| A new year, a new class, a New School |
| Next fall, a new kindergarten class will enter Midtown Academy. And even if Bolton Hillers renege on their promises to attend, at least Midtown was in the running. Mount Royal was not. Despite high test scores, a strong reputation, and a principal who excels in obtaining resources, it is seen by many as simply a poor black school--and therefore, quite simply, not a choice. Unfazed, Mark Frankel is focused on serving his majority poor, majority black children and their parents. He does not intend to address middle-class fears, or to change his school's image to something more attractive to Bolton Hill parents. Midtown's success in shaping itself into something more alternative and fashionable is a result of its ability to distinguish and distance itself from traditional public schools like Mount Royal--racially, culturally, and academically. Midtown Academy shows that middle-class parents will come back to the public school system, but only if courted appropriately. In that sense, the experiment has been a success. But for other public schools, it seems, all the work in the world may not change the minds of the middle class. In the meantime, acceptance letters were mailed out last week. At least twelve Bolton Hill families--a record number--applied to Midtown Academy. For the first time in its history, the school's Bolton Hill slots are filled, and some families had to be turned down. John Lau describes the competition this year as a "180 degree turn" from last year, when only two Bolton Hill kids enrolled. Hannah Lau was accepted, and her father will find out in the fall if his vision of a neighborhood school is shared. React > The dream of a neighborhood school Opting out of the "experiment" The school on the wrong side of the street A new year, a new class, a New School |