Race, Class and P.S. 20's Controversial Principal
This weekend the Local’s Andy Newman followed up the extensive blog reporting on P.S. 20 he’s been doing with an article about Sean Keaton, the elementary school’s love-him-or-loathe-him principal. The story describes Keaton, who missed the Fort Greene school’s graduation last week—he was barred from attending by Dept. of Ed officials owing to assault charges…
This weekend the Local’s Andy Newman followed up the extensive blog reporting on P.S. 20 he’s been doing with an article about Sean Keaton, the elementary school’s love-him-or-loathe-him principal. The story describes Keaton, who missed the Fort Greene school’s graduation last week—he was barred from attending by Dept. of Ed officials owing to assault charges he’s facing for allegedly beating up a teacher’s union rep—as being at the center of a race-class divide: “In the resurgent brownstone bastions of Fort Greene, Boerum Hill and the fringes of Park Slope, affluent parents with one set of expectations for their children’s education — progressive, hands-on, emphasizing freedom — are clashing with longtime, working-class residents who prefer stricter, more structured educational models like the one Mr. Keaton favored, leaving principals caught in the crossfire…At P.S. 20, some of the conflict has been tinged with race: Mr. Keaton is black, as are three-quarters of the students, while many of the families who said they found him hard to work with are white. Much of it has to do with class. Some comes down to personal style: Even many of Mr. Keaton’s supporters say he can be abrasive and inclined to escalate rather than defuse tensions.” In a poll of Brownstoner readers a couple months ago that ran before the assault charges, 47 percent of you said Keaton should be removed from the school; 17 percent said he should stay; and 36 percent said you didn’t know enough about the issue to have an opinion one way or the other.
As Cultures Clash, Brooklyn Principal Faces Assault Charges [NY Times]
PS 20: It’s a Long Story [The Local]
Time for PS 20 Principal to Get The Boot? [Brownstoner]
Photo from the Bridge & Tunnel Club.
Race is an issue because moderately wealthy liberals like those who predominate in Park Slope have a distorted view of how children should be raised. Less well off people of color have a very different idea of what discipline means and why children need it.
The principal sounds like some kind of control freak or egomaniac. He does not deserve to remain in the school. Beating someone up is not only cause for dismissal but could be a reason to go to jail. Crazy is crazy -what does race have to do with it?
the article noted something i thought was telling: one of mr. keaton’s “supporters” “supported” him in public, when she was surrounded by other parents who support him. but later, when alone, she was much more equivocal (“but he can be evil”???).
this controversy seems about two conflicting approaches to education than about keaton himself. as i see it, keaton just had the totally wrong personality and set of impulses (and who knows what else – not enough experience, life or job?) to bridge the conflict between groups of parents. instead he came to personify one side of the debate, which leaves the unfortunate situation of some people defending behavior that doesn’t really seem defensible (if the allegations are true).
fsrq – i agree with much of what you’re saying. i think that all parents who care want a good education for their kids, but as i understand it (do not have a kid at ps 20) the issue was how much parents can be involved in the education process at school, and what is the correct approach to things that distract from the education itself – e.g., discipline. i think it’s just laziness to encapsulate the debate as “progressive” vs. “traditional,” but keaton’s authoritarian approach (as it’s been described) appears to have been a flashpoint, and a true portrayal of the conflict would probably be more like a master’s thesis than a newspaper article!
in any event, even with keaton gone, the debate will continue, and will continue to raise some rancor. this is one fear i’ve heard from parents all across brooklyn who are reluctant to send their kids to their local public school.
I dont know anything about this principal or PS 20 but based on what Ive read the guy sounds a little off….
But NYT please STFU with your ridiculous assesments – “the affluent” generally dont want education that is “progressive and emphasizing freedom” – I am sure a few do – but for the most part – they want a GOOD education – that is education that meets the skills and needs of their kids and keeps them challenged and moving forward. AND FOR SURE the working class “longtime” members of the community either want the same thing – OR – dont give a too much of a $hit.
Sorry but we are in an education based society….if you are on your 3rd generation of H.S. dropouts (for example) then odds are the reason is YOUR family culture and the likely main factor in your low socio-economic position is that lack of emphasis on education.
DIBS,
Principals are not UFT members. Their union is the much less powerful CSA. They took the wise choice a few years back and gave up ironclad tenure in exchange for a large pay raise. I wish the teachers’ union would do the same!
Jeez, it’s been a while since the school yard days. Ring Go Leave Yo 1,2,3.
Sad thing is, he won’t likely be fired because of the f**&&ing union. He’ll wind up in that padded room with all those others.
I’m sorry, but if your response to a professional conflict is to knock someone down and stomp on their head, you really have no business being an educator.
Children should not learn that grownups can handle business conflicts this way and still keep their jobs. Because, really, 99% of the time you can’t.
“There’s only one boss around here, and that’s me. The HNIC.” ~ Joe Clark