Description: Some sound dropout at the beginning of the tape. Pam Bullard's 1978 review of school desegregation in Boston. The review focuses on the effects of desegregation on South Boston High School and the Joseph Lee School. Bullard reports that attendance is low at South Boston High School, but the school atmosphere and programs have improved. Bullard reports that the Joseph Lee School is a good example of a successfully integrated elementary school. The story includes footage of Kevin White (Mayor, City of Boston) and interviews with Ruth Batson (African American community activist), Jerome Wynegar (headmaster, South Boston High School), David Finnegan (Boston School Committee), Robert Peterkin (headmaster, English High School). Bullard also interviews teachers and students at the Lee School and South Boston High School. The report ends with footage of students at the Lee School performing in a play of "The Wizard of Oz."
1:00:02: Visual: Shot of Boston skyline. Footage of Mayor Kevin White on September 9, 1974 calling on Boston residents to come together to make busing work. Footage of buses pulling up in front of South Boston High School on the first day of school in 1974. A crowd of antibusing protesters has gathered outside of the high school. The crowd jeers at the buses. Shots of the Boston Public Gardens. Footage of Ruth Batson (African American community activist) describing Boston as a "racist, violent city." She says that the violence stemming from school desegregation has spilled over into the streets and housing projects. Footage of police marching in formation on Bunker Hill Street in Charlestown. A large crowd is gathered outside of the Bunker Hill Housing Project. Pam Bullard reports that violence and racial hatred erupted in Boston when a federal court ordered the desegregation of schools in 1974. She notes that President Gerald Ford was forced to put the 82nd Airborne division on alert, in preparation for duty on the streets of Boston. Bullard reports that the toughest neighborhoods are quiet three years later; that African American and white children attend school together without incident. V: Shots of a lone police officer outside of South Boston High School; of African American and white children entering an elementary school. 1:01:39: Bullard reports that the effects of school desegregation will not be known for years; that some inconclusive studies have been made. V: Footage of African American and white students in an integrated elementary school classroom. Bullard notes that resistance to school desegregation in Boston has been overcome. V: Shots of a busy street in South Boston; of a young white boy outside of a church; of two elderly white residents sitting on a stoop in South Boston; of racist graffiti on a wall. Bullard reports that the fiercest opposition to court-ordered desegregation in the north took place in South Boston; that the opposition has calmed down since 1974. Bullard notes that school buses transporting students to and from South Boston High School are still accompanied by a police escort; that they are greeted by four police officers on duty at the high school. V: Shots of a police cruiser leading school buses up G Street to South Boston High School; of police officers outside South Boston High School; of African American students exiting the buses at South Boston High School. Bullard notes that metal detectors were installed at South Boston High School after the stabbing of a student three years ago. V: Footage of a student passing through a metal detector; of the halls of South Boston High School. Bullard reports that racial hatred and fear at South Boston High School have given way to a lingering uneasiness. V: Footage of a white teacher in a classroom in South Boston High School. He teaches to a classroom of eight African American and white students. Bullard notes that attendance is low at South Boston High School; that classes can be as small as four students. V: Shots of teachers teaching to very small classes at the high school. A teacher is heard saying that the official enrollment at South Boston High School is 600 students; that she estimates the enrollment to be 300 students. Shots of an African American teacher helping an African American female student at a desk; of students studying in classrooms; of teachers and students in sparsely populated classrooms. Bullard notes that the school was put under receivership by the federal court in 1975; that Jerome Wynegar (Headmaster, South Boston High School) was brought in by the court; that Wynegar and his staff have instituted many alternative programs at the school. V: Footage of Wynegar saying that there are fewer problems at South Boston High School because students are happy with the school programs. Shots of white and African American students studying in classrooms at the high school. Footage of a white female teacher saying that erratic attendance is the biggest problem at South Boston High School; that she finds herself repeating lessons for the benefit of students who were absent. Footage of Wynegar saying that South Boston High School ranks eleventh out of eighteen schools in attendance; that he though the school would rank last in attendance; that students appreciate the way they are treated at the school. Shots of students in classrooms; in the automotive shop. Footage of the white female teachers saying that alternative programs are attractive to students; that students also need to learn basic skills. 