Crazy Joe Clark Would be Proud

Few of our nation's political leaders know nor care about schools such as P.S. 105, located in Far Rockaway, Queens. Why? Because P.S. 105, an underdeveloped school in a dangerous, poverty-strickened area, is the type of school that isn't very appealing to most government officials in America. Luckliy, the New York Times isn't afraid to tell the school's inspiring, unbelievable story.

Before teacher Laurie Shapiro became the prinicpal of P.S. 105 in 1998, the school was an absolute mess. In addition to being on New York State's failing list, the school suffered from constant fights between students, disputes between teachers and school officials, and strong critism from parents. Ten percent of its students were proficient in math, nine percent in reading.

Then Shapiro, a teacher and district administrator for 17 years, stepped in and turned the school around. Now, according to the Times, "the number of students proficient in math has increased fivefold since the late 1990's; in English, proficiency has tripled." Unfortunately, the school still has a long way to go.

For more info on P.S. 105, Check out the school's profile from insideschools.org.