Friday, September 30, 2011
The most ambitious social experiement to alleviate poverty in our lifetime
Pay close attention to how cultural and structural factors are talked about in this video.
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Pay close attention to how cultural and structural factors are talked about in this video.
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I think what Jeff Canada is trying to do is awesome. He is trying to give his students equality with everyone else. Comparing his system to equality of opportunity, he is getting rid of the inequality that students in poverty face. Jeff talks about the kids being in communities that are inferior and dangerous. The kids worry about their safety more than their education. They are trying to adapt to where they live and don't get the education they need. This is a characteristic most attribute to people living in poverty: culture of poverty. The reality that if a child doesn't make it into his school they won't succeed, is a sad truth and further shows how it is so unfair to children in poverty. Jeff is strict about discipline, school attendance, and his staff because he knows that it isn't the kid's choice most of the time. They did not choose to live in poverty but because they do, they have virtually no opportunities to be successful and graduate college. He hopes to completely eliminate the educational gap of whites and blacks which is to me a way that people are racist to each other. If the playing field is even, there will be competition but not a whole inferior group. Also, if it is ever possible for schools like Jeff's to be across the nation, I think he dreams of all the kids in poor families growing up, going to college, and ending the cycle of poverty.
ReplyDeleteJeff Canada is doing some really fascinating work. People have been struggling with the issue of poverty for years, and so far there has been no wholly effective solution. Just handing people money for no effort (welfare), has reaped perhaps more negative consequences than positive ones. Many people don't use that money wisely, and don't want to risk losing their welfare by getting a job - so it becomes a vicious, expensive cycle. The miscommunication here is the role of money. Money is an effect of opportunity, not a cause. Those who grew up with good opportunities and took advantage of what they had will have money as a consequence. Those who didn't have good opportunities and didn't learn valuable skills will not gain those things from money. What Jeff Canada is doing is giving children the opportunities that money can bring if it is used wisely. It's brilliant. However, it still remains to be seen if his work will really be effective. It causes one to wonder, if the children are doing well simply because of the rewards they are getting, what will happen when they do get to college, and the rewards are not immediate? Perhaps they are not learning about the intrinsic value of an education. His plan is to get them into college, but what then? Will it really make a long term difference? In a world of vast inequality and poverty, one can only hope that the work Jeff Canada is doing will be the beginning of change - that it will be effective, and can be replicated across the country. He should be applauded for his efforts and his dedication, but we will have to wait and see what results they will yield.
ReplyDeleteI love that Jeff Canada has created this school to give less privileged children a fair playing field in life. Actually, he is giving them a great advantage. Most children do not grow up with the thought drilled into them that Stanford or any other ivy-leauge school is a very real option. What I thought was interesting was the way Canada went about motivating his students. He had a different perspective on acceptable motivating methods and a different perspective on the responsibility those students had for their motivation. Canada said in the video, "I love bribing students". In fact, he would be willing to bribe them with money to learn as long as they were in the end, learning. While this may seem backwards because we like to think that children want to learn because of an intrinsic value, I agree with Canada. I was not born with a great desire to learn. However, I learned to enjoy learning as I grew up with expectations to eventually graduate and go to college. I think that as long as the students are progressing, let them learn the value of the good of education along the way. It's better to have bribed students then no students at all. Finally, I liked Canada's view that if a student is not doing well than it is the teacher's fault. I do not think this is entirely true, but I do think that teachers will do a much better job if their responsibility is to make sure a student learns and not to just present the material to the student. Education should be given more focus on in our society and maybe even viewed with the same intensity that Jeff Canada views it. I am glad that someone is making a difference in these neighborhoods and in the view of education overall.
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ReplyDeleteJeff Canada is doing a good deed. He is trying to lessen that gap between white students in affluent suburbs, to those living in poverty that don’t have as great an access to a good education. He is helping students in poverty learn the importance of an education and make sure they get into college. College has become increasingly important as many higher paying jobs have become more and more competitive, and require college degree or above. It is good to pound it into these kid’s heads (even if they seem so young) to know going to college is a worthy goal. I too am wondering if these bribes are such a good idea for in the future when they probably won’t have these bribes anymore. I think it is good for now to get these children to do well, but hopefully they will learn to just want to do well in school on their own for the feeling of personal accomplishment. I’m curious how long it will take Canada to expand his school to the 12th grade and would it be possible to expand it so more students in Harlem can be accepted? It is sad to see how upset these mothers get because their children didn’t get selected because there are many more kids around the world who don’t even have the opportunity to get into a school like this. “There successes in life have just been reduced (talking about the kids who didn’t get into the Canada’s school).” I like that he offers a variety of programs from baby college, to pre-kindergarten classes, and reading labs to help students who don’t get in to Canada's school, to try to help them get into college. I hope Canada’s programs will work and that these children will experience more success in getting into college and succeeding while there.
