A Matter of Principal

Public schools have been the bootstraps for millions of Americans. Children from middle-class and poor families, children from minority and immigrant families have long depended on a public education for a start to success. That kind of start is, sadly, no longer something that youngsters assigned to beleaguered schools in rough big-city neighborhoods can take for granted.

One principal, George J. McKenna III, who relentlessly believes that every school can educate effectively, proves his point every day at George Washington Preparatory High School in South-Central Los Angeles. A television drama based on his hard-won accomplishments, “The George McKenna Story,” is scheduled to air on CBS tonight. The story should inspire students, parents and teachers. It should also make people take a second look at whether the loss of public confidence in schools that serve poor inner-city communities is justified.

George Washington High was once scarred by low achievement, high absenteeism and gang violence that included murders on campus. Droves of students spent long hours on buses in order to attend schools in the San Fernando Valley. Today Washington Prep, as it is now called, sends 70% of its graduates to four-year and community colleges. It boasts only a 10% absentee rate, and has effectively banned violence on or near school grounds. The high school also has a waiting list of students wanting to attend.

McKenna, a very demanding principal, did not transform the school overnight. He had detractors who considered him too hard a taskmaster and who questioned his tough strategies. But the principal met all challenges and turned aside all excuses. He also persevered in an essential ingredient for excellence--getting parents actively involved.

McKenna and his faculty remain committed to teaching, no matter the amount of extra effort or time required. The educators also have very high expectations--not always the case when the youngsters are members of minorities. Students and parents are asked to make similar commitments through a contract that sets standards for conduct, dress, attendance and mandatory homework.

Despite his accomplishments, McKenna does not consider himself either a hero or a superman. He finds the successes of Washington Prep neither unique nor unusual. We hope that he is right, because it will mean that similar achievements can become routine at every public school.