TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
which high school students earn college scholarships by making the honor roll. For years, Brother Reed hosted an informal monthly meeting of area school superintendents at The Post. Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Frances Bullitt Reed, a former elementary school reading specialist, of Washington; two brothers; and a sister. Brother Reed once reflected on his upbringing and how it informed his philosophy. “We were poor, but we made it,” he told The 'Wash- ington Post. “We had to do without some things sometimes, but we made it. That’s why I get so upset when we tell our kids they can’t learn because they come from meager circumstances.”
through eight superintendents. His predecessor, had left amid charged battles over race and class in the school system. Brother Reed was credited with making swift ad- ministrative and practical changes that improved the delivery of school supplies, ended inflated spending and eliminated morale-sapping payroll mistakes. In the classroom, he eschewed pedagogical trends to instead focus on basic skills such as math and read- ing. To improve academic performance and end social promotions, he introduced a competency-based cur- riculum under which students were required to learn particular fundamental skills to move on to the next grade. Those who failed were given special remedial instruction. The system seemed to work: In 1979, test scores rose for the first time in a decade, and the following year they rose again. In December 1980, Brother Reed announced that he would resign. The Post editorial board wrote that the city had “an emergency on its hands” and argued for him to be given an extended contract that would pro- tect him from looming changes to retiree benefits. He received an outpouring of requests that he stay. The month after his resignation, the school board voted to create what became Benjamin Banneker High, called “an important source of pride for both the school system and the city.” He was born March 1, 1928, in St. Louis and was the 14 th of 17 children. His father was an insurance sales- man and drove a laundry truck. His mother stressed education. Brother Reed received a physical-education degree in 1952 from what is now West Virginia State Univer- sity and began his career there as a football coach. He was initatied into the Tau of Kappa Alpha Psi ® in 1951. He was an Army veteran of the Korean War. After settling in Washington, he received a master’s degree in educational administration from Howard University in 1965. In March 1981, President Ronald Reagan named Brother Reed Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education. He served in that posi- tion, overseeing matters including federal funding for schools, until joining The Washington Post in 1982. As head of communications, he was the newspaper’s chief liaison with the public on matters other than news and editorial questions, and its chief spokesman on business issues. His responsibilities included the company’s educa- tional and charitable programs, which were greatly ex- panded under his stewardship. Among them were the Agnes Meyer awards, which are given to outstanding Washington-area teachers, and a program through
By Emily Langer, Special to the Journal
Reed in his superintendent’s office in 1980. (Craig Herndon/The Washington Post
Publishing achievement for more than 100 years
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