PRINCIPAL BATTLES FOR A BETTER SCHOOL

One day after NBC presented the story of Maude DeVictor in “Unnatural Causes,” CBS tonight serves up another TV movie about a contemporary black notable--George McKenna, the principal at George Washington High School in Southwest Los Angeles.

McKenna is credited as the catalyst in transforming the school from a violent, drug-plagued campus of low-achieving students to an institution where instruction is the daily order of business and a majorityof graduates continue their education in some form.

“The George McKenna Story,” airing at 9 p.m. on Channels2 and 8, tells the story of his first year on campus. With Denzel Washington in the lead role, it’s an encouraging film that, like “Unnatural Causes,” reminds us that determined, self-sacrificing individuals really can make a difference in the world.

Since this is a drama, not a documentary, the movie is short on McKenna’s educational philosophy and its practical applications and long on the less important but more visual conflicts such as gang fights and his relationship with his girlfriend (Lynn Whitfield).

McKenna is painted as nearly faultless, a frequent flaw in such TV biographies. To their credit, however, writer Charles Eric Johnson, director Eric Laneuville and producer Linda Otto have not built him up as a miracle worker: They make clear that a successful school needs not only a good leader but also dedicated teachers and involved parents.

They also portray movingly what McKenna already knows: that children’s lives are at stake in the battle for better schools.