Chapter 13 Resources
Oral Histories of Louise Burwell and Doris Brunson [link main OH page]{:target=”_blank”}
Select Louise Burwell’s and Doris Brunson’s oral histories from the Harlem Education History Project. These oral histories describe two experiences of Black women teachers in Harlem. Doris Brunson taught from the late 1950s through the early 1990s. Louise Burwell taught from 1989 to 2008.
Proportions of Black educators in District 5 compared to NYC overall, 1972–2000. Credit: Bethany L. Rogers and Terrenda C. White. Data derived from a series of available annual reports, Racial/Ethnic Distribution of Public School Students and Staff, authored by the USNY and published by the NYSDOE as part of its Basic Educational Data System.
Many issues of Wadleigh Junior High School’s yearbook, The Wadleigh Way, are available digitally. They contain students’ creative writing and art, photographs, and descriptions of activities. They also show photographs of teachers and of classroom activities, giving insight into the presence of Black teachers at one Central Harlem school.
Teens Take Charge is led by students from New York City high schools who address educational inequity through advocacy, policy, and historical research. This page of testimonials shares students’ experience of New York City public schools in the late 2010s, addressing segregation, immigration, school choice and other issues discussed in chapter 13.
“School Indicators for New York City Charter Schools 2013-2014 School Year” (2015)
This report from the New York City Independent Budget Office, cited in chapter 13, describes the status of charter schools in New York City in 2013-2014. A chart on page 4 visualizes the overall growth of charters between 2009 and 2013. As noted on page 6, Harlem’s district five has the highest percent of charter school attendance in the city, with almost 37% of students attending charter schools.
Success Academy School Report Card (2016)
New York State’s school data includes teacher turnover rates and the percentage of teachers with different types of certifications. This 2016 data from Success Academy Charter School in Central Harlem illustrates the trends described in chapter 13. Like many charter schools, Success Academy has high turnover rates and a higher percentage of teachers with limited teaching experience and without traditional teaching certifications.
Discussion Questions
-
Read these recent articles on the need for more Black and Latinx teachers from Chalkbeat, The Washington Post, and NPR. What does the historical perspective given in chapter 13 add to this conversation?
-
In chapter 13, authors Bethany Rogers and Terrenda White discuss the changing definitions and lack of consensus on “teacher quality.” How have debates about “teacher quality” shown up in Harlem schools? With what impact? How would you define quality teaching today?