Michael C. Johanek and John L. Puckett’s Leonard Covello and the Making of Benjamin Franklin High School examines the education system and the creation of Benjamin Franklin High School in East Harlem in the 1930s. Their work is applicable to our class discussions for its discussions on zoning lines and the relationship between the school and its community.
When discussing the creation of this new high school in East Harlem with the head of the High School Division, Leonard Covello and representatives from local social agencies met with the head of the High School Division emphasized a very controversial point. They stated that “the school’s attendance zone would be drawn so as ‘to avoid a large influx of Negroes from the Central Harlem District’” (117). In the 1930s, the demographics in Harlem were divided; East Harlem was comprised of mostly Italians, whereas Central Harlem had a large African American population. Members from the local social agencies were afraid that the Italians in East Harlem would not coexist with African Americans at their new high school.
Although this seems like an intentional act of segregation, it is interesting to note that the authors assert that it “would be unfair and unconscionable to impute any ulterior motive” to them (117). Covello and the East Harlem social agents were dedicated to social justice and to the improvement of the education of Italian Americans. However, they were not taking into consideration the effect this action had on the neighboring black population; black students were prevented from attending schools in East Harlem. While the educational opportunities available to Italian Americans were being improved, it came at the expense of those available to African Americans.
Covello’s vision for Benjamin Franklin High School was inspired by his philosophy known as community-centered schooling. Covello describes a community-centered school as “’one in which there is a thorough inter-action between the school and its neighborhood in meeting needs of both the child and community’” (140). These types of schools reflect two meanings of the word “school” – the physical school building itself and the people who make up the school. In the first sense, community-centered schools would be public spaces; they would allow for the organization of “community citizen action projects” and “democratic participation” (140). In the second sense, community-centered schools emphasize that the children they teach are influenced by outside factors. Children’s backgrounds, homes, groups, and communities all influence their learning environment. Covello described this best when he said that the “child does not appear from nowhere in the morning nor does he vanish into nowhere in the afternoon hours” (141). The philosophy of community-centered schools is instrumental in understanding the role of the outside community in education.
Thank you for this thoughtful post, Steven. It is interesting that the authors both note how the zoning intentionally kept Black students from attending Benjamin Franklin High School and argue that there is no way Covello had any racial motivations. I think they make this argument largely because in later years he worked with the Puerto Rican families that lived in East Harlem. Yet it’s an interesting assertion. And we know that historic zoning decisions like these had long-term consequences.
I agree with your statement that the philosophy behind drawing the lines in the neighborhood of where the school would take its students from was an intentional act of segregation. I was just as skeptical when the authors mentioned the sentence that dismisses the notion of intentional segregation. However, I think this continues to point out a reoccuring theme in the class that expresses just how difficult school policy and the schooling system is. This also shows how a single goal or policy in the education system comes with many compromises whether intentional or not.
For example, in this situation, Covello’s goals were always to contribute to the social welfare of the community. Covello later on also reaches out to help Puerto Rican families residing in East Harlem. What Covello envisioned for Benjamin Franklin High School was an integration of school and community for Italian Americans living in East Harlem. He hoped that there would be a mutual benefit between both the students in the neighborhood and the Italian community residing in East Harlem. Covello, however, only envisioned this school for the betterment of the Italian community. Covello may not have had malintent on students of other ethnicities but his vision specifically for Italian Americans came at the cost of many black students also residing in the area.
You also mentioned the second part of Covello’s vision for Benjamin Franklin High School being that outside factors would help influence students taught at the school. The notion is similar to that of Du Bois’s rationale with black focused schools in his essay “Does the Negro Need Separate Schools”. Du Bois believe that by having black teachers that had similar backgrounds to their students, it will help black students develop better because of an increased connection between student and teacher. By having this level of connection in Benjamin Franklin High School, Covello also hopes for a similar effect for the Italian students at Benjamin Franklin High School.
Yes – great connection to the DuBois piece, Derek. And the idea that oppressed communities seek strength internally. But in this case, at the expense of others, right?