"Mrs. Brace said she has tried to start after-school enrichment programs in art and theater at Harding."
Ah, the arts! Maybe she should have been trying to start programs that had real meanings...such as manners, responsiblity, compliance to social standards, the importance of speaking English, etc...
In the beginning of the last century, public schools made it their mission to drag newly arrived immigrants into the American culture and middle class. Well, they sure don't do that anymore.