Established in 1986 as an unusual partnership between the city and the renowned Boys Choir of Harlem, the Choir Academy of Harlem is undergoing a major transformation. In early 2006, the city Department of Education severed ties with the choir and evicted it from the school building. Now the city has entered a partnership with a California-based community development organizationfounded by basketball great Kevin Johnsonto run the school.

In the years after it opened, Choir Academy earned a reputation for offering talented students from all over the city, but especially from District 5, the opportunity to receive extraordinary music training along with their academics. But the relationship between the choir and city education officials frayed severely beginning in 2002 with the onset of a series of problems, including the arrest and conviction of a school counselor on charges relating to the sexual abuse of a student. The choir still exists, but is located elsewhere and has no affiliation with the school.

Johnson's not-for-profit St. HOPE organization operates a number of projectsincluding charter school venturesaimed at revitalizing the inner city of Sacramento, California. In a press release announcing a new partnership with St. HOPE last July, the Department of Education said the group would work with the city "to strengthen and better integrate the Choir Academy's academic rigor and musical focusallowing the school to offer a rich, high-quality education for the students of Harlem and across the City." St. HOPE is expected to begin formal operations with the city in September 2007, according to an article in New York's Daily News, although representatives were already at the school when we visited, gearing up for the next school year.

During our visit it was clear that the turmoil the school has faced in recent timesincluding the coming and going of four principals in four yearshas left both administrators and students weary. "The kids lack authority figures and wonder why they should listen if they know you won't be around next year," one teacher said. Some administrators and teachers told us that they are weighing whether to stay on.

Another problem is low academic performance. If the school performs below grade level again, it faces being placed on the list of New York State schools that risk being closed. And although the school itself is quiet and safe, Choir students sometimes have fights with kids from surrounding schools.

On the positive side, students are tightly knit and support each other. On the day of our visit, we saw performances that were lackluster in comparison to the performances of the past, but that could serve as the basis for a strong arts department in the future. To the credit of the current administration, the school has sought to regain some of what has been lost. Students benefit from sports clubs in golf, soccer, and basketball; college trips; and SAT prep. (Jacquie Wayans, November 2006)

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