CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff Unveils 37%, A Deep Dive Into A Struggling School District

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- CBS2 on Tuesday unveiled 37%, a special report that was a year in the making.

It's titled after the graduation rate at Hempstead High School, amounting to one of the lowest in the nation. Chaos and dysfunction has been a way of life there, but recently the district was offered a fresh start. An accomplished educator was hired to turn things around a year ago, and CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff decided to follow his path for better or worse.

What she found was that things didn't go at all as planned.

The district's troubles go back decades, but Gusoff's journey began with the surprising hire of Dr. Shimon Waronker. Harvard-educated and deeply religious, he was brought in by a deeply divided school board to fix Hempstead's problems. Instead of a clear path to success, he stepped into a cauldron of opposing forces.

For more on Gusoff's in-depth reporting, check out 37% in its entirety.