THE SCHOOL THAT REFUSED TO DIE:  HOW ONE VULNERABLE
URBAN HIGH SCHOOL SURVIVED AND THRIVED ON CHANGE

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 2 -- Thomas Jefferson High School,
with a central pyramidal tower and busts of its namesake, resembled
an art deco temple when it opened in Richmond on Sept. 11, 1930.
Over the years the school, much like its namesake, developed a
reputation for academic rigor.  ÒTee-Jay,Ó as it was popularly
called, became more than a building; it developed a character and a
culture of academic excellence as one of VirginiaÕs premiere high
schools.
	As times changed in Richmond, the school became first an
icon of resistance to integration and, later, a symbol of RichmondÕs
last hope for integration.  A paragon of tradition in its early
years, Tee-Jay came to represent both stability and flexibility as
it confronted the challenges of a changing student body, declining
resources and new educational priorities.
	The story of the schoolÕs determination to preserve its
academic excellence without sacrificing its commitment to preparing
well-rounded students in the face of diverse social and financial
pressures is told in ÒThe School That Refused to Die:  Continuity
and Change at Thomas Jefferson High School,Ó by Daniel L. Duke, a
University of Virginia professor in the Curry School of Education.
	A 1965 Tee-Jay graduate, Duke not only chronicles the life
of Thomas Jefferson High School, but relates it to the larger
picture of what is happening in American education generally and in
urban education specifically.  His portrayal of Tee-Jay as the
school faced racial integration, facility decay, loss of academic
focus and political restructuring offers insights on how urban
schools can meet todayÕs challenges.
	Published by the State University of New York Press, the
book offers glimpses into the lives of hundreds of educators and
thousands of students over the years who contributed to Tee-JayÕs
culture of excellence.  Readers learn, for example, how department
chairs were chosen for their expertise and leadership ability, not
for being popular.  Teachers made substantial demands on students
and set high standards to promote academic and other types of
competition.  The school newspaper monthly reported the homeroom
with the highest percentage of students on the honor roll.
	Tee-Jay was the first high school in the Richmond area to
introduce the concept of student government.  To encourage students
to take an active role in the school, newly elected student officers
were installed in an impressive ceremony in the auditorium.  Because
students and faculty participated in the schoolÕs development and
took pride in the schoolÕs reputation, they developed a strong
loyalty for Tee-Jay -- particularly when gaining any kind of win
over rival John Marshall High School.
	With the same attention he devotes to the early years of
Tee-JayÕs rise to excellence, Duke describes how the school faced
court-ordered busing, student unrest, white flight,
district-sponsored alternative schools, high school consolidation,
budget crises, closure threats, magnet programs and co-existence
with a GovernorÕs School.  A nationally recognized expert in
policies related to leadership, teacher evaluation, professional
development and school reform, Duke uses his knowledge of school
administration to show how each event impacted the culture of
academic excellence that had been so painstakingly crafted during
the schoolÕs first 30 years.
	ÒTee-JayÕs history reflects three contemporary social
concerns -- school desegregation, school improvement and school
survival,Ó Duke said.
	He believes Tee-JayÕs story holds a key to the future of
comprehensive high schools and integration in urban areas.  ÒThat
Tee-Jay has remained open, despite three serious attempts to shut it
down, casts light on contemporary politics of school survival.
Tee-JayÕs recent history demonstrates the value of changing while
remaining the same.  How Tee-Jay achieved its marriage of opposites
is one of the schoolÕs most interesting sidelines and, perhaps,
noteworthy for other high schools threatened with extinction,Ó Duke
said.
	The book describes how on numerous occasions faculty,
administrators, students, parents and alumni rallied to protect the
school.  ÒThe task of developing a culture of academic excellence at
Thomas Jefferson High School is surpassed only by the struggle to
preserve it,Ó said Duke.  He hopes the book provides valuable
lessons for politicians and lobbyists for educational reform.
	ÒThe tendency of educational reformers to ignore the lessons
of the past is pronounced,Ó said Duke.  In its Òglory days,Ó Tee-Jay
was viewed as a model of academic excellence, not only in the South,
but throughout the nation.  The author hopes that by telling the
story of a Òschool that refused to die,Ó Tee-Jay can become a model
of how public urban schools an survive tough political and financial
times.
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May 1, 1995
	FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact Duke at (804) 924-3880.
Edward Pruden, Tee-JayÕs current principal who is willing to comment
on the book, can be reached at (804) 786-6028.  Former Tee-Jay
principals willing to comment on the schoolÕs history include
William Brock at (804) 750-1720 and Gordon Hill, now a principal in
Providence, RI, at (401) 456-9161.  For review copies of the book,
contact SUNY Press, c/o CUP Services, P.O. Box 6525, Ithaca, NY
14851 or phone (607) 277-2211.