Guest MINDSETTER™ Dr. Harold G. Devine: In Memory of a Model School
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
As we ring out the old and ring in the new, it is a good time to reflect upon the events of the year past. In the spring of 2011, the Providence School Department announced that four schools would not be re-opening in the fall. I am saddened by one school that was not re-opened. That would be the Edmund Flynn School located in Providence on Blackstone St. near Rhode Island Hospital.
I am saddened because, for a few short years, in the late 1960’s, Flynn became the model of how to solve a serious educational problem and deliver a high quality educational product.
Many will remember that in the mid 1960’s the courts had ruled that public schools had to be integrated and that the schools within a community had to reflect the racial mixture of that community. Boston schools were desegregated under federal court order and “forced bussing” was tearing that city apart.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTNot wanting the courts to impose such a plan on Providence, local school officials decided that the easiest way to achieve an acceptable racial balance within the city schools was to close the heavily segregated Flynn School and send the Flynn kids to less segregated schools across the city. Flynn would open in the fall of 1967 as a special education center.
The decision by the Providence School Committee to solve the problem of school segregation in this manner was met with angry protests and demonstrations by parents and community leaders from the Flynn community.
Finally, under relentless and increasing pressure, the school committee directed that a plan be developed that would re-open Flynn as an integrated elementary school as was being demanded by the community. This decision paved the way for one of the most remarkable and successful educational ventures in the history of Rhode Island education.
How They Did It
A committee, known as “the gang of thirty-five” was appointed to develop a plan to re-open Flynn as an integrated K-5 school by the beginning of the second semester in January, 1968. Who ever heard of a committee that size ever accomplishing anything? Represented on the committee were community members, teachers, administrators, parents from the citywide PTA and representatives from all of the colleges and universities from the greater Providence area. Each group appointed its own members to the committee. Sub-committees were created and everyone went to work.
It soon became clear that any hope for success would depend upon the creation of a program that would be particularly attractive to white parents who would be asked to take their children from neighborhood schools and put them on buses to be transported to a school in the inner city. At that time, there were no programs to be copied; a new program had to be created.
All agreed that students would not be assigned to Flynn unless they volunteered. The same would apply to the teaching staff. With a representative, integrated student population, Flynn would be able to pilot programs for implementation across the city thereby saving the city much money in new program development. Flynn would, in fact, become the first “Charter School” before that term became politically fashionable and financially profitable for so many non-educators.
Flynn reopened in January 1968 and became a model of success for the city and education in general. School districts from across the country came to Flynn seeking to learn how Providence could peacefully integrate its schools and how parents could be inspired to put their children on school buses and send them into the inner-city.
Those volunteering to send their children to Flynn included the local public officials, statewide office holders, college and university professors and parents from throughout the capital city. Waiting lists were established in order to maintain the strict class size limits and the required racial mix of students. Flynn had become a huge success.
The Providence Journal sent reporter M. Charles Bakst to spend a week at Flynn to report what was happening at this very special school.
The collective will to do something that had not been done before produced the Flynn Model School Program. Public education has been under attack for some time now for poor test scores and an unacceptable dropout rate. George Santayana spoke about learning from the mistakes of the past. Isn’t it just as important to learn from past successes?
Victim of Fickle Faddism
The reasons why Flynn did not continue to flourish would take more space than this discussion will allow. Let it suffice to say that Flynn became another victim of the fickle faddism that has done such damage to education through the years.
Some would argue that the fact that Flynn ceased to function as a model school during the 1970’s is proof that the plan did not succeed. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The way that problems of the day were addressed and resolved should stand as a beacon for those attempting to solve the complex and difficult educational problems of today. We have all heard that famous saying that every problem has a solution that’s quick, simple and wrong. Today’s problem solvers would be well advised to remember that.
The purpose for this article is to recall that something special happened at Flynn and that should not be lost with the closing of this unique school. So we say “good bye” to a small school that played an important role in the history of education in Providence. The lessons learned at Flynn must serve as a guide to future decision-making. To do less would be just another example of an educational system that has lost its way.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Harold Devine began his teaching career at the Flynn School in 1965. He served on the Model School Planning Committee and he became a member of the Flynn Model School staff. He subsequently served as the Superintendent of School in Swansea, MA, Acushnet, MA and Little Compton, RI. He is presently the Interim Executive Director at the East Bay Educational Collaborative located in Warren, RI. He resides in Seekonk, MA
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