Joe Louis Clark (May 8, 1938 – December 29, 2020) was an American educator and administrator, who was best known for his tenure as

principal Principal may refer to: Title or rank * Principal (academia), the chief executive of a university ** Principal (education), the head of a school * Principal (civil service) or principal officer, the senior management level in the UK Civil Ser ...

of Eastside High School in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Lean on Me'', starring

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...

Early life

Clark was born in

Rochelle, Georgia Rochelle is a city in Wilcox County, Georgia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,167. History The community was named after La Rochelle, in France. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Rochelle as a town in 1888. G ...

, on May 8, 1938. At the age of 6, Clark and his family moved to

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, where he would graduate from Central High School. He went on to receive a bachelor's degree from

William Paterson College William Paterson University, known as WP, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey, United States. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 an ...

, a master's degree from

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...

, and an honorary doctorate from the U.S. Sports Academy. Clark was a

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

in the

US Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. History Origi ...

, where he was assigned as a

drill sergeant A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors. Australia Aust ...

. He was selected for ''honoris causa'' membership in

Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Delta Kappa (), also known as The Circle and ODK, is an American collegiate honor society that recognizes leadership and scholarship. It was founded in 1914, at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia and has chartered more t ...

in 1997 at

SUNY Plattsburgh The State University of New York at Plattsburgh (SUNY Plattsburgh) is a public university in Plattsburgh, New York, United States. The university was founded in 1889 and officially opened in 1890. The university is part of the State University ...

Career

Clark began his career at the elementary school level, and later ran the camps and playgrounds system for

Essex County, New Jersey Essex County is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is one of the centrally located counties in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's second-most populous county,< ...

Eastside High School

In 1982, he was appointed principal of Eastside High. Clark was seen as an educator who was not afraid to get tough on difficult students, one who would often carry a bullhorn or a baseball bat at school. When criticized for this, Clark explained the bat was never meant to be used as a weapon, but rather as a metaphor for life: "A student could either strike out or hit a home run." During his time as principal, Clark expelled over 300 students who were frequently tardy or absent from school, sold or used drugs in school, or caused trouble in school. Though some argue that his tough practices made the school far safer, its academic accomplishments remained woefully inadequate. "While math scores are up 6% during Clark's reign, reading scores have barely budged: they remain in the bottom third of the nation's high school seniors. While a few more students are going to college -- 211, up from 182 in 1982 -- Clark has lost considerable ground in the battle against dropouts: when he arrived, Eastside's rate was 13%; now

n 1988 N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

it is 21%." In 1986, he had the school's doors chained shut to keep intruders away, though city officials eventually ordered them to be removed, saying that the practice represented a violation of fire safety laws. Clark's tough tactics earned him substantial attention, with particular praise from President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

; in 1988, Clark was briefly considered for a position in the Reagan White House. He was the subject of a ''Time'' magazine cover story, which noted that Clark's style as principal was primarily disciplinarian in nature, focused on encouraging school pride and good behavior, although Clark was also portrayed as a former social activist in the film '' Lean on Me''. "Clark's use of force may rid the school of unwanted students," commented Boston principal Thomas P. O'Neill Jr., "but he also may be losing kids who might succeed." George McKenna, former principal of

Washington Preparatory High School George Washington Preparatory High School is a public four-year high school of Los Angeles Unified School District in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located in the Westmont census-designated place and has a Los Angeles pos ...

in Los Angeles, often cited as a contemporary of Joe Clark as a school reformer with a similarly outgoing approach, was also critical. "Our role is to rescue and to be responsible," McKenna told ''Time''. "If the students were not poor black children, Joe Clark would not be tolerated." Other educators defended and praised Clark. "You cannot use a democratic and collaborative style when crisis is rampant and disorder reigns," said Kenneth Tewel, a former principal. "You need an autocrat to bring things under control." Some critics focused on the fact that while Clark had reestablished cleanliness and order, education scores had not substantially improved, which resulted in Eastside High being taken over by the state one year after Clark's departure in 1991; the very outcome he sought to avoid.Getting Tough
Time, February 1, 1988. Separate criticism focused on the social impact of expelling delinquent students to improve test scores, claiming that "tossing out the troublesome low achievers" simply moved the problems from the school onto the street. Clark defended the practice, saying teachers should not have to waste their time on students who do not want to learn; however, ''Time'' noted that the national dropout rate for such students remained high across the country and, with few alternatives available, each inner city school that had been able to reverse the trend had done so through "a bold, enduring principal" such as Clark. Further, he was "able to maintain or restore order without abandoning the students who are in trouble." After his tenure as principal of Eastside High concluded in 1989, Clark became a public speaker.

Essex County Detention House

In 1995, he was appointed director of the Essex County Detention House in Newark, New Jersey, a juvenile detention facility. He resigned in 2002, amid an investigation into whether he was allowing the use of excessive force and punitive punishments against detainees, which included placing some detainees in handcuffs for up to 11 days, or in straitjackets for up to a day; and in other instances, detaining some to their cells for 23 hours a day, for over a month in some cases. The state's Juvenile Justice Commission also cited him for allowing the facility to be filmed for a television program. Clark defended his tactics, saying that the official guidelines were "anarchistic" and unsafe, and resigned in protest of the commission, who he dismissed as "regal-minded, nonsensical, condescending louts".

Personal life

Clark was the father of

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

track athletes, daughters Joetta Clark Diggs and Hazel Clark, and J.J. Clark, his son, who is a track coach. He was also the father-in-law of Olympic track athlete

Jearl Miles Clark Jearl Atawa Miles Clark (née Miles; born September 4, 1966, in Gainesville, Florida) is an American athlete who competed mainly in the 400 and 800 meters. She held the American record in the women's 800 m at 1:56.40. She competed for th ...

. He resided in

Newberry, Florida Newberry is a city located in the southwest corner of Alachua County, Florida, United States. The population was 7,342 as of the 2020 Census, up from 4,950 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

, during his retirement. He died at home on December 29, 2020, at the age of 82.

References