Educator DEBBIE MEIER. She's a nationally known authority on education, and the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius" award. She developed and directed three alternative elementary schools in East Harlem and later a Seondary School. The schools accept students on a first-come, first-serve basis. Classes are small and personalized, and the emphasis is on academic learning and inquiry. MEIER wanted to create an atmosphere where students learn democratic values, where teachers can hold kids accountable, and parents can become involved. A new book about what happened in East Harlem, thanks to MEIER and others is, "Miracle in East Harlem: The Fight for Choice in Public Education," by Seymour Fliegel with James MacGuire (Times
Copyright 1993 Fresh Air