New York State Education Department Center on Innovation in Education New York City School Decentralization Files
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Overview of the Records
New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230
4 cubic feet
including 4 loose-leaf binders
Arrangement
Arranged into three subseries: 1. General Files; 2. Binders; 3. Miscellaneous files
Administrative History
For much of the first half of the 20th century, New York City school governance was characterized by a large central bureaucracy, with administrative and policy-making power centralized in the NYC Board of Education. Local school boards existed only in an advisory capacity, without any true policy-making or administrative powers, and were populated by Board of Education appointees. This system came under increasing criticism in the 1960's as being inefficient and unresponsive to educational needs. Criticism came from elected officials, such as Mayor John Lindsay, and from the Temporary Commission on City Finances, which recommended the creation of separate school boards for each borough of New York. In addition, community organizations and members of racial and ethnic minorities felt that the school system was uninterested and incapable of meeting the specific needs of their children. These latter groups staged protests and boycotts in 1966 in Harlem, particularly around the opening of I.S. 201 high school in East Harlem. They demanded either the integration of these schools through busing, or greater community control over public schools, with community representatives holding the right to hire teachers and principals, and to set the curriculum and educational standards.
In April of 1967, the New York State Legislature passed a bill, later ratified by the Governor, that required Mayor Lindsay to develop a plan for decentralizing the New York City school system, in exchange for greater state educational aid. Lindsay appointed a board of educational experts, headed by Ford Foundation president McGeorge Bundy, to formulate a plan. The plan, released in November, called for the creation of 30 to 60 community school districts in New York City, each controlled by an 11-member community school board. The Lindsay administration and the Board of Education both released plans modifying aspects of the "Bundy plan," reflecting a power struggle between the mayor's office and the board for control over the extent of authority to be given to the community school boards, as well as the ultimate authority over the dispersal of funds for school operations. Meanwhile, in July of 1967, the Board of Education announced a joint project with the Ford Foundation to create three experimental school districts with elected school boards consisting of parents, teachers, and community leaders. The districts were located in East Harlem (including I.S. 201), the Two Bridges area of the Lower East Side, and Ocean Hill-Brownsville in Brooklyn.
In May of 1968, the elected school board of Ocean Hill-Brownsville school district dismissed nineteen teachers and administrators due to perceived lack of support for the decentralization effort. The New York United Federation of Teachers responded by calling a strike in September, claiming that the school board had violated the teachers' rights to due process. The resulting conflict, which at times turned violent, pitted the unionized teachers against community members and organizations supportive of decentralization. Allen worked constantly to act as a mediator between the two opposing groups, postponing his acceptance of the position of U.S. Commissioner of Education to work on the conflict. After another walkout by teachers, Allen's mediation led to a compromise position, which allowed the return of the dismissed teachers to the Ocean Hill-Brownsville school district, provided for a state-appointed trustee to oversee the school district, and retained the community school board and their selected district administrator. In April of 1969, the State Legislature passed a school decentralization law for New York City, which maintained and broadened the use of locally-controlled school districts, while preserving teachers' job security and the right of teachers to bargain collectively across city school districts.
The Center for Innovation in Education was founded in 1966 by the New York State Education Department and was funded in part by federal funds provided by Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. During the conflict over decentralization of New York City schools, the center was charged with reviewing the various decentralization plans leading up to the final plan submitted by the mayor of New York City. In addition, staff of the center kept Commissioner Allen informed on developments with the demonstration school districts, including the protests and negotiations surrounding the Ocean Hill-Brownsville district.
Scope and Content Note
The series consists of the office files of Dr. Norman D. Kurland, director of NYSED's Center for Innovation in Education. The records reflect his role in planning, evaluating, and monitoring the efforts to decentralize New York City school governance. Included are three subseries. The first contains records relating to the development of policy and legislation relating to decentralization. These include files on competing plans for decentralization, containing reports, correspondence, clippings, timelines and other materials. Among these are the original plan developed by Mayor's Advisory Panel on Decentralization of the New York City Schools, known as the "Bundy plan, as well as responses and commentary from various educational interest groups. Also included are modifications made in Bundy plan recommendations made by Mayor John Lindsay's office, and responding proposals from other education-related organizations. Also included are files documenting the progress of decentralization. These include correspondence and reports from organizations evaluating and advocating for or against decentralization, including Metropolitan Applied Research Center, Inc., New York State Teachers Association, NYS School Boards Association, Confederation of Local School Boards of New York City, Institute for Educational Development, Citizens Committee for Public Schools. Furthermore, there are records documenting the demonstration school districts in Harlem, Ocean Hill-Brownsville, and Two Bridges, including correspondence, bulletins from districts, and clippings detailing controversies within districts.
