Remember the movie "Lean on Me"? ... I found some interesting

[battleknight24]

information...

While the real life Joe Clark may have made Eastside High School safer, he apparently did not improve the educational environment anywhere near what the movie has you believe.

From: http://course1.winona.edu/pjohnson/h140/lean.htm

...
"There is some differences between what happened in real life and how the director, John Avildsen, portrayed Joe Clark in the movie Lean On Me. In the movie Clark was able to raise the student test scores to a level that protected the school from being taken over by the state. In real life, Eastside High was never in a threat of a take over. Clark has claimed that during his first year as principal he doubled the test scores of the students, but according to the Education Digest, 1989, they state that there is no such evidence to support Clark’s claim of this. In fact, according to this article the scores of the students at Eastside High were the lowest in the state of New Jersey between the years of 1986 to 1988. It goes on to say that over these years the percentage of students who actually did pass was as low as 24.1%. The author of this article, Irwin Hyman, tries to uncover if the "Dirty Harry" tactics used by Clark are needed in situations like these. These stricter punishment strategies used by Clark were recognized and supported by President Reagan."

Pretty interesting how so many conservatives look up to Joe Clark!

What do you guys think?


Peace,

[bookman]

1. He's just a fraud....

..I grew up in Paterson, NJ.

Clark moved out a number of students to an alternative school thus resulting in scores that were slightly better.

Just another fraud. Reagan needed some propaganda and used Clark.

[TahitiNut]

2. It must be true. Morgan Freeman wouldn't lie to me.

:silly:

[battleknight24]

3. I love Morgan Freeman too!... And I think this movie is entertaining...

... but as a "True" story, it isn't... it is a complete farce.


Peace,

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. I'm not surprised.

I remember watching that movie thinking that nobody who wrote that pap had spent any time with actual teenagers.