ReplyDeleteI was greatly impressed by this whole school system Jeff Canada has set up. I honestly had no idea it even existed until learning about it in class. I felt bad that parents whose kids did not have their name drawn from the lottery got so upset at Jeff for it. I don't feel they looked at it from his side of the program. He's doing an amazing thing, but without more funding, he can only help a certain number of kids each year. I loved his enthusiasm about the whole thing! For example, his idea of getting kids in the pipeline, locking it, and not letting them out; his idea to bribe kids with rewards with the intent that things get done, no matter how they get done; and his extreme confidence in what he is doing. I think that is most important. Even if Pres. Obama wants to and does set up this same system in other cities, I wonder how successful they will be if there's not someone like Jeff Canada at the head of it. The stats themselves spoke very strongly about how well this program cut or in some cases/areas eliminated the gap in "smartness" between black and white kids. As much as money, willing employees, and means are necessary for such a program to function, let alone be successful, I feel that a Jeff Canada is needed. Someone who is incredibly motivated, cares about the students, and will do just about whatever it takes to see that the kids are successful. It's pretty amazing, and I doubt there's anyone who wouldn't want such results for their own kids if we are able to get more programs in more cities just like this one.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in New York City just a few blocks away from the Lefrak City Projects. My stepsister was from the bronx. Whenever I visited my friends at Lefrak or my stepsister, I felt like I was in another world. I never felt safe and I was always amazed to see how my peers could manage their lifestyles. In school, as stereotypical as it may sound most of my peers from these areas were not the brightest or most successful. After learning about poverty and its affects on an individual I am beginning to realize that for the most part, their ability to succeed was predetermined by the environment they were raised in. Jeff Canada's program is amazing!! I think it is literally saving lives and making it possible for underprivileged kids to excel. Most of my friends from those parts of town are not in college as I am today. My own stepsister never made it through high-school so I am really happy to hear that Canada's program is up and running!
ReplyDeletefirst of all, Jeff Canada is hilarious. I love what he is doing with these kids. He is teaching them from a young age the importance of education. When I first say that he paid the students for good grades I thought that was sorta wrong, but when you think about it our education and training are what allows us to get a job which in return gets us Money. So really he just skipped the complete training and he considers school these kids jobs. his program is obviously extremely effective and I think any child could be successful when given good teachers and good social environment. I think America as a whole should try to implement programs like the one Canada has created. I didn't agree with one thing he said about how if kids fail it is the staff's fault. I think some kids are slackers or don't have the desire to succeed and that the teachers should not be fired because of that. Besides that I completely agree with him! and I think what he is doing is inspiring and great! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great social experiment. Jeff Canada is really doing a great thing. Everything that we have talked about in class and in our readings have definitely made me more aware of everything around me. It is easy to see that our social status and upbringing have a direct influence on each and every one of us. It affects our ability to do well in school, it affects our habits and goals. Jeff Canada is giving these children opportunities that some of them may have never experienced. The results are definitely showing. I thought it was interesting how he used bribes as an incentive. Lots of people do, I had plenty of friends who were monetarily rewarded by their parents for every A they received, he is just giving that same incentive to children whose parents don't have those resources. He is definitely showing the world that given an equal chance, that all humans can succeed to the same degree regardless of race or social status.
ReplyDeleteI was astounded on how one person, Jeff Canada, could make such a change children's education in Harlem, New York. His idea is absolutely brilliant. Honestly, I would not have expected such exceptional results because of the children's lives outside of school. I thought that their outside lives would have a greater effect on their future outcome then providing a proper eduction with medical care. I would really like to see this experiment conducted in other parts of the country that have substantially low education levels. Just think, if all schools were like Canada's charter school, our society would rise above every other developing country as the number one in the education system.
ReplyDeleteMeghan Henry
It was particularly interesting to me to see how the black/white gap was completely diminished by Canada's work. It really goes to show how much one person's determination can contribute to the success of others, and starkly demonstrates how vastly these children's lives were changed because of this phenomenal opportunity. It's exciting to see more schools adopt a similar regiment to Canada's charter school; hopefully these types of ideas will become more widespread and begin to influence the American education system as a whole. Hopefully, people will be able to determine exactly what factors contributed to the school's success so that it can be adequately replicated. Of course, widespread change will need to take place within the education system as a whole, something that has proved pretty difficult to do, especially in public schools.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I am Riley Payne. Sorry!
ReplyDeleteI was amazed at how much Jeff Canada has been able to do for these kids. I was also pleasantly surprised to see how many parents wanted their children to be involved and how into the program they were. I think this really shows that a lot of people in that situation want to get out they just don't have the resources or opportunities to do so. Jeff Canada is providing that amazing opportunity for an amazing education for these kids so they can get out and be very productive members of the community. I also thought it was amazing how much it cost to keep someone in jail compared to how much it costs for each child at the school. The US could really learn something from him and make our country a better place if money was spent on preventing crime and educating kids rather than a temporary fix with jail time.
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