The second subseries consists of four sequential binders maintained by Dr. Kurland that document the decentralization process in New York City. The binders mostly contain copies of proposed plans for decentralization, as well as state legislation governing the decentralization process. Also included are copies of selected memoranda and reports. The third subseries contains miscellaneous unfiled records, as well as post-1969 records relating to decentralization, including reports on the relationship between NYSED and NYC school system going into 1970's, and proposals for further school decentralization and streamlining of central bureaucracy.
Related Material
B0444Series B0444 Commissioner's Interim Subject Files contains documentation of the State Education Department's involvement in decentralization and demonstration school districts.
14238Series 14238 New York City School-Community Interaction Umbrella Program Files documents another State Education Department effort to increase community involvement in New York City schools.
Other Finding Aids
Available at Repository
The first folder in the series contains an outline of the numerical organizational scheme maintained by Dr. Kurland's office and reflected in the first subseries.
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.
Access Terms
Detailed Description
Subseries 1: General file
Scope and Content Note:
This subseries contains records relating to the development of policy and legislation relating to New York City school decentralization. Included are files on competing plans for decentralization, containing reports, correspondence, clippings, timelines and other materials. Among these are the original plan developed by Mayor's Advisory Panel on Decentralization of the New York City Schools, known as the "Bundy plan, as well as responses and commentary from various educational interest groups. Also included are modifications made in Bundy plan recommendations made by Mayor John Lindsay's office, and responding plans from the United Federation of Teachers, the Citizens Union of the City of New York, the Public Education Association, the New York State Senate (bill introduced by Sen. John J. Marchi), the Association of Assistant Principals, and the United Parents Associations of New York City. Furthermore, there are reports, completed prior to 1967, related to issues in New York City educational system, including desegregation, curricula, teacher compensation and unionization, and an extended school year. Also included are files documenting the progress of decentralization. These include copies of an interim decentralization plan, completed in October 15, 1968, as well as correspondence and reports from organizations evaluating and advocating for or against decentralization, including Metropolitan Applied Research Center, Inc., New York State Teachers Association, NYS School Boards Association, Confederation of Local School Boards of New York City, Institute for Educational Development, Citizens Committee for Public Schools. Furthermore, there are records documenting the demonstration school districts in Harlem, Ocean Hill-Brownsville, and Two Bridges, including correspondence, bulletins from districts, and clippings detailing controversies within districts.Arrangement:
Arranged by numerical scheme developed by office staff. Numerical scheme used to organize records is shown in first folder of this subseries.
Dates | Contents | Box | Folder |
---|---|---|---|
Accretion: 1984 |
|||
undated | New York City Decentralization/General File | 1 | 1 |
1967 May-1969 March | 010.5 Commissioner Allen - Memo To and From | 1 | 2 |
empty | 010.6 Nyquist Speech - April 14, 1969 | 1 | 3 |
1969 May | 010.7 Regents Statements, etc. | 1 | 4 |
1967 May-1979 June-July | 010.1 Advisory Committee | 1 | 5a |
1967 May-1979 June-July | 010.1 Advisory Committee | 1 | 5b |
1967 August-November | 020.1 Bundy Plan | 1 | 6 |
1967 November-1968 March | 020.1.1 Bundy Plan - Responses, Comments, etc. | 1 | 7 |
1967 November-1968 June | 020.2 Magais Decentralization Plan | 1 | 8 |
1967 November-1968 May | 020.3 Regents Plan | 1 | 9a |
1967 November-1968 May | 020.3 Regents Plan | 1 | 9b |
1967 November-1968 March | 020.2.1 Magais Plan - Responses, Comments, etc. | 1 | 10 |
1968 January | Decentralization - Analysis of Mayor's Draft Legislation - January 16, 1968 | 1 | 11 |
