Series: The Ten O'Clock News
Date: 1990-02-14
Duration: 00:02:51

Subject: School boards; School superintendents
People: Browne, Abigail; O'Bryant, John; von Mehren, Jan; Walsh-Tomasini, Rita; Willet, Sandra; Wilson, Dr. Laval;

Clip Description
Jan von Mehren reports that Laval Wilson (Superintendent, Boston Public Schools) was let go by the Boston School Committee. Von Mehren notes that Wilson attended an event honoring the partnership between the Boston Public Schools and the John Hancock Insurance Company. Von Mehren's report includes footage of the event. Sandra Willet (John Hancock Company) praises Wilson for his support of business-school partnerships. Wilson speaks to the media at the event. Wilson says that reading and math scores improved dramatically while he was superintendent. Wilson accuses the School Committee of not working with the superintendent to achieve goals. School Committee members Rita Walsh-Tomasini and Abigail Browne are in attendance at the event. Browne and Wilson say that Wilson is not the right person to manage the Boston Public Schools. Von Mehren reports that some members of the School Committee believe that racism is behind Wilson's firing. Von Mehren's report includes footage of John O'Bryant saying that Wilson would have had a different experience if he were white. Von Mehren notes that O'Bryant has compared Wilson's firing to the firing of the superintendent in Selma, Alabama. Von Mehren's report features footage from a student demonstration in Selma, Alabama in 1990 and footage of Walsh-Tomasini saying that race had nothing to do with Wilson's situation.

This edition of the Ten O'Clock News also included the following items:
Hope Kelly reviews the major events and key issues during the tenure of Laval Wilson (Superintendent, Boston Public Schools)
Review of Laval Wilson's tenure

Meg Vaillancourt interviews Nthabiseng Mabuza (Cambridge resident) about the release of Nelson Mandela
Nthabiseng Mabuza talks about Nelson Mandela

Series Description
A local program aimed at the Boston audience, The Ten O'Clock News debuted on January 15, 1976. Its two immediate predecessors were The Reporters and Evening Compass. A news and public affairs show focusing on neighborhood, local and state issues, The Reporters was produced and broadcast on WGBH from 1970 to 1973. The Reporters was then replaced by Evening Compass, which expanded into a twice-nightly news broadcast during the tense moments of Boston's busing crisis. On the air from 1973 to 1975, Evening Compass found an audience through its in-depth coverage of school desegregation in Boston, which began in 1974. The Ten O'Clock News stood out as an in-depth news program. It strove for a balance between local and national stories, between politics and the Arts. The last The Ten O'Clock News program was broadcast on May 30, 1991.

See also: http://main.wgbh.org/ton/programs/7083_01