1:05:04: Bullard notes that there are divisions between those who support traditional classroom learning and those who support alternative programs. V: Shots of students in classrooms; of students in the lunchroom. Footage of an African American female student saying that South Boston High School is much better this year than in previous years; that students are getting along and are more focused on their classes. A white male student says that more students are attending school now. Another white male student says that students are getting along better. The white female teacher says that the atmosphere at the school has improved. Shots of the corridors in South Boston High School; of white and African American students playing basketball. Bullard says that there are no answers as to why the atmosphere at South Boston has improved; that innovative programs, low attendance and a wearing down of resistance to integration are all factors. V: Footage of white and African American students exiting South Boston High School; of school buses traveling down G Street away from the school. Footage of David Finnegan (Boston School Committee) saying that the community needs to realize that there are good solid programs in the Boston Public School System; that desegregation has added to the quality education provided by the schools; that the atmosphere in the schools is good, but can be improved. Bullard notes that even critics have conceded that the court-ordered magnet school programs have been good for the school system. V: Footage of African American and white students at a student art show; of the students' art projects. Bullard notes that there are opportunities in art and drama programs at the magnet schools; that there are opportunities for student internships; that there have been no racial problems at the magnet schools. Bullard reports that desegregation has been costly in financial and human terms; that the cost of the first year of desegregation was $20 million; that the second year of desegregation was $30 million; that police overtime ran up the cost of school desegregation. Bullard notes that costs have stabilized at $12 million over the past two years; that there is less of a need for police officers in the schools now. Bullard reports that Boston taxpayers have had to pay for expenses not covered by state and federal funds; that Boston taxpayers pay the highest property taxes in the nation. Bullard notes that the school budget remains at $175 million per year; that the city has lost 28,000 white students since 1972; that one expert says that 16,000 students were lost to desegregation. V: Shots of an empty classroom; of a teacher's attendance book; of a students in a sparsely populated classroom. Bullard adds that many students transferred to parochial schools, private academies and suburban schools; that many high school students dropped out. Bullard notes that the Lonegan family of South Boston refused to bus their children; that their daughter stayed out of school for a year. V: Footage of the Lonegan family. Mrs. Lonegan sits at a table in her home with her daughter Michelle and her son. Mrs. Lonegan says that she found a job making beds at a nursing home in order to pay her children's tuition at a private school. 1:09:07: Bullard reports that Christina Termini (student) lives in West Roxbury, but attends the Lee School in Dorchester. V: Footage of Termini leaving her home and walking to a bus stop. She boards the bus. Footage shot from the inside of the bus as it travels through the city. The white children on the bus sing songs. Audio of Termini's mother saying that the Lee School is ideal for Christina; that she has great confidence in the education her daughter receives at the Lee School. Shots of African American children walking to the Lee School from the Franklin Field Housing Project. Shots of a white student in French class at the Lee School; of integrated classrooms at the Lee School. Footage of a teacher saying that the children of the Lee School get along well; that racial differences are not important in the classroom. Bullard reports that attendance at the Lee School is low; that 600 students attend the school; that the school has 1,000 seats available; that white attendance could be higher. Bullard notes that the atmosphere at the school is excellent. V: Footage of the students performing "The Wizard of Oz" on stage. A young white female student says that she likes the facilities at the Lee School; that she has met a lot of friends. Footage of the white female teacher saying that she likes teaching at the Lee School. Footage of Robert Peterkin (headmaster, English High School) saying that many other urban school systems are experiencing the same problems as Boston; that desegregation has brought stability and strong programs to the system. Footage of Lee School students at their "Wizard of Oz" play. They sing "Ding, dong, the wicked witch is dead." Bullard reports that the Boston Public School System has made impressive progress since school desegregation began in 1974; that the system is no longer deliberately segregated and rife with political patronage. Bullard notes that parental involvement and stronger political leadership has improved the schools. V: Footage of Batson saying that the city has been forced to confront its racial problems through school desegregation. Shots of African American and white students entering an elementary school. Bullard reports that the federal court still runs the Boston Public School System. V: Footage of Batson saying that the process of desegregation has been valuable to some students. Shot of a Lee School student performing a song in the "Wizard of Oz" play. The audio of the student singing accompanies shots of a police officer in front of South Boston High School; of African American students entering South Boston High School; of Wynegar in front of South Boston High School; of a student passing through a metal detector; of African American and white students playing basketball; of an empty classroom; of the Lonegan family; of young African American and white students; of police cruisers leaving the school yard of South Boston High School. Children at the Lee School clap for the student performer on stage.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 06/01/1978
Description: Carmen Fields interviews Dr. Kenneth Clark (psychologist). Fields reports that Clark and his Mamie Phipps Clark (psychologist) performed studies using dolls to gauge ego and self-esteem in young African American children. Fields notes that the Clarks' research influenced the Supreme Court's 1953 landmark decision on school desegregation. Clark talks about his research, saying that African American children rejected the brown dolls because they had internalized society's negative stereotypes of African Americans. Clark discusses the use of the study by NAACP lawyers in the 1953 school desegregation case. Clark talks about the importance of school desegregation and the need for white and African American children to grow up with self-respect and respect for others. He says that children must be taught to act humanely toward others. Fields' report includes footage from the 1959 film Imitation of Life and footage from Eyes on the Prize. Fields' report also includes footage of school desegregation in South Boston and shots of dolls. Sound cuts out at the very end of the video.