1967 July-1968 May | 020.3.1 Regents Plan - Responses, Comments, etc. | 1 | 12 |
empty | 020.3.2 Regents Recommendations of NYC Board Plan - February 1969 | 1 | 13 |
1967 June-1968 September | 020.4 United Federation of Teachers | 1 | 14 |
1967 November-1969 February | 020.5 Citizens Union | 1 | 15 |
1967 February-1968 February | 020.6 Public Education Association | 1 | 16 |
1967 October-1968 May | 020.7 Marchi Plan (Passed 1968) | 1 | 17 |
1968 April-May | 020.7.1 Marchi Plan - Responses, Comments, etc. | 1 | 18 |
1968 February-November | 020.8 Interracial Colloquy | 1 | 19 |
1968 February | 020.9 Association of Assistant Principals | 1 | 20 |
1967 June-1968 March | 020.10 United Parents Association | 1 | 21 |
1967 January-1969 February | 020.11 Decentralization Plan | 1 | 22 |
undated | 020.12 City-wide Coalition for Community Control of Public Schools | 1 | 23 |
1967 March-1968 November | 029.0 Decentralization Plans - Miscellaneous | 1 | 24a |
1967 March-1968 November | 029.0 Decentralization Plans - Miscellaneous | 1 | 24b |
1968 June-1969 June | 020.13 Interin Decentralization Plan - October 15, 1968 | 1 | 25 |
circa 1967 | 020.14 Center for Urban Education | 1 | 26 |
undated | 020.15 Poverty Countil Plan | 1 | 27 |
1968 December | 020.16 High School Principals Association Plan | 1 | 28 |
undated | 020.17 Metropolitan Applied Research Center Plan | 1 | 29 |
1967 March-1968 April | A030 IED Report | 1 | 30a |
1967 March-1968 April | A030 IED Report | 1 | 30b |
1967 June-December | B030 IED Report | 2 | 1 |
1968 July-October | 049.1 Neimeyer Report | 2 | 2 |
1968 September-1969 January | Decentralization - OHB Material - January 1969 | 2 | 3 |
1967 March-1968 October | 050.1 Metropolitan Applied Research Center, Inc. (MARC) | 2 | 4 |
1968 May | 060.2 New York State Teachers Association | 2 | 5 |
1968 April-May | 060.1 New York State School Boards Association | 2 | 5 |
1969 February | 050.3 Confederation of Local School Boards of New York City | 2 | 7 |
undated | 050.2 Center for Urban Education (CUE) | 2 | 8 |
1967 May-1968 October | 080.1 Correspondence with Organization | 2 | 9 |
1967 May-November | Citizens Committee for Public Schools | 2 | 10 |
1968 March-May | Citizens' Committee for Decentralization | 2 | 11 |
1967 November-1968 June | 100.3 WCBS-TV, WABC Editorials | 2 | 12 |
1967 May-1969 July | 070.1 Legal Issues of Decentralization | 2 | 13 |
1968 January | 040.2 Two Bridges | 2 | 14 |
1968 April | 040.3 Experimental District IS 201 | 2 | 15 |
1967 August-1969 March | 040.1 Ocean Hill-Brownsville | 2 | 16 |
1966 November-1968 November | 049.1 Experimental Districts - Miscellaneous | 2 | 17a |
1966 November-1968 November | 049.1 Experimental Districts - Miscellaneous | 2 | 17b |
1967 January-1969 February | 070.2 Legislative Bills | 2 | 18a |
1967 January-1969 February | 070.2 Legislative Bills | 2 | 18b |
1967 January-1969 February | 070.2 Legislative Bills | 2 | 18c |
1967 January-1969 February | 070.2 Legislative Bills | 2 | 18d |
1967 March-1968 May | 080.3 Miscellaneous Meeting Notes - Private File: Dr. Kurland | 2 | 19 |
1968 March-April | 090.1 Proportional Representation | 2 | 20 |
1968 January-March | 099.0B Miscellaneous Background II | 2 | 21 |
1967 June-July | Progress Report - Pupil Information System - New York City | 2 | 22 |
1962-1967 November | 099.0A New York City Studies - Background Materials | 3 | 1a |
1962-1967 November | 099.0A New York City Studies - Background Materials | 3 | 1b |
1962-1967 November | 099.0A New York City Studies - Background Materials | 3 | 1c |
1962-1967 November | 099.0A New York City Studies - Background Materials | 3 | 1d |
1962-1967 November | 099.0A New York City Studies - Background Materials | 3 | 1e |
1967 May | 099.0A New York City Studies - Background Materials - ESEA Title V | 3 | 2 |
1967 March-July | 099.0A New York City Studies - Background Materials - Racial Balance Computer Project - 1967 | 3 | 3 |
1967 June | 099.0A New York City Studies - Background Materials - Historical Review | 3 | 4 |
1966 July-1968 May | 100.1A Newspaper Articles - 1966-1967 | 3 | 5a |
1966 July-1968 May | 100.1A Newspaper Articles - 1966-1967 | 3 | 5b |
1967 March-1969 January | 100.1B Newspaper Articles - New York Times | 3 | 6 |
1969 March-May | 100.1C Newspaper Clippings - 1969 | 3 | 7 |
1967 November-1968 October | 100.2 Other Publications | 3 | 8 |
