JOIN THE CONVERSATION—IS IT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF TEACHERS?Questions to Consider:- In your view, is it the responsibility of schools and teachers to deal with problems such
as the ones discussed in these autobiographies? Explain. - Lauren Rosenberg, Samuel Charles, Ruth Santos, Adeola Tella, and J. B. Barton tell
stories that are moving and painful for them. If you had a story like these, would you
be willing to share it would other teachers? Would you be willing to share it with stu-
dents who are experiencing similar difficulties? Explain.
SECTION C: WHY ARE STUDENTS AT RISK?
Every Student Here Is At Risk
By Alan Singer
From 1982 until 1990, I taught at Franklin K. Lane High School in Brooklyn, New York, a school
with more than 4,000 students and 300 teachers. Most of my students were from ethnic and racial
minority groups, and many were from poor families. Individually and collectively they were con-
sidered at risk of failure in school and in life. David Santana and Eric Larson (not their actual
names) were students in my 11th-grade social studies classes. An earlier version of this essay was
published in the Spring 1991 issue of Democracy and Education.—Alan Singer
David Santana was older than the other students in my 11th-grade class, and standardized
tests showed that he was reading at significantly below grade level. He had a long history
of failure in school. During the spring semester he became involved in our class oral his-
tory project, working with a group of students who helped to draw up a questionnaire for
the class. Later, he interviewed his grandfather about migration from Puerto Rico to New
York City.
David’s interview with his grandfather was impressive. With assistance from other stu-
dents, he edited his work and it was published in a school magazine. The interview became
part of the social studies curriculum and was used to help students have a better under-
standing of the experience of recent immigrants to the United States. Later, it was included
in an article about the use of oral history in high school and published in a social studies ed-
ucation journal.
To the best of my knowledge, David never learned about his accomplishments. Toward
the end of the term, he started to skip school. I called him at home and he told me that he
was having problems but he would try to come to class. Eventually he stopped attending
school altogether. The next year I spotted David in the neighborhood with a group of drug
abusers and he did not look well. I never saw him after that. David Santana was at risk as a
student and in life, and I do not believe he made it.
Eric Larson was a tall, athletic, West Indian immigrant to the United States. In 11th-grade,
he became involved in the school’s political action club. Eric believed it was important for
Black males to give positive leadership. He became a spokesperson for the club, attended a
rally in Washington, D.C., testified at board of education hearings, appeared on a cable tele-
242 CHAPTER 9