School board members and other community leaders discussed at length last night the future of Holloway Street Advancement Center, Durham's alternative school for delinquent middle and high school students.
The two-year-old educational center has been criticized recently for a lack of adequate resources such as library books, software and a properly trained staff including a guidance counselor, social worker and psychologist. Many community members have labeled the school a "dumping ground" for misbehaving students.
The leaders of an internal administrative committee-which was formed recently by Superintendent Ann Denlinger to investigate the school's situation and propose solutions-reported their initial findings and suggestions at last night's Board of Education meeting at the Fuller Education Center.
Marvin Pittman, executive director of high school instructional outcome, and Elsa Woods, executive director of middle school instructional outcome, outlined a number of educational priorities for the alternative school, such as implementing a strong school-to-work program; adding a strong mentoring initiative; providing service learning opportunities; creating a strong behavioral management system and ensuring a flexible class schedule.
They also stressed a need for clearly defined criteria for students' admission and release , as well as a period of support during students' transition into the facility.
Following the presentation by Pittman and Woods, Reverend Curtis Gatewood, president of the Durham chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, announced to the board members that starting as early as today his organization will be sending mentors to Holloway in an effort to provide support for the predominantly black student body.
Harry Monds, vice president of Durham's NAACP, told the board that Holloway is the, "garbage can of the school system" and cited rumors that the school's teachers were the "bad apples" of Durham schools. His main concern, however, was that almost all of the students who attend the alternative school are black, a statistic that he said was unbelievable.
Board member Beverly Washington Jones responded to concerns by saying that Holloway needs direction with its curriculum, but added that the Durham school system alone cannot remedy the alternative school's problems. She suggested that the investigative committee be expanded to include representatives from local universities, businesses and churches, as well as psychologists, in order to provide the process with a more holistic approach.
Denlinger said that such a comprehensive approach was one of the goals she established when creating the committee. She added that her other primary goal was to construct a more clearly defined curriculum.
"I want a quality, well-developed program that the board and Holloway Street Advancement Center can agree is constructive in nature and will, in fact, provide for the very complex needs of the students," she said.
Denlinger also said that she welcomed Gatewood's pledge to provide mentors to Holloway students, calling it a "marvelous step."
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