2022-23 School Performance Dashboard, Mark Twain I.S. 239
As a “gifted and talented” school, Mark Twain accepts applicants from all over the city.
curriculum
Interview with Thomas Samuels
Transcript: At school, when we interacted, initially, signing was not allowed, that we’d be punished if we used signing.
Mo’ Charters Mo’ Problems
The historical documents found on this website are primary sources: historical records produced in one moment in time, that help us understand that moment in time.
Women of the Young Lords Party, excerpt
As Denise Oliver describes in this video, women involved in the civil rights movement faced sexism within their organizations, even when those organizations said they were committed to liberation and freedom.
Focus on Learning, excerpt
Please note: This is work in progress. Please keep that in mind as you read.
La Escuela Bilingüe Número 25 del Distrito Escolar 7
Please note: This is work in progress. Please keep that in mind as you read.
Statement by Martin H. Gerry, Director, Office for Civil Rights, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, excerpts
In 1977, the New York City Board of Education was the focus of the “largest civil rights investigation of a public educational institution ever undertaken.
Clark Hits Integration Plan at Mark Twain JHS
When Judge Jack Weinstein initially issued a court order to integrate District 21 schools, he proposed a wide-reaching plan that called for the Board of Education, District 21’s school board, and private real estate developers and housing officials to integrate the district’s neighborhoods and schools.
Mark Twain on The 51st State, excerpt 4
The all-white board of Community School District 21 in Brooklyn approved a proposal to desegregate Mark Twain Junior High School by making it a school for “gifted and talented” students - or, in the language of the day, students in “special progress” or “rapid advancement” classes.
Mark Twain on the 51st State, excerpt 3
What do schools try to teach their students?
S.O. F.E.D. U.P. Handbook for the Disabled Students of Brooklyn College, CUNY, excerpt
The late 1960s and early 1970s saw campus activism around the United States, for social change and against the Vietnam War.
Palante, cover
Palante was a self-published newspaper in which the various branches of the Young Lords Party highlighted important issues in their communities.
Iris Morales Leads Political Education Class
Born in 1948, Iris Morales was the child of Puerto Rican migrants to New York.
On the Way to School - Community Control, Some Observations, excerpt
Preston Wilcox was a human rights activist and professor at Columbia University who supported Black studies on college campuses and community control for K-12 schools.
We Demand
Student protesters at City College (CCNY) explained why they organized a strike on their campus and what changes they wanted to achieve.
Program for Malcolm X Memorial Service, cover
In the East Harlem community control district, teachers emphasized subjects that connected to their students’ African heritage.
Fifteen Demands of Black and Puerto Rican Students
Please note: This is work in progress. Please keep that in mind as you read.
Viva Harlem U!
Although City College, where Audre Lorde taught, was in the predominantly Black and Latinx community of Harlem, there were very few Black or Latinx students who attended.
Reflections - August, 1967, excerpt
Located near the town of Hunter, New York, in the Catskill Mountains (a few hours from New York City), Camp Jened was unusual at the time for its focus on Disabled campers.
Baseball
The grounds of Camp Jened included a river, a lake with a dock for boating and places to row, swimming facilities, and a stream that was great for fishing.