The feisty polysyllabic-speaking Clark was made for the helm of Eastside High. After two years of his leadership, New Jersey s governor declared the formerly raucous institution a model school. Clark thwarts those who believe that the learning process is disrupted by tough discipline. Instead of offering sympathy, Clark held high expectations for students, challenging them to develop habits for success and confronting them when they failed to reform. On a single day during his first week at Eastside, Clark expelled 300 students for fighting, vandalism, drug possession, profanity or abusing teachers.
Good citizenship demands attention to responsibilities as well as rights.
Clark won acclaim for his achievements in a Time cover story, two 60 Minutes profiles, and appearances on television news and talk shows. Clark is the subject of the Warner Brothers film, Lean On Me , starring two-time Oscar nominee Morgan Freeman as Joe Clark. After seven years as principal of Eastside High, he resigned in 1991 and began speaking on the country's lecture circuit. He is a nominee for the National Association of Campus activities 1996 Speaker of the Year Award. He says he accepted this challenging position because he is committed to Newark, where he grew up.