Renowned Disciplinarian Joe Clark to Speak Feb. 20
Posted January 21, 2002FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
York, Pennsylvania—Joe Clark, the bat-wielding, bullhorn-touting former principal of Patterson, New Jersey's Eastside High School and the subject of the film "Lean On Me" will speak at York College of Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 7:30 p.m. in Wolf Gymnasium B. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is a highlight of York College's 2001-2002 Cultural Series, "American Impressions and Expressions."
On a single day during his first week as principal of Eastside High School in 1984, Clark expelled 300 students for fighting, vandalism, drug possession, profanity or abusing teachers. A former Army drill instructor, Clark thwarts those who believe that the learning process is disrupted by tough discipline. Instead of offering sympathy, Clark held high expectations for his students, challenging them to develop habits for success and confronting them when they failed to reform.
After only two years of Clark's leadership, New Jersey's governor declared the formerly raucous institution a model school. Clark himself was named one of the nation's top ten "Principals of Leadership" in 1986. President Reagan named him a model educator and offered him a White House post as policy advisor (Clark turned down the job). Clark's accomplishments are the subject of the 1989 Warner Brothers film "Lean On Me" starring Morgan Freeman as Joe Clark.
After seven years as principal of Eastside High School, Clark resigned in 1991 and began speaking on the national lecture circuit. Clark began his latest crusade in 1995 when he was appointed director of Essex County Detention, a juvenile detention center in Newark, N.J. He continues to serve in that post.
Clark grew up in Newark, N.J. He received a bachelor of arts degree from William Paterson College and a master's degree from Seton Hall University. He did additional post-graduate work at Columbia University and Rutgers University to gain his doctorate equivalency.
For more information about the lecture, call (717) 815-1239.
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