Posted on April 18, 2011

Willie Brown Academy, Born in 1992 With High Hopes, Will Close in May, a Failure

Jennifer Gollan, New York Times, April 16, 2011

When the school now known as the Willie L. Brown Jr. College Preparatory Academy opened in San Francisco’s predominantly black Bayview neighborhood some 18 years ago, it was at the forefront of an ambitious effort to address school performance and segregation without busing children out of the neighborhood. {snip}

But those dreams have been thoroughly dashed, and the 160-student school is set to close May 27, largely as a result of chronic student underachievement and high truancy. And for those unfortunate enough to be a part of its final months, conditions have gone from bad to worse.

Parents, teachers and some officials acknowledge a breakdown in teaching and discipline. Students roam the hallways during class time. One teacher has often shown movies rather than press ahead with science lessons. A pack of students looted the school store, with impunity.

{snip}