Extended
school day: What are kids doing after 3 o’clock? Well, we believe at our school
that kids should be engaged in extracurricular as well academic activities. Here
are some examples of those. You compare this to an under-resourced child let’s
say at a public school who’s leaving at three o’clock, maybe has a working mom
or something, has unsupervised, unstructured time, and I think you can tell the
difference. Combining these two things, a child can spend 30% more time in the
classroom – obviously another game changer.
Family
involvement: So how do we get families to become more involved? You know, when
I started this project I traveled around the country and visited schools that
were successful working with the under-resourced demographic. And I was
surprised when I asked the question, “What’s the most important determinate of
success?” The answer was not a child’s aptitude. The answer was an invested
caregiver.
So
we developed a parental contract. And more than a contract – it really says,
“Hey this is how to partner with us at the school.” If you want a great
education for their child – and these parents absolutely do – here are some of
the things you can do: read with the child at night, do homework, volunteer at
the school, be involved. We believe things like parental contracts and other
ways to get parents involved are absolute game-changers. Look, schools
utilizing ideas like these work. I know. I have visited many of them and we are
doing it right here in Ben Navarro Charleston
at our sister school in Spartanburg where we are seeing under-resourced kids
perform significantly above grade level.
You
know when I started this project I had hoped it was possible to have a school
where under-resourced kids could have the same expectations put on them that my
own children have put on them and I’m thrilled to be able to stand here and
tell you it’s possible. And here’s a great example – remember Byron? Well,
here’s Byron today at one of Charleston’s top independent schools – happens to
be my daughter in that picture as well – where he earned a full scholarship
based on his own merit and record of academic success.
We
know what works in educating under-resourced kids. I want to jump up a down and
wave my hands! We know! Yet our system in South Carolina is failing them
miserably. It’s got to change. To me this is not about race. This is not about
income. This is about taking care of our children. It’s about giving the kids
like Byron the chance that they deserve.
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