1:00:10: Visual: Shot of a display of dolls and toys. Carmen Fields reports that Dr. Kenneth Clark (psychologist) and the late Mamie Phipps Clark (psychologist) used dolls in a 1939 psychological experiment; that the Clarks used dolls to gauge ego and self esteem in young African American children. Fields notes that the results of the experiments shocked the nation. V: Shots of Kenneth Clark being interviewed by Fields. Shots of a white doll; of an African American doll. Footage of Clark talking about how African American children internalize society's negative stereotypes of African Americans. Clark says that two out of three African American children rejected the brown dolls. Footage from the 1959 film, Imitation of Life. Footage of Clark saying that the children were forced to identify with the brown dolls they had rejected. Fields reports that the Supreme Court's 1953 decision on school desegregation was influenced by the Clarks' research. V: Shot of the exterior of the Supreme Court Building in Washington D.C. Footage of Clark saying that NAACP lawyers were interested in the study; that NAACP found parallels between the results of the study and the effects of segregated schools on African American chiildren. Fields reports that school desegregation has been accomplished in both southern and northern cities. V: Black and white footage from Eyes On the Prize. Shots of an African American girl being accompanied into a school; of the National Guard running in formation; of African American students entering a school; of an African American female student in a classroom; of an African American man walking with two white men. Shots of school buses pulling up to the front of South Boston High School in 1974; of South Boston residents jeering at the buses. Shots of police officers lined up on a streeet outside of a Charlestown Housing Project. Fields notes that Clark blames low self-esteem for many of today's educational problems including high drop-out rates and violence. V: Footage of Clark being interviewed by Fields. Clark says that society's problems cannot be solved by laws and court cases; that churches have not influenced people to act more humanely toward others. Clark says that children must be educated to act in a humane manner. Fields asks Clark how he responds to people who believe that desegregation did not work. Clark says that desegregation has never really been tried; that schools are still organized along racial lines. Clark says that schools are not set up to teach children to respect others. Fields asks if the doll study is still relevant today. Clark says that both white African American children need help in developing positive self-images in today's society. Shots of students in an integrated classroom; of white students in the classroom. Footage of Clark saying that racism is indicative of a lack of self-respect. Clark says that dolls can be used to communicate a sense of humanity and decency. Shots of white and African American dolls. Footage of Clark saying that some African American children in his doll study had good role models; that those children did not reject the brown dolls. Clark says that children can be taught to respect themselves and others.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 10/18/1988
Description: South Boston High School exterior. Background comments of pedestrians talking to camera operator and reporter. Pam Bullard interviews headmaster Jerome Wynegar on what programs his school will offer, including core curriculum and vocational education. Wynegar says racial problems have been aggravated by outside agitators. He adds that the school is enrolled to capacity, and cannot accommodate students who wish to return after dropping out. He says that the school should make sure to listen to the suggestions of the students, and those students who dropped out, to try to improve the school. He commends the faculty. Additional comments from Wynegar as they shoot cutaways. Shots of graffiti painted on pavement, which reads “Stop Forced Busing.” Several takes of reporter voice over and standup.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 08/17/1976
Description: Interview with headmaster Jerome Wynegar about changes at South Boston High School in last two years in four areas: administration, discipline, curriculum review, community relations. He sees improvement in students' ability to learn with fewer disruptions than in first years of busing. He discusses the school's attempt to prepare students for their futures. He says more research is needed into educational methods for a changing world; experiential learning should be emphasized over traditional lectures. He endorses alternative programs because attendance is encouraged. reel 1 of 2
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 06/01/1978
Description: Air piece on replacement of nine antiquated Boston schools with new facilities by 1971. Reporter standup at the John A. Andrews School in South Boston. Interview with man from the Board of Education on the new schools that will have a greater capacity, which will be opened up to non-white students, in order to help with the racial imbalance in the Boston city schools. Exteriors of a school building. African American children get off of a bus and enter school.
