Reforming Boston Schools, 1930 to the Present Palgrave Studies in Urban Education Series Editors: Alan R. Sadovnik and Susan F. Semel Reforming Boston Schools, 1930–2006: Overcoming Corruption and Racial Segregation By Joseph Marr Cronin (April 2008) What Mothers Say about Special Education: From the 1960s to the Present By Jan W. Valle (March 2009) Charter Schools: From Reform Imagery to Reform Reality By Jeanne M. Powers (June 2009) Becoming an Engineer in Public Universities: Pathways for Women and Minorities Edited by Kathryn M. Borman, Will Tyson, and Rhoda H. Halperin (May 2010) Multiracial Urban High School: Fearing Peers and Trusting Friends Susan Rakosi Rosenbloom (October 2010) Reforming Boston Schools, 1930 to the Present: Overcoming Corruption and Racial Segregation (updated paperback edition of Reforming Boston Schools, 1930–2006) By Joseph Marr Cronin (August 2011) The History of “Zero Tolerance” in American Public Schooling By Judith Kafka (forthcoming) Reforming Boston Schools, 1930 to the Present Overcoming Corruption and Racial Segregation Joseph Marr Cronin REFORMING BOSTON SCHOOLS, 1930 TO THE PRESENT Copyright © Joseph Marr Cronin, 2008. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2008978–0–230–60401–8 All rights reserved. First published in hardcover in 2008 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-0-230-11145-5 ISBN 978-0-230-61109-2 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230611092 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cronin, Joseph M. Reforming Boston schools, 1930 to the present : overcoming corruption and racial segregation / Joseph Marr Cronin. p. cm.—(Palgrave studies in urban education) Rev. ed. of: Reforming Boston schools, 1930–2006. 2008. 1. Schools—Massachusetts—Boston—Case studies. 2. Educational change—Massachusetts—Boston—Case studies. 3. Discrimination in education—Massachusetts—Boston—Case studies. 4. School integration—Massachusetts—Boston—Case studies. 5. Educational equalization—Massachusetts—Boston—Case studies. 6. Education, Urban—Massachusetts—Boston—Case studies. 7. African Americans—Education—Massachusetts—Boston—Case studies. I. Cronin, Joseph M. Reforming Boston schools, 1930–2006. II. Title. LA306.B7C76 2011 379.2(cid:2)60973—dc23 2011017643 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First PALGRAVE MACMILLAN paperback edition: August 2011 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Mentors: Owen B. Kiernan, Herold C. Hunt, H. Thomas James Former Doctoral Students: William Leary, Charles Glenn, Diana Lam, Steve Leonard, Charles Leftwich, Robert Schwartz, Thomas Payzant Contents Acknowledgments viii Series Editors’ Preface ix Introduction: Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Leave, Speak Up, or Stay 1 Chapter 1 Boston Schools: The Height of Loyalty and Ethnic Exits (1920–40) 5 Chapter 2 Boston Teachers Express Their Voices (1920–65) 29 Chapter 3 School Reform Postponed (1940–62) 47 Chapter 4 Black Voices for Equal Education, and the White Response (1960–74) 63 Chapter 5 The Court Orders Reforms (1974–89) 95 Chapter 6 Universities Speak Up 129 Chapter 7 The Organized Teacher Voice (1965 to the Present) 151 Chapter 8 Business Calls for Educational Improvements 185 Chapter 9 Future Choices, Disparate Voices 209 Notes 249 Bibliography 271 Index 279 About the Author 287 Acknowledgments This book grew out of the 1968–70 Danforth study of schools in five major American cities. New discussions began in 1985 with James Fraser, dean of the Northeastern University School of Education and a historian of American education. Ralph Edwards provided insights from research on the selection of Boston’s first black superintendent and the campaign to appoint the Boston School Committee. Richard Hailer, Sam Tyler, Patricia Graham, Ken Rossano, Kathleen Kelly, Ed Doherty, Steve Coan, Larry DiCara, Susan Moore Johnson, Kim Marshall, Betty Power, Sylvia Simmons, James Buckley, Charlotte Harris, Robert Consalvo, Robert Dentler, and Robert Binswanger reviewed portions of the manuscript. The cover photo was by Tim Cronin. Other support came from former state Commissioner of Education Owen B. Kiernan, H. Thomas James of Stanford University, Luvern Cunningham of Ohio State University, Allan K. Campbell of Syracuse University, Herold Hunt of Harvard University, Don Davies of Boston University, and Blenda Wilson of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. Sources of ideas included Michael Usdan, Frank Lutz, W. Deane Wiley, Jay Scribner, Dick Hailer, Peter Horoschak, Robert Peterkin, David Tyack, Theodore Sizer, Frank Keppel, Jeff Raffel, Brook Derr, and Larry Iannacone. The research and editorial assistance of Gina Sartori of Northeastern University and help offered by James Burnham of Harvard were especially valuable. Marie Cronin and our children were very sup- portive of my work. The following leaders provided interviews on developments from 2006 to 2011: Superintendent Carol Johnson, Ellen Guiney, Neil Sullivan, Sam Tyler, John Mudd, and Hubie Jones. These readers critiqued drafts: Paul Reville, Ellen Guiney, John Mudd, Bob Peterkin, Bob Gittens, Maritta Cronin, Charles Glenn, Sam Tyler, and Larry DiCara. Series Editors’ Preface The Palgrave Series in Urban Education is dedicated to the examination of important issues related to the history, sociology, economics, philosophy, and politics of urban education and schools. Over the past century, urban education has been the subject of significant controversies with policies aimed at urban school improvement vigorously debated, especially over the last forty years. Since the 1960s, as cities became increasingly poor and populated by minority groups, urban schools have reflected the problems associated with poverty. Although rural and many suburban schools have similar problems, urban schools represent the most serious challenges. As urban areas became increasingly poor and segregated, their school systems exhibited many problems, including low student achievement, high student mobility, high dropout rates, and high levels of school failure. Since the 1960s, the achievement gaps based on social class, race, ethnicity, and gender have been the focus of educational policy, especially in urban areas. The reasons for the differences in achievement are complex, including factors both outside and inside the schools. Despite these problems, there are also numerous examples of highly successful urban schools and some successes at district-wide reform. Improving entire school systems has none- theless proven difficult. Over the past two decades, a variety of educational policies have been implemented to replicate these schools and reforms and to improve urban schools and entire districts. These include school finance litigation, comprehensive whole school reform programs, effective school models, school choice, including charter schools and private school vouch- ers and state takeover of failing urban districts. These educational reforms have the potential to improve urban schools and districts; however, many argue that by themselves they are limited in reducing the achievement gaps unless they also address the factors outside of schools responsible for educational inequalities. Given these issues, the Palgrave Series in Urban Education is dedicated to understanding the com- plex nature of urban education and school improvement. Reforming Boston Schools, 1930 to the Present: Overcoming Corruption and Racial Segregation by Joseph Marr Cronin provides an important historical