Finally here is someone doing something about the things that we have been talking about in this class. The Harlem Children's Zone strives to close the academic achievement gap between white and black children and according to the data has done a good job so far. I commend this program and its founder Geoffrey Canada for not only trying to fix the education system that is failing so many children but also trying to reverse stereotypes, and societal problems in one program. Granted it is not just one program, but a family of programs that has been proven effective in raising people out of poverty. I hope that President Obama will make good on his promise to replicate this program in different cities throughout the country. With all the talking we do in this class it is nice to hear that someone has a solution to a problem instead of merely stating that there is a problem. Congratulations Mr. Canada on a job well done. If more people and teachers actually cared about their students like you do, I'm sure that our education system would be in much better shape.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
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I find it interesting that it has taken this long for people to realize that something like this school program needed to be created. It is a great idea and I hope it will make a difference in the academic achievement gaps between all races.
ReplyDeleteI hope they continue to follow their students through out college. It would also be interesting to see how all their students end up after graduation. Not that it is necessary for everyone to graduate or have high paying jobs, but it would benefit this program to have that information to back up their numbers.
But, one thing that does concern me, as we have mentioned in other topics in our class, is the fact that for this program to be successful you have to have a successful teaching staff. And as it was reported in the story, it will cost $35 million. A lot of time and money are going into these programs and I think it will be a long while before we can see all the benefits that will come from the Harlem Children's Zone.