The Audacity of Hope... in Akron

So, by now I'm sure that everyone has heard of Kelley Williams-Bolar, from Akron, Ohio who was arrested, indicted on two felony Larceny charges and imprisoned.  This whole fiasco came as a result of her trying to seek-out a quality education for her daughters outside of the drug-ridden and failing schools that were available to them by virtue of their zip code.  Yes, this woman was arrested, indicted, and imprisoned for being poor and having the audacity to want better for her children!  Sadly, this is what happens when there aren't any educational choices available to families who do not have the means to pay for a private education when the only free education available to them is sub-standard.

Ohio mother Kelley Williams-Bolar is led off to jail after her conviction.    

America has certainly lost its way when municipalities would rather spend tax-payer monies to prosecute parents who attempt to improve the lot of a child than use the same tax dollars to educate said child.  This is shameful, and as a society, we should all be embarrassed.  Use your heads America!  Parent Choice is a necessary option.  I agree that traditional public education should be reformed; however, I also firmly believe there has to be a more immediate interim solution.  Parents need options while the slow bureaucratic wheels of the Department of Education turn. 


Read the following commentary on the sad tale of the Ohio mother by Roland Martin, CNN Political Journalist:      
Ohio woman jailed for sending kids to school just wanted a choice

By Roland S. Martin, CNN Political Contributor

January 29, 2011 9:29 a.m. EST

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Roland Martin says Ohio mom's actions are no surprise
• She wanted to make sure her children got a quality education, he says
• We have an education system that is unequal, unfair and not equitable, he says
• He proposes voucher system that would allow various kinds of education

RELATED TOPICS

• Education Policy
• Ohio
• Roland S. Martin

Editor's note: Roland Martin is a syndicated columnist and author of "The First: President Barack Obama's Road to the White House." He is a commentator for TV One Cable network and host/managing editor of its Sunday morning news show, "Washington Watch with Roland Martin."

(CNN) -- If you lived in a crime-ridden neighborhood where your home was broken into a dozen times and the school your children were zoned to was low-performing, wouldn't you take drastic measures to ensure they got a quality education?

That's exactly what Kelley Williams-Bolar did, pulling her 12- and 16-year-old daughters out of the decrepit school they attended in Akron, Ohio, and enrolling them in a suburban district where her father lived.

Williams-Bolar used her father's address, where she alleges she lived part-time. Yet the Copely-Fairlawn School District felt she was lying about being a resident, and hired a private eye to follow her, videotaping Williams-Bolar leaving her public housing home and dropping her children off at the suburban school.

They confronted Williams-Bolar, demanded that she repay the district $30,000, saying she didn't have the right to have her daughters in the district since she wasn't a taxpayer.

When she refused, Williams-Bolar was indicted on two felony charges, found guilty and sentenced to 10 days in prison. Because of the felonies on her record, the aspiring schoolteacher will never be able to enter the classroom.

Once the story hit the national media, it led to significant coverage, angering folks nationwide.

Some see this as an issue of race: The mother and her children are black; the district is largely white.

But that really isn't the fundamental issue. What this problem should highlight for anyone is the clear disparities in urban and suburban school districts, and how we have an education system that is unequal, unfair and not equitable.

Too many Americans are delusional in thinking we have a national education system that is fair. It isn't. We all know that you can go from community to community and see some elementary, middle and high school campuses that look like college campuses, while others look like prisons.

Those districts with money hire teachers with master's degrees and Ph.D.s; those with little money rely on those with only teacher certificates. Those with money can invest in iPads and laptops; those without are thankful just to have enough chalk, erasers and pencils. It's so bad that teachers nationwide often dip into their own pockets just to purchase school supplies for many of their students. Yet well-to-do schools might have athletic complexes that rival universities in top athletic conferences.

Did Williams-Bolar break the law? Yes. Was the sentence she was given fair? Of course not. And I dare say many of us, when faced with a school system that will put our children further and further behind the learning curve, would have a "by any means necessary" focus to ensure they had the best chance to succeed.

In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama presented his bold vision to transform our nation's education system, but when the bulk of dollars come from local property taxes, there isn't much the federal government can do.

That means if you live in a well-off neighborhood, you're likely to see thousands more dollars being spent on education in that district than in districts where the property values are much lower.

The jailing of Williams-Bolar also raises the controversial issue of school choice. The Obama administration says it fully supports school choice, but that is limited to charter and magnet schools.

I've long contended that all choices should be presented to parents, including vouchers, allowing those from the worst-performing schools to be able to take the dollars allocated for their child and enroll in a private or parochial school.