Collection: WHDH
Date Created: 07/19/1969
Description: South Boston High exterior on first day of school. Press photographers stand around outside waiting for something to happen. Three upperclassmen say it is quieter inside since desegregation furor has died down, and learning can take place. They discuss news programs in the school. Several takes of reporter standup. Graffiti “stop forced busing” still visible on street. School bus arrives, lets off two black girls. Interview in front of School Committee headquarters with woman from Citywide Education Coalition who appraises current state of Boston schools: parents are involved and important to educational improvement; vocational education is woefully lacking; must upgrade reading and basic skills. “City can someday have an attractive and credible public school system.” She cautions that just because it is quiet now compared to the first years of busing, people should not assume the school system is okay; it still needs criticism and community input. Editor's note: Content given off the record was edited out of this footage.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 09/06/1978
Description: State and Boston police and US marshals outside South Boston High School. Black students get off buses. Headmaster Jerome Wynegar. Girls in parochial school uniforms walk by. More black students get off buses, walk up to school. Police on motorcycles escort empty buses away from school. Mass of white students wait at iron fence. TV cameramen and news photographers stand by. Girl wearing Southie sweatshirt. White students are allowed to enter school.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 09/13/1976
Description: No audio at the beginning. Horse-mounted police officers, police cars, police bus. Police officers are gathered along G Street outside of South Boston High School. Exteriors of the school building. School buses, accompanied by a police motorcycle escort, pull up outside of the school. African American and white students exit the school. White students walk away from the school. African American students board the buses. The buses depart. Pam Bullard interviews four South Boston High School teachers: Jerry Power, Bob Healey, Bob Donovan, and Paul Grueter. The four teachers says that conditions in the school are improving, despite negative reports in the media. Donovan says that Judge Arthury Garrity (federal judge) is among those receiving inaccurate reports about the school. They discuss some of the good things that they think are happening in South Boston High despite the racial tensions.
1:00:04: Boston Police Department vehicles are lined up along the side of the road in South Boston. A mounted police officer exercises his horse. A horse stands in a yard with grass. 1:02:21: Visual: Boston Police Department vehicles are parked in the schoolyard of South Boston High School. Police are gathered along G Street in front of the high school. Shot of the exterior of South Boston High School. A Massachusetts State Police vehicle is parked in the schoolyard. A Boston Police station wagon is parked on G Street. 1:04:55: V: Buses pull up in front of South Boston High School. The buses are accompanied by a police motorcycle escort. White students exit the high school, walking out of the schoolyard. African American students exit the high school and walk toward the buses. A young African American male student raises a clenched fist and looks at the camera. Some white students continue to exit the school, along with African American students. Two African American female students pose for the camera and say, "Hi, mom." A few of the African American students wave at the camera as they walk to the buses. Police officers stand casually on the sidewalk in front of the buses. A white student walks by the camera crew and says, "We don't watch Channel 2 news." 1:10:13: V: A group of four police officers are gathered on G Street. They laugh casually at a joke. A female African American student rushes toward her bus. Police officers mount their motorcycles. The buses pull away from the school and travel down G Street with the police escort. 1:11:57: V: Shot of the exterior of South Boston High School. Pam Bullard exits the high school, followed by four white teachers. She sets up an interview in front of the school with Jerry Power (teacher, South Boston High School), Bob Healey (teacher, South Boston High School), Bob Donovan (teacher, South Boston High School), and Paul Grueter (teacher, South Boston High School). Donovan makes it clear to Bullard that each teacher is speaking as an individual; that they are not speaking for the faculty of the school. Bullard asks each of them to say and speak their names for the camera. Bullard tells them that negative reports have been circulating about the situation inside South Boston High School. Donovan asks where the negative reports are from. Bullard says that they are from the media. Donovan says that the situation is slowly getting better after a hectic beginning of the school year. Grueter agrees that the situation is improving. Healey says that sweep teams have been established in the corridors in order to get students to class; that the school corridors had been a problem until now. Donovan says that the school faculty took some drastic measures to control the situation inside the school. Power says that the atmosphere in the school has swung between periods of tension and periods of calm; that there has been a decrease in the number of suspensions and separations of students from the school. Bullard says that many school officials and teachers outside of South Boston High School are calling the school "a lost cause." Donovan says that the faculty and staff at South Boston High School are committed to educating the students and keeping the school open. Healey says that many people are not aware of the good programs at South Boston High School. He mentions the automotive shop, business courses, and computer courses. Power says that he was quoted in a Boston Herald article that was critical of the school. He says that his quote was taken out of context. He had meant to say that not all of the students are taking full advantage of the programs offered to them; that there are both white and African American students at the school who are not interested in getting an education. Donovan says that the faculty is not ashamed of their school; that Judge Arthur Garrity (federal judge) is among those receiving inaccurate information about the situation at South Boston High School; that Garrity received a letter from the CCC which contained inaccurate information about the school.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 11/01/1976