1967 July | 100.4 Transparencies | 3 | 9 |
1968 December-1969 February | 100.5 Miscellaneous Letters and Memos | 3 | 10 |
1967 June-1968 January | 110.1 Persons Consulted | 3 | 11 |
1967 July-December | 110.2 Who's Who Personnel | 3 | 12 |
1968 September-November | 129.0 1968 New York City Teachers Strike | 3 | 13 |
1968 September-1969 March | 120.1 New York City Strike | 3 | 14a |
1968 September-1969 March | 120.1 New York City Strike | 3 | 14b |
1967 May-September | 130.0 Coleman Report | 3 | 15 |
1967 May | 130.0 Coleman Report | 3 | 16 |
1967 December | Materials used in December 20 statement re: "Size of Districts" | 3 | 17 |
1968 December | New York City Decentralization - NDK - December 17, 1968 - Summary of Positions on Number of Local Districts and Their Boundaries | 3 | 18 |
1968 March | Regents Statement - March 29, 1968 | 3 | 19 |
1968 December | 150.0 Special Funds | 3 | 20 |
1969 January | 160.0 Bibliographies | 3 | 21 |
undated | Comparison of Major Considerations in Plans for the Decentralization of the New York City Schools | 3 | 22 |
1967 November-1969 March | Analysis of Various Plans | 3 | 23 |
Subseries 2: Binders
Scope and Content Note:
This subseries consists of four sequential binders maintained by Norman D. Kurland that document the decentralization process in New York City. Binders are numbered in roughly chronological order. The binders mostly contain copies of proposed plans for decentralization, as well as state legislation governing the decentralization process. Also included are copies of selected memoranda and reports.Arrangement:
Binders were numbered by Kurland. Arranged by number.
Dates | Contents | Box | Folder |
---|---|---|---|
Accretion: 1984 |
|||
1967 March-1968 April | New York City Decentralization - Norman D. Kurland - Volume I | 4 | 1 |
1967 October-1978 January | New York City Decentralization - Norman D. Kurland - Volume II | 4 | 2 |
1968 December-1972 December | New York City Decentralization - Norman D. Kurland - Volume III - 1968 | 4 | 3 |
1968 February-1971 October | New York City Decentralization - Norman D. Kurland - Volume IV - 1969 | 4 | 4 |
Subseries 3: Miscellaneous files
Scope and Content Note:
This subseries includes some unfiled records apparently intended for the General File, as well as post-1969 records relating to decentralization. These post-1969 records include a dissertation by Eileen Elizabeth Byrne for Ph.D. Fordham University School of Education on "Community Participation After Decentralization in One New York City School District, 1970-1977." Also present are reports on the relationship between NYSED and NYC school system going into 1970's, and proposals for further school decentralization and streamlining of central bureaucracy, including the recommendation of the abolishment of the NYC Board of Education and Chancellor in favor of a single administratorArrangement:
No apparent organizational scheme.
Dates | Contents | Box | Folder |
---|---|---|---|
Accretion: 1984 |
|||
1970 January-1973 March | New York City - Special Committee on Decentralization | 5 | 1 |
1969 April-1973 April | New York City Decentralization | 5 | 2 |
1969 March-November | New York City Decentralization - N.D.K. Summary - February 7, 1969 | 5 | 3 |
1969 May-1970 April | New York City Decentralization - 1970 | 5 | 4 |
1972 December | New York City Decentralization - Education Law (Article 52-A) | 5 | 5 |
1969 February-1971 March | New York City Decentralization (Current) | 5 | 6 |
1970 October-1971 January | Cresap, McCormick and Paget | 5 | 7 |
1970 January-1977 June | New York City - Governance Proposal - 1971 | 5 | 8 |
1968 May-1973 April | New York City Decentralization | 5 | 9 |
1967 October-1969 February | New York City Decentralization | 5 | 10 |
1967 December-1968 February | New York City Decentralization | 5 | 11 |
1967 October-1968 February | New York City Decentralization | 5 | 12 |
1967 November-1968 August | New York City Decentralization | 5 | 13 |
1967 | Investigation of Fiscally Independent and Dependent City School Districts (book) | 5 | 14 |
1968 May-September | New York City Decentralization | 5 | 15 |
1967 November-1968 March | Decentralization - Responses to Memo on New York City Plan | 5 | 16 |
1966 August-1968 March | New York City Decentralization | 5 | 17 |
1970 March-1979 April | New York City Decentralization | 5 | 18 |