If we are going to truly confront the education crisis in this country, nothing should be off the table. Whether we like it or not, there is no one way to educate a child. Take your pick: public school, private school, home school, charter schools, technical schools, college preps, ROTC academies, magnet programs, all-male, all-female, even online-only schools. You name it, I'm for it.

All Williams-Bolar wanted was for her kids to have a shot. And at the end of the day, that's what we all should want. But it is going to require men and women of conscience to stop with our attitude of protecting what we see as ours and be willing to create an educational system that is truly one this nation could be proud of.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roland S. Martin.

Repost of Trapped By a Zip Code

As the 2011 advocacy season is well under way for those of us who want to see the Charter School Movement grow and thrive, I thought to repost an entry that I originally posted on April 26, 2010.  This post speaks to the warehousing of children in failing schools in poor school districts.  This issue of having children bound to failing schools based on nothing other than their zip code, for me, is one of the primary reasons to to open the playing field and enhance the realistic educational choices available to parents in reference to acquiring a free and excellent education for their children.  Happy reading, and a HSA roller coaster cheer for those of you who become motivated and get involved after reading Way Beyond Z!      

Trapped By A Zip Code

NYC Public Charter Schools are under fire, and as a result may be legislated right out of business. As the insults fly, angry mobs of picketing, flyer-shoving parents form and politicians strategize how best to woo their constituents, the youngest, and among the most vulnerable of our citizenry, are being ignored and overlooked. The real victims or beneficiaries of this less than civil discussion are the one million or more school aged children who’s present and future are tremendously affected by the decision whether or not to allow them access to a free, quality education. Charter Public Schools are free, independently run public schools open to all New York City students. They are innovative in terms of policy and curriculum and the students are diverse. Public Charter Schools are an environment where teachers are empowered and schools are accountable. They serve regular as well as special education students and unfortunately do more with less operating funds.

My story is not so unique. My family and I live in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. Well before the age at which my children would begin their formal education, my husband and I began to search for performance statistics of my neighborhood public schools. Much to my dismay, I found dismal statistics in reading and math and also realized that most traditional public elementary schools have not the resources, or so I believed, to teach science in primary school. I contacted schools outside of my district in reference to admission practices only to find out that my children would require a much coveted waiver in order to place my children outside of their neighborhood and in a better performing public school. It seemed that they were being held captive by their parents’ choice to live in Mott Haven. Being a product of private and parochial schools, I considered this a viable option, only to find out that these spaces are also coveted and scholarship funding is reserved only for the exceptionally academically gifted or most impoverished. My children fit neither of these descriptions. We were faced with making the decision that all parents dread. Accept sub-standard education that my children would receive because of their unfortunate zip code or sacrifice basic necessities to educate them properly. 

Let’s think “beyond Z” people! Children and their parents who happen to have zip codes that tether them to failing schools are expected to accept this as their only option or make the decision to live from hand to mouth in order to pay for a private education. Unfortunately, time stands still for no one and the children of New York City don’t have time for an ailing school system to be revived when there are excellent public charter schools now. I wish for all NYC children to be the beneficiary of a free, quality education not the victims of political opportunists who are only concerned with securing their seats in the upcoming election. I now pose this question to all New Yorkers, “What do you expect for the children of our city, access to excellence or mediocrity?” Frankly, even one school year is too much time to waste, much less an entire elementary education. You decide… 

Have a Beyond Z Day!

Charter Schools Outperform Traditional Public Schools

The National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) has issued a report via their Daily Policy Digest on January 21, 2011.  This report strongly suggests that public charter schools outperform traditional public schools.  Some points are listed below and a link is provided so that you can view the entire policy brief.  

• Principals at charter public schools are allowed to control their budgets, teaching staff and educational programs with little or no central bureaucratic control.
• States with well-designed charter schools hold administrators accountable for student performance.
• Charter public schools that consistently fail to educate students can be closed or placed under new management.

According to Finne's study:

• Charter public schools are popular with parents -- 365,000 students are on waiting lists to attend a charter public school.
• Across the nation, over 1.7 million children now attend 5,453 charter public schools -- this number increased by 9 percent in 2010 alone.
• Well-run charter public schools perform significantly better than traditional public schools.
• Charter public school students are no different in academic background and motivation than students attending traditional public schools.
• Charter public schools in Massachusetts and elsewhere have closed the achievement gap between minority and white students.

Charter Schools Outperform Traditional Public Schools

Explore Charter School Tries Something New

IN A FIRST, NEW CHARTER TO ABSORB STUDENTS LEAVING CLOSING SCHOOL

01.13.11 / GothamSchools

According to GothamSchools, city officials are planning to replace a struggling Brooklyn elementary school with an unusual charter school next year — the first in the city to give admissions preference to students stuck in the closing school:

If the citywide school board, known as the Panel for Educational Policy, votes to phase out P.S. 114 in Canarsie, Brooklyn starting next year, two new schools will open in the building. One will be a typical zoned elementary school for all students in District 18. The other will be Explore Charter School — the first charter school in the city that will give admissions preference to students at the low-performing school it replaces.

When most New York City charter schools open, they typically give admissions preference to students who live in a certain district. These districts usually encompass several neighborhoods and a handful of public schools, allowing the charter to draw students from all over the region.

But Explore plans to operate differently.

Current kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade students at P.S. 114 will be given preference in Explore’s lottery, which means they have the best chance of getting one of 224 seats. If there’s still room, second preference will go to students who are zoned for P.S. 114, but attend other schools (this is about half the students in the zone). After them, preference will go to students throughout District 18 who are attending schools that are being phased out for poor performance.

“What’s very different about this is we’re saying to parents and kids in a school that’s failing, here’s an option that does not ask you to relocate or leave your community,” said Morty Ballen, CEO of the Explore Schools network. “It’s about you and your community; we’re staying right here.”

Many charter schools only admit students in the youngest grades, which means that they work with students who have never enrolled in a struggling school, or who only attended for one year. By contrast, Explore’s new school will open with kindergarten through third grade. That means many of its students will likely have spent several years at P.S. 114 and who may already be significantly behind grade level. It also means that students at the charter will begin taking state tests in the schools’ first year, so the school will have to boost student achievement quickly.

P.S. 114, which has gone through two principals in the last two years, saw its students’ test scores drop low enough last year to earn the school a D on its progress report. Parents and teachers who believe the school is being unfairly targeted for closure say that school has been burdened by the $180,000 debt left by a principal they asked the city to remove.

The other elementary school the city plans to open in the building next year, P.S. 521, will guarantee seats to P.S. 114 students who don’t apply for the Explore lottery, as well as those who do, but don’t make it in.

When You Live in a Melting Pot, Grab Your Ladle and Join the Party!!

So, Cathie Black has a preoccupation with Mandarin...  

An article published in the New York Times on January 4th highlights Cathie Black's obsession with NYC public school students learning a language, and her preferred language is Mandarin Chinese.  I thought the story was interesting and highlighted the importance of children learning a second language while they are still young and retain an aptitude for language.  Researchers believe that there may be a critical period, lasting roughly from infancy until puberty, during which language acquisition is effortless.  According to these researchers, changes occur in the structure of the brain during puberty after which it is much harder to learn a language.  

Today's world is shrinking rapidly and trade is increasingly global in scope, and the greatest reason for this shrinkage is technology.  Consumers and businesses now have access to products from many different countries and order to be at least competitive, if not successful, it is necessary to communicate in the language of the country that you are attempting to do business in.  

This article also brings to mind a fundamental difference between Americans and citizens of many other countries.  Most people in Europe, Asia, Africa and most of South America are not only bilingual, but multilingual, while Americans traveling abroad routinely struggle with rudimentary communication in the language of their host country.  People are more inviting when you are able to communicate with them in the language that they are most comfortable with.

There is a lucky group of second-graders at Harlem Success Academy 3 whose teacher realizes this and has managed to eek out some spare time from an already packed academic schedule and rigorous curriculum.  The second graders of Goucher College are learning Mandarin Chinese this year!  Kiss your brain Goucher College!  Huge firecracker cheer for Ms. Pan for helping to shape the worlds next generation of global travelers!         

Read the full NY Times article below:           

January 4, 2011, 3:58 PM

Focusing on Languages (Mainly Mandarin)

By FERNANDA SANTOS

During her visit to High School for Violin and Dance in the Bronx on Monday, one of the stops in five-borough tour that worked as her formal introduction to her new job, New York City’s schools chancellor, Cathleen P. Black, gathered around a table with students and alumni, discussing career paths, opportunities and plans.

One man told her he was studying architecture at State University of New York at Delhi. One woman said she was majoring in criminal justice at Hostos Community College. Another, who is graduating at the end of the month, described to Ms. Black how learning to play a musical instrument helped her learn new words.

Before she left the building, Ms. Black peppered the principal, Tanya John, with questions about college preparedness and the school’s curriculum. Then, she revealed what is starting to look like an obsession.

“I’m pushing for Mandarin Chinese,” she said. She was laughing, but foreign-language instruction seems to be serious business for Ms. Black — and Mandarin, the new Spanish.

