efforts have shown us that a school with strong academic traditions and high expectations can demand more of its students, develop new options for youngsters, and bask in the accomplishments resulting from and improvement in student performance. During the past two years, our students have demonstrated a daily attendance rate of 88 percent, far above the city-wide rate; and nearly 90 percent of Madison's graduates continue on to a two-year or four-year college.

I would be naive to believe that our school is problem-free. Our class size still averages 35 students per class. We have insufficient funds for computers, library books, equipment and equipment repair. We have a school building that is in desperate need of renovation. A heavy rain places many rooms out of commission because of roof leaks through gaping holes in the ceilings of classrooms. However, our youngsters have demonstrated that they are "winners" in spite of the condition of our facility. We have demonstrated that we are not a school at risk nor a school that lives in the glory of its past achievements. James Madison High School will provide excellence in education for this generation of students who enter beneath the portal that reads, "Education is the foundation for civil liberty."

A Graduate's View of James Madison High

Lauren Levy, class of 1984, represented students from New York who qualified this year for the PAFA award. American Education's staff talked with Ms. Levy about her experiences at James Madison High School. She is now enrolled in the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at CCNY.

Q. Did you attend New York City public schools throughout your elementary and secondary education?

A. No, the first eight years were spent in a parochial school. My family wanted me to continue with my religious education in high school, but I felt the need to meet and associate with people of all races, religions, and nationalities and to go to school in a less sheltered environment.

Q. How did you reach the decision to attend James Madison High School?

A. My public school options were to attend one of the magnet high schools in New York City, such as Stuyvesant or the Bronx High School of Science, or to attend my neighborhood high school. I was interested in math and science and fortunately the school for which I was zoned, Madison High School, offers a variety of specialized programs for gifted students, including a selective biomedical program that interested me.

Q. What do you feel set your education at Madison apart from what you may have experienced at another school?

A. My four-year stay at Madison High School far surpassed any of my previous expectations! Aside from meeting and making friends with many students and teachers from many racial and religious backgrounds, I worked with students who participated in drug abuse prevention programs, in tutorial services and in a mini-school alternative program for potential dropouts.

I was elected and trained as a Peer-Tutor of reading and math, which meant I worked with students who were as much as five years older and some who were a foot taller than me! This experience taught me to understand and empathize with those who were less fortunate than me. At the same time, we developed respect for each other.

Academically, James Madison offered great opportunities through the bio-medical program, which allowed me to take specialized science courses beyond the basic science curriculum of biology, chemistry, and physics. The study of laboratory techniques, pathology, research, and advanced placement sciences were taught by experts in the field who used resources from neighboring colleges, laboratories, and hospitals.

My teachers recommended me for participation in the Brooklyn Summer Science and Math Academy of the New York City Board of Education. After two years of working on an independent research project in biology, under the supervision of Professor Cottrell at Brooklyn College, I entered and subsequently was chosen as a semi-finalist in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search Competition.

In the areas of English language arts, history, and mathematics, I was able to study advanced courses at the special Law Institute At Madison, the International Baccalaureate Program, in the college-history course at Long Island University, and in the advanced placement calculus course.

During my senior year, I organized an independent study unit to explore areas of sociology. I became involved with a research project of the New York City Task Force on Housing Court, a division of the NYC Commission on Human Rights. I attended training sessions to learn how to observe court-room settings as a research evaluator, and I received firsthand exposure to the workings of the legal and judicial systems in our country.

Q. What about the social aspects of school life at Madison?

A. As I mentioned earlier, I made many new friends from different backgrounds. During the spring term of my second year at Madison, a number of racial conflicts erupted. A group of students organized a school-wide Crisis Council. We were able to influence school policy and, at the same time, help students from different backgrounds get along better.

COPYRIGHT 1984 U.S. Government Printing Office
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