Ten O'Clock News; Robert Peterkin, English High

Getting a green light you are OK with that. Commissioner What's your impression of this third year. Well I think so far the reports I've received are very

encouraging. I've been visiting Massad Park High School and then here today the English High School. And the thing that's encouraging is the normalcy of it all within an hour of the starting of school. The kids are getting their schedules handed out and getting ready to class some are getting their homework already I think that's healthy and they're moaning and groaning about it. So I think that's a good sign for a good school year. I think the key issue that I was looking for is when the school year got underway quickly and peacefully and it appears at least that's happening. Do you think that the worst of it may be over for Boston. Well I'm I'm always a perpetual optimist as you know Pam and I think so I hope so. But we shouldn't take that for granted. We ought to be working hard to make that come true. And the thing that's encouraging to me this year is that the school department is better prepared than it's ever been before. Certainly in the previous two years. And that makes me think that maybe that's going to happen this year and certainly we want to do all we can to help. What about the quality of education in the city schools. I hope that the whole theme for this year shifts from desegregation to educational

improvement if ever there should be a time for us to do it it ought to be this year. And I think it's possible you've got three brand new extraordinarily good buildings opening up this year and West Roxbury and the Quincy elementary and all of these Boston the university pairings are beginning to work. I think they just got off the ground last year. Now they're beginning to work. The dollars that are coming from the state are being used better. I saw a new English curriculum in Madison Park High School that I think is excellent. So I think the chance to begin to focus on education improvement is really a real chance and my hope is that everybody's going to grasp that and run with it. OK. Look what happened in 2000. Yes. You think well. Obviously you came pretty close to that. You know it seemed to me you seem to be sitting there and you do this. They never they just kept coming. Those messages in

the media. How do you feel that Mr. Peanut can this the third year going through this. I feel very very good about it. If today's opening a school is any indication I think we're in for a really fine year. I know that we're ready for two academic programs that we haven't ventured in the past and we're ready to give the kids the opportunity to pursue their educational goals as quickly as possible. The one thing that we always worry about of course is a smooth opening school I think we had one this morning. You've been working with the kids over the summer and with your faculty and what's the attitude is it. Is there a new attitude within the school. Well I think we had a pretty positive attitude last year when we started I think this year it's remained the same. The teachers are energetic they're enthusiastic about starting again. It was a long summer. I think that the city being in the state that it was was a calm summer for the city the teachers were really looking forward to getting in to school and working with the students. Students seemed relieved to get back to school. I don't know whether this was a boring summer or there there weren't enough jobs or whatever but

the kids seem to be happy to be here and we had a large number of students this morning in 8900 2000 students on an opening day which is very good for us. Now under the plan this the magnet school is supposed to draw and people are already saying that this is becoming one of the best magnet schools in the city. What do you think do you think it can fulfill the court's promise of being the heart and the breath of desegregation in this city. I think it can. I think you can do it on a voluntary basis but it's going to call for a lot of work and it's going to cost us a lot of money. It's going to cost us a lot of manpower. Our magnet programs are very substantial. We try to have a number of magnet programs rather than just one because I feel that one magnet program can only draw on one segment of students. We have two or three and we think that they draw students on a voluntary basis. I think that if we are able to assess the needs and desires of the communities in Boston and design magnets around those desires and we will be able to move on to voluntarily

integrate schools. So you're very optimistic about this school year. Oh certainly I certainly am. I'm looking forward to it. I'm glad it started. Thank you so. Good. Thank you very much. Get some cookies. Those of you for and again. You know we're going to go get to class one. OK. Here we go. Now Mara. Ok ok. My point to English is. Mara how long have you been going English. Three years. Do you like it. Yeah. No it's just a nice go. People get along better than they used to. You know there's not enough fights and stuff like this.

What about you Sharon why do you enjoy English people. Like the ones I have. What about the programs. Do you like the programs that are offered here at the school is programs here than in any of the schools that I've looked in. You know like you can take a whole bunch of course is like single live and they give you courses that often in any other schools. You would you think it's worthwhile to go here. How much longer before you graduate. What do you think you'll do after graduation. OK. Good for you good luck. Thank you very much. Thank you. So. Much. All.

Right. OK. So. This is.

Your. Life. He'll be watching you. On. The thing. You're. Just. Like. Oh. My god.

Give me. So it. Is all about. Oh my. God. All. Right. Guys.

My. Battery is. Dead. Hey. Hey. Hey.

Hey. Hey. Hey.

Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey.