Comments on: Finally: McCourt HS

By: John Kwok

John Kwok — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:35:32 +0000

Columbia University's recent decision to suspend its environmental journalism program is one glaring example as to why a Frank McCourt High School may fail in its mission. You can read about it here:

http://ow.ly/vhIg

By: John Kwok

John Kwok — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:35:32 +0000

By: UWS parents and politicos took central role in McCourt’s building | GothamSchools

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:02:47 +0000

[...] school that Chancellor Klein debuted this month hews to that image in important ways. But the DOE’s plan diverges from the parent and [...]

By: John Kwok

John Kwok — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:38:12 +0000

Hilda,

Your son might be better off investigating the specialized high school that's affiliated with City College, since it's in your neighborhood, or those I have cited both here and in my recently published letter to the editor. Given the relatively small size of the Frank McCourt High School, the school itself won't have as much with regards to educational facilities as those I have cited.

Neal, good to see you here. It's really a pleasure seeing how devoted you are to our alma mater.

By: nealhurwitz

nealhurwitz — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 07:33:52 +0000

Lovely!

By: Hilda O'Bryan

Hilda O'Bryan — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:13:39 +0000

I'm so excited about this new school. We are currently looking for a new school for our son who will be entering 9th grade the fall of 2010. We live in the Hamilton Heights Harlem area. How can I get more information about the school? When will there be an Open House? Who can I speak to regarding admission to the school? Please advise via email below.

Thank you.

By: John Kwok

John Kwok — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 03:14:04 +0000

I have shared news of the school's opening with a prominent journalist who shares my ample skepticism that a high school of this kind is necessary and useful. We boh believe that it is too soon for high school students to begin specializing towards a potential career in writing and journalism, when what is really required is a solid background in all subjects, and especially, in the sciences, mathematics and technology, since ours is a modern civilization that is heavily dependent upon science and technology. Given the dire state of American scientific illiteracy recently documented in books like Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum's "Unscientific America: How Science Illiterarcy Threatens our Future", and my friend Ken Miller's "Only A Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America's Soul", I can't see how a school like this can make substantial progress toward addressing the vast problem of scientific illiteracy that is a dire threat to our future economic and intellectual well being.

As a former prize-winning student of Frank McCourt's at Stuyvesant High School, I strongly believe that his legacy should be celebrated and remembered appropriately. However, I am not convinced that the Frank McCourt High School devoted to writing and journalism is the best means of celebrating and preserving that legacy.

Sincerely yours,

John Kwok.