Although organized within an extremely short period of time (only one summer), Benjamin Franklin High School was perhaps one of the most important milestones throughout the U.S. history of education. Benjamin Franklin High School was built under a unique situation: it faced the turmoil left by the great depression, the obstacles came with the politics and legislation, and the increasingly diversified and populated neighborhoods.
After the Depression, the government budget for school maintenance was cut back. At the same time, child labor and delinquency were brought to the spotlight along with the rise of civil services. The government had to think of a way to direct children and teenagers to schools from the streets. East Harlem, where the school located, was a very diverse community. The neighborhood was the home to Italians, Irish, Puerto Ricans, African Americans, and many other races.
With such interesting historical background, a serious problem came up when Leonard Covello and his colleagues tried to build a school “for all children of all people” (115, Johnek and Puckett). How to build a school that suit all children from all backgrounds? I was very impressed by Covello’s invention of “Street Unit” – “a unit that functions literally in the street” (125). In order to rebuild and strengthen the bond between school and community, Benjamin Franklin High school served not only as a public high school for kids, but also as a community playground for neighborhood children and a community center for adults. In this way, the benefits of education were not limited to children enrolled in the school. The execution of “Street Unit” reflected the optimistic atmosphere of East Harlem – parents and teachers formed numerous community clubs; recreational activities were frequently housed throughout the neighborhood; not only teachers and government officers, but also neighbors joined various campaigns to promote school and community beautification. It was heart-warming to see all people were working for a better future for their family, home, and community.
While reading Johnek and Puckett’s piece, I realized that without Covello, his colleagues, and all neighbors’ effort and determination, it was impossible to build a school “for all children of all people” at that time. All of them contributed in their ways and that made Benjamin Franklin High School a school for all people.
You raise some interesting questions, Sophie, about the out-sized role of one man. Would East Harlem have gotten a high school in the 1930s without Covello? We’ll never know, but the authors certainly think that in this case while the man was shaped by his environment and context, he was also unique in the contribution he made to his community.
It is amazing to know that Benjamin Franklin High School was created in one summer by Leonard Covello. The New York Sun describes Covello’s new position, as “The most difficult ever assigned to a principal”. It is admirable how his community and him were able to come together in efforts to bring education back to East Harlem. When the school opened in 1934, over 2,000 boys were enrolled and throughout the years that number changed. Covello’s vision of creating a school for “All Children of All People” was starting to take shape. Benjamin Franklin High School would serve as a citizen- centered community school for all. It would provide, “adequate service to the community along educational, civil, and social lines” and service a place where everyone is welcomed and where education would touch everyone’s homes. In addition, student enrollment came from different areas of the city.
Like you mentioned, Covello’s idea of street units was one of the distinguishing features of the high school. It was a “unit that functioned in the streets” and allowed for community members and students to rebuild the community. This created a deeper bond between the schools as they all worked together to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood. The school was the center of success and it enabled everyone to come together to form unity and reach a goal of making the neighborhood a better place to live in.
This concept is very unique because if we look at modern day schools, this idea of having students and the community work together is hard to come by. There is no middle ground where everyone in the community is actively participating to enrich the well being of the neighborhood, in fact schools and communities operate in their own means. This largely is impacted because a majority of schools have student populations from all parts of the city. Students do not necessarily feel a direct need to improve the community as they do not live in that certain area and travel back to their own neighborhoods. Another idea may have resulted due to the redlining of public schools. Certain schools have more funding so they can have recreational activities for students and community members to participate in.
You raise an interesting point, Ruby. What is gained and what is lost when we separate schools from the community by no longer making them exclusively for the neighborhood? On the one hand we are able to separate schools from the harms of redlining. On the other hand, we know that most high schools in NYC are not open to all – so we’ve given up neighborhood ties, but what have we replaced them with?