Photo Album of a 1970s New York City Elementary School Class

[Brooklyn, NYC]: n.p., 1972. Very good plus.. Revealing 1970s photo album of elementary-aged NYC special education students, carefully assembled by their teacher. Original photo album compiled by a teacher in the special education program of an unnamed Bedford-Stuyvesant school. The students in the so-called "CRMD" program ("Children with Retarded Mental Development") are shown in their classrooms, at recess and class parties, with "Powder" (a small white dog), and most often various theatrical productions (including THE SOUND OF MUSIC and WEST SIDE STORY). Captions date these classes between 1970 and 1972. Likely compiled by "Miss Davidow," a young white teacher shown in a number of pictures throughout the album, this album clearly demonstrates her love and affection for her students, as well as theirs for her.

According to a 1972 Bedford-Stuyvesant Development and Services study ("A Report on Education in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Some Proposals for Change" by Percy Jenkins): "The Board of Education is mandated to provide programs for retarded children between the ages of 5 and 21 [...] A retarded child is placed in a school, based on his I.Q. and the availability of classes near his home [...] Enough children have been permanently "tracked" into CRMD classes to give these classes and the Bureau of Child Guidance a tarnished reputation in Bedford-Stuyvesant" (71-2). As scholar Clarence Taylor explains, "teachers in schools located in Black and Puerto Rican neighborhoods had lower expectations for their students and believed that the curriculum had to be adjusted to accommodate their lower ability," a fact which often led to these students' disproportionate enrollment in programs like the CRMD (53). Despite these inequalities, joyful images and captions such as "The Group," "I Love Randy!," and "We Play Together" convey a tone of warmth and intimacy. A tender portrait of pedagogy in practice, worthy of further attention and study. 11.25'' x 9.25''. Spiral bound commercial color pictorial photo album with psychedelic floral motifs. 10 photo adhesive leaves with clear plastic overlays containing 58 snapshot photographs mounted recto and verso. Most images 3.25'' square color, with a handful in other sizes and/or black-and-white. Child's construction-paper silhouette mounted to first leaf (titled "Children C.R.M.D. 1970-Present"). Adhesive pages toned at edges, but all photo mounts holding and plastic overlay intact. Minor edgewear.