Education Obituary

Disadvantaged Youths’ Advocate in New York City Dies

By Rob Bock — February 26, 2013 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Richard L. Murphy, a former youth-services director in New York City who created the advocacy organization that evolved into the Harlem Children’s Zone, died Feb. 14 of complications from stomach cancer, The New York Times reported. He was 68.

The Rheedlen Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Mr. Murphy in 1970, first worked with families in Harlem to stem truancy. In 1990, after 20 years of working with Rheedlen, Mr. Murphy was appointed commissioner of the New York City Division of Youth Services by then-Mayor David N. Dinkins. Through the Safe Streets, Safe City program, Mr. Murphy spearheaded the Beacon Schools initiative, which let community agencies use space in schools to coordinate social, educational, health, and recreational programs for children and their families outside of school hours.

BRIC ARCHIVE

One of the first Beacon centers was opened, in partnership with Rheedlen, in a public school in Harlem, and later became the Harlem Children’s Zone, according to the HCZ website. The nationally watched effort now serves some 14,000 children and adults in the neighborhood.

After Mr. Dinkins’ term ended and Rudolph W. Giuliani took office in 1994, Mr. Murphy’s tenure with the city ended in controversy, the Times reported, though an investigation into allegations of mismanagement of the youth division found no wrongdoing. Later, Mr. Murphy helped open a culinary-arts high school in the city, and he served as the director of the Center for Youth Development and Policy Research at the Academy for Educational Development, in Washington.

A version of this article appeared in the February 27, 2013 edition of Education Week as Disadvantaged Youths’ Advocate in New York City Dies

Events

School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Teaching Students to Use Artificial Intelligence Ethically
Ready to embrace AI in your classroom? Join our master class to learn how to use AI as a tool for learning, not a replacement.
Content provided by Solution Tree
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Empowering Students Using Computational Thinking Skills
Empower your students with computational thinking. Learn how to integrate these skills into your teaching and boost student engagement.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: October 23, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: October 2, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: September 18, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: August 28, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read