Edmonds Playground

Edmonds Playground. .917 Acre. , Ronald R. Edmonds (1935-1983) was an African American educational expert known for his commitment to improving public schools. NYC Parks and the Board of Education (now the NYC Department of Education) opening the jointly operated JHS 294 playground in March 1959. Bounded on three sides by Adelphi Street, Dekalb Avenue, and Carlton Avenue, the fourth side faces the Ronald Edmonds Learning Center. The Department of Education renumbered the school JHS 113 Ronald Edmonds, and former NYC Parks Commissioner Henry J. Stern renamed the playground for Edmonds in 1986., Ronald R. Edmonds was born on May 24, 1935 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He received his bachelor's degree in history from the University of Michigan in 1964 and a master's degree from Eastern Michigan University. In 1973 he received a certificate from the Administrative Career Program at Harvard University., From 1970 to 1972, Edmonds served as an assistant superintendent in the Michigan Department of Public Instruction. In 1973 he joined the education faculty of Harvard University and later became the director of its Center for Urban Studies. Edmonds was appointed senior assistant for instruction under New York City Schools Chancellor Frank J. Macchiarola in 1978, where he served for three years., Edmonds initiated the School Improvement Project, which focused on discipline and management. He believed that improving schools for the poorest children would raise the performance of all children. In his last annual report, Chancellor Macchiarola wrote that New York City public school had undertaken reforms based on Edmonds' "seemingly obvious but actually revolutionary concept that all children can learn…" At a time when many educators questioned the validity of testing, Edmonds felt that standardized reading and math tests gave students important information about their performance and indicated to educators and administrators the quality of the education being offered at the school., In addition to his lasting influence on city schools, Edmonds wrote two books, The Negro in American History (1955) and Black Colleges in America (1978). He returned to Michigan in 1981, where he served as a professor in education at Michigan State University until his death on July 15, 1983.