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

American Education, Nov, 1984 by Norman Fisher

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.