Isaac E. Young Principal Anthony Bongo was granted permission to walk in the graduation ceremony last week at Columbia University Teachers College, subject to completion of all requirements. It is typical that doctoral candidates who are waiting a final read of their dissertation but have completed all their course work and reached the final stages on their dissertation are allowed to go through the ceremony. Bongo has been enrolled in the Organization and Leadership program, a sort of “executive” doctoral program since 1996.
At the parent meeting last Wednesday (March 30th) at the Isaac E. Young School, Larraine Karl, a New Rochelle resident went to the podium to ask Mr. Bongo about his qualifications to be the Principal of the school…Bongo failed to mention that it took him eight years to obtain his undergraduate degree after bouncing in and out of college and that he first enrolled in the doctoral program at Columbia University’s Teachers College fifteen years ago and was no longer a candidate in “good standing” at the school. Bongo began at “TC” in 1996 and is not currently enrolled in any classes, as is required each semester. Bongo’s answer was misleading and duplicitous.
It is quite amazing that in that context Bongo would fail to mention that after fifteen years he was just seven weeks away from “graduating”. In fact, there is something odd about the whole thing.
Bongo’s dissertation is entitled Who Cares in a Middle School Classroom? An Inquiry into How Teachers Care at One Middle School. Anyone care to guess which middle school? Talk of the Sound will obtain a copy of the dissertation once it is published.
Bongo’s Dissertation Sponsor is Robert Monson.
Robert Monson is a name that will be familiar to long-time readers of Talk of the Sound as the despicable NYSED hack who refused to consider rather obvious evidence that New Rochelle school officials lied to him in an investigation of wrongdoing with regard to a New York State Regents Exam. As District Superintendent of BOCES Southern Westchester, Schools Superintendent Richard Organisciak technically reports to Monson within the NYSED hierarchy.
An investigator appointed by the Assistant Commissioner of the New York State Department of Education has concluded that he is unable to make a determination of wrongdoing by New Rochelle school teachers and administrators after school official denied any knowledge of the document at the heart of the investigation — a “second” version of an exam answer sheet that had led the SED to launch the investigation this past February.
Robert J. Monson, District Superintendent of BOCES Southern Westchester, reported to Assistant Commissioner David Abrams on Friday that he had questioned two administrators — Joyce Kent, the Chairperson of the New Rochelle High School Science Department and Don Conetta, the Principal of New Rochelle High School — both of whom told Monson they had no knowledge of the second answer sheet document. Abrams has since received documents conclusively demonstrating that much of the handwriting on the second answer sheet is, in fact, that of Joyce Kent.
At Isaac E. Young Middle School an announcement was made over the loud speaker system last week stating that Mr. Bongo had graduated with his doctorate. Bongo wasted no time having the Isaac web site edited to add the title “Dr.” to his name. According to the Office of Doctoral Studies at Columbia Teachers College Anthony Bongo was give permission to walk in the graduation ceremony but will not graduate until he submits his final requirements which the Office of Doctoral Studies expected to be completed by July. Until then Mr. Bongo remains a Doctoral Candidate as he has been since 1996 and may not use the title “Doctor”.
Rest assured, Talk of the Sound will be checking later this summer to see that Mr. Bongo has completed the work required to call himself Dr. Bongo at which point we will offer our congratulations on his having actually received his doctorate. Until then, we are still watching Anthony!