Last month, before she traded a job running one of the world’s largest magazine publishing companies for a job running the nation’s largest public school system, Ms. Black was already making noise about the importance of learning Mandarin. And the noise only amplified on her first day on the job.

During a visit to Medgar Evers College Preparatory School in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, on Dec. 15, Ms. Black, who was then still chairman of Hearst Magazines, told students in a Mandarin class that maybe some day one of them would have “a good job at a magazine in China” and urged them to “keep studying” the language. On Monday, she suggested to a student at High School of Violin and Dance, “You should study Mandarin.” (Ms. John, the school’s principal, said that the school did not offer Mandarin, but that classes could be taken online.)

At her next stop on the tour, Democracy Prep High School in Harlem, Ms. Black stepped into a foreign language classroom, and an Asian language at that, though not Mandarin.

“Why Korean?” she asked the school’s founder, Seth Andrew, as the teacher, Jung Jin Lee, who is known as J. J., quizzed the students on the meaning of the letters projected on the wall.

Turns out there are many reasons, and one of them is this: A college scholarship application from a black or Latino student from Harlem is more likely to stand out if the student is fluent in Korean, Mr. Andrew told her.

In an interview on Tuesday, he said that was the explanation he gave to parents when the school started offering Korean in the fall of 2009 and made it a graduation requirement; he says it is the only high school in the country to do so.

That first year, “there was a lot pushback from the students and their families; they didn’t understand why they weren’t learning Spanish,” Mr. Andrew said. But in a school where 20 percent of the students are Latino (the other 80 percent are black), “by teaching a language that no one in our school had ever had before, everyone would be on equal footing when walking through the door,” he said.

He had more to offer Ms. Black. Korean is a phonetic language, he told her, so instead of having to memorize thousands of characters, as Mandarin would have demanded of them, the students had to learn only a few dozen letters.

“She really liked the idea,” said Mr. Andrew, who is the superintendent of Democracy Prep Public Schools, which operates two charters in three campuses in Harlem.

Whether that will prompt some new policy, directive or pilot program, it might be too early to tell; Ms. Black held her first cabinet meeting on Tuesday, and there are a lot of other issues she listed as priorities during Monday’s tour, including the budget.

Still, one of the students at Democracy Prep, Melia Douyon, 15, who is in 10th grade, told Ms. Black of the school trip she took to Korea last year with two of her classmates, and then squeezed in a little request: “If we had more funding per student,” she said, “we could send more kids to Korea.”

Cathie Black: Monstrous Gaffe or Rye Sense of Humor?

Cathie Black made a joke regarding birth control as a method of alleviating school overcrowding in lower Manhattan during a downtown Manhattan taskforce meeting.  This comment was met with anger by most siting her brash manner and lack of educational experience.  I however am unsure if this "joke", albeit poor in timing, is enough to drag her over the coals and lead her immediately to the guillotine.  I'm less concerned about her words and more concerned about her actions... talk is cheap!  Let's be sensible, put down the torches and see how she actually manages the issue of school overcrowding.  It is never wise to jump on a band wagon when it's en route to a lynching, political or otherwise.  

See the video below courtesy of the Wall Street Journal and weigh in on the comment section of this blog.  Put on your thinking caps folks and let's have a civil discussion.  

Harlem Success Academy Seeks To Open Brooklyn School

The Harlem Success Academy is in the news again!  This time the buzz is HSA's plan to open a school in Brooklyn.  Read the story below and follow the link to the NY1 website to see the entire story plus video.  

The Harlem Success Academy is looking to expand to yet another borough.

The highly praised charter school program has been so popular that thousands of parents have tried to win a lottery spot to get in.

Now, officials with the charter network hope to open a school in Brooklyn and have it up and running by August.

Former City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz, the founder of Harlem Success, seen above, is looking into opening up to 40 schools citywide.

However, she has met protests every time she has opened a new school, from Harlem to the Bronx to the Upper West Side, mostly because the charters share space in existing public school buildings.

http://www.ny1.com//Default.aspx?ArID=132278

Education Notes Online: Brandeis High School: Diary of a School Designed for Closure

This is an uber interesting take on Success Academy's planned move into the building which currently houses the failing Brandeis HS, which is slated for closure.  For those who attend space hearings, you'll recognize that the author of this blog is Norm Scott.  Norm is a retired traditional public school teacher who has devoted most of his post-retirement waking hours to promoting the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and discrediting the public charter school movement, generally, and the Harlem Success Academy, specifically.  Weigh in!  

Education Notes Online: Brandeis High School: Diary of a School Designed for Closure