Joe Louis Clark
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joe Louis Clark (born May 7, 1938 in Rochelle, Georgia) is the former principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, one of New Jersey's toughest inner city schools. He is also the subject of the 1989 film Lean on Me, starring Morgan Freeman.
He is also the father of the Olympic track athletes Joetta Clark-Diggs and Hazel Clark, and the father-in-law of Olympic track athlete Jearl Miles-Clark.
Contents |
[edit] Education
Clark was educated at William Paterson, Seton Hall, Columbia and Rutgers universities. He is a former U.S. Army drill sergeant.
[edit] As principal of Eastside High School
He took over as principal at Eastside High School in Paterson, in 1983 with a vow to change school operations and student behaviors. He made good on his promise and two years later was named one of the nation’s "10 Principals of Leadership", the same year the state’s governor, Thomas Kean, declared this formerly raucous institution a model school. Then U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett praised Clark as a tough educator for tough times, saying "Sometimes you need Mister Chips, sometimes you need Dirty Harry". [1] Time magazine featured the baseball bat-wielding Clark on its cover and said "If tough love is your thing, you can find a lot to love about Joe Clark".
[edit] Criticism
However, Clark's actions have not been without criticism. Teachers at the school claimed he was autocratic and tyrannical. Many left rather than continue to work with him. One teacher claimed Clark had her escorted off campus by police after she disagreed with him on a minor subject. It was also pointed out that while discipline problems lessened under Clark, the students' test scores did not rise as highly as the movie Lean on Me (film) would suggest. Many have also accused the controversial educator of being an anti-Semite. Clark claimed in one interview that Jews had bought the whole state of Florida. During a nationally-televised talk show, he called another guest a "Hymie".
[edit] Other activities
In addition to becoming a motivational speaker, he has also served as director of the Essex County Youth House in Newark, New Jersey, and is the author of Laying Down the Law. Clark has also generated controversy as director of the detention center for his harsh methods in dealing with the young offenders.
[edit] References
- ^ Getting Tough, Time, 1988-02-01.
