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School Principal Madeline Cartrwight is "For the Children"

Cartwright took over Blaine Elementary School in a run-down, drug-infested neighborhood in North Philadelphia. One of her first acts when she took over the school was to get down on her hands and knees and scrub the foul-smelling children's bathroom. Cartwright got parents involved in the school, made it a safe place for the children to learn, brought up test scores and attendance, and became the subject of a a 1990 New York Times Magazine cover story: "Hope in Hell's Classroom." Now she's written her own story of Blaine Elementary School, called "For the Children: Lessons from a Visionary Principal."

16:30
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Other segments from the episode on September 9, 1994

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, September 9, 1994: Interview with Madeline Cartwright; Review of the fall television season; Interview with Mary Previte; Review of the film "A Good Man in Africa."
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16:03

Giving Kids Behind Bars the Chance to Grow

Mary Previte is the great granddaughter of missionary pioneer Hudson Taylor, and grew up in China with her missionary parents. During World War II, she and her fellow students and teachers spent three years in a Japanese concentration camp. Previte credits the structure her teachers' created with making the horrific experience bearable. For the past twenty years, Previte has run the Camden County (NJ) Youth Center, a holding center for boys and girls charged with serious crimes.

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22:41

Madeline Cartwright Discusses Her Career as a Principal.

Elementary school principal Madeline Cartwright took over the run-down Blaine Elementary School in a run-down, drug-infested neighborhood in North Philadelphia and turned it into a school that works. One of her first acts when she took over the school was to get down on her hands and knees and scrub the foul-smelling children's bathroom.

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47:54

Madeline Cartwright and Philadelphia Public Schools.

Madeline Cartwright worked as a teacher in Philadelphia public schools from 1959 to 1978, before moving into administration. Currently she is the principal at Blaine Elementary School, in the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia, and she has spent the last five years transforming Blaine from a typical low-income school into a community that sparkles. Cartwright's staff has nominated her for the John N. Patterson Award for Excellence in Public Education. Cartwright joins the show to discuss the problems that are facing Philadelphia schools and her approach to solving them.

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50:30

Kevin Hart Says Comedy's Full Of 'Flawed But Funny' People, Himself Included

For about 48 hours in December, Kevin Hart was slated to host the 2019 Academy Awards. Then Hart was called out for homophobic jokes and tweets he made in 2010, and the Academy asked him to apologize.

Hart insisted that he already had apologized. Finally, after some back and forth, Hart stepped down from hosting, saying he didn't want to be a distraction.

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