Description: Christy George reports that the city of Lowell has chosen a central enrollment plan to accomplish school desegregation in its public schools. George notes that central enrollment plans are implemented through magnet schools; she adds that students choose schools according to the programs they offer instead of by location. George interviews Robert Kennedy (Mayor of Lowell). Kennedy says that the Lowell School Committee opted for a central enrollment plan in order to avoid court-ordered desegregation of the schools. George reports that the city of Cambridge uses a central enrollment plan and has become a national model for school desegregation. George interviews Peter Colleary (Director of Student Assignments, Cambridge Public Schools) about central enrollment in Cambridge Public Schools. George's report includes footage of a meeting between Colleary and school officials from Rochester, NY. The officials from Rochester ask questions about central enrollment in Cambridge. George notes that opponents to school desegregation in Lowell believe that central enrollment is a form of mandatory desegregation. George interviews George Kouloheras (Lowell School Committee) about his opposition to the central enrollment plan. George notes that Cambridge had a successful school system even before the adoption of the central enrollment plan. She adds that the Cambridge model may not work in every city. George's report includes footage of buses in front of schools in Lowell, footage of a girls' soccer game in Cambridge, footage of school children in classrooms, and footage of buses arriving at South Boston High School in 1976. This edition of the Ten O'Clock News also included the following item: Marcus Jones reports on tension over school desegregation in Lynn
1:00:05: Visual: Shots from a moving vehicle of students in front of South Boston High School in 1976; of buses with police escort travelling up G Street to South Boston High School; of African American students exiting buses in front of South Boston High School. Christy George reports that the city of Lowell wants to avoid court-ordered school desegregation and forced busing. George reports that Lowell is opting for a voluntary school enrollment plan; that students choose three schools which they would like to attend; that students will be bused to one of those schools. V: Shots of elementary school students in a school cafeteria; of a bus pulling up to an elementary school. Footage of Robert Kennedy (Mayor of Lowell) saying that the Lowell School Committee acted responsibly; that the School Committee wanted to avoid court intervention in Lowell schools. Shots of a white teacher teaching in a racially integrated elementary school classroom in Lowell. Shots of students in the classroom. George reports that the central enrollment plan is implemented through magnet schools; that the magnet schools offer diverse programs; that students can choose the school which offers programs which appeal to them. George notes that racial balance can result from the magnet school system; that the system has worked well in the city of Cambridge. V: Footage of Peter Colleary (Director of Student Assignments, Cambridge Public Schools) saying that school choice has been successful for Cambridge Public Schools. George notes that Colleary matches Cambridge students with their schools; that some schools have increased minority enrollment from 9% in 1981 to 43% in 1987; that students are willing to choose schools outside of their neighborhoods. V: Shots of the Cambridge High School girls' soccer team playing a soccer game. Footage of Colleary saying that 65% of Cambridge Public School students do not attend schools in their districts. Shots of the exterior of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. George notes that the city of Cambridge owns many of its own buses; that half of the bus drivers work for the city. dShots of a school bus; of the exterior of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. George notes that the Cambridge Public School System has become a national model for desegregation. V: Shots of Colleary talking to a delegation from the public school system of Rochester, NY. Members of the delegation ask Colleary questions about the Cambridge Public School System. George notes that critics in Lowell see the Cambridge model as another form of mandatory desegregation. V: Shot of a school bus pulling away from an elementary school in Lowell. Footage of George Kouloheras (Lowell School Committee) saying that central enrollment plans "are a euphemism for forced busing." Kouloheras says that central enrollment does not improve the education in the schools. Footage of Colleary saying that 35% of Cambridge students are bused; that the students have chosen to attend schools outside of their districts. Colleary calls it "busing by choice." George stands in front of a school at dusk. George reports that Cambridge was providing good education in its schools before the implementation of the voluntary desegregation plan. George notes that the Cambridge model may not work in every city.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 10/26/1987