Guest Author
Growing up, I often heard a story of 11 children who grew up in an extremely poor, but loving family. Food was scarce. Shelter was inadequate. Clothing was handmade. Shoes were a luxury.
Their father worked the land hard and their mother took care of the children and made clothes to keep or sell whenever she had enough materials. Their schoolhouse wasn’t much to speak of either. The students who were lucky had “slates” — pieces of chalkboard — on which they could practice their letters and their math facts.
Apologists for mainstream public education would have us believe that because these children were raised in abject poverty, they wouldn’t and couldn’t learn or achieve as well as wealthy children.
My mother was one of those 11 children. Though most of my aunts and uncles are now retired, during their careers they were teachers, nurses, Ph.D.s and college professors, accountants, truckers, civil services employees and a pastor.
Their elementary and secondary education experiences cannot be compared to the classrooms and resources we have today. But each teacher had extremely high expectations for all students, no matter the socioeconomic background. Every teacher believed that each student had the capacity to learn — shoes or shoeless, full or starving.
Unfortunately, many of our children have been stuck with adults who do not believe in them. A system run by bureaucrats who care more about protecting adults than preparing kids for success has failed American students.
Thankfully, a bold education reform movement that started two decades ago, fueled by a small, but passionate group of leaders, now continues to sweep the nation as a powerful, bipartisan force. The results have been remarkable.
Let’s look at Florida schools — the epicenter of aggressive, student-centered education reform in America.
Right now, there are 789 A and B high-achieving schools that have more than 50 percent of their students eligible for free or reduced price lunch. Remember this compelling statistic the next time someone tells you that poor kids can’t learn.
Moreover, Florida’s low income students ranked third in the nation in combined reading and math progress from 2003 – 2011. The parents, educators and principals at these schools defy statistics and circumstances each day, standing as proof that every child has the capacity to learn when given the tools and attention.
In northern Florida, Gretna Elementary School led by Delshuana Jackson and Crossroad Academy led by Kevin Forehand, both in Gadsden County, are prime examples of this. These two schools have been “A” schools for at least the last four years.
Forehand’s vision for the school is marked by this expectation, “As we venture into a new decade in the 21st century… I visualize a school where success must be the only option.”
In south Florida, there is West Hialeah Gardens Elementary School, led by Sharon Gonzalez, and Meadowlane Elementary School, led by Dr. Kevin P. Hart. These schools also have been “A” schools for quite some time.
All four of those schools have a near 100 percent minority population with 80 percent of the students qualifying for the free or reduced price lunch program.
These results did not happen by accident. Nearly 15 years ago, then Gov. Jeb Bush took aggressive steps to organize the state’s education system around the singular goal of raising student achievement. With great teachers, high expectations, parental choice, a focus on literacy, incentives for success and consequences for failure, the educational system was incentivized to put students first.
Today, the results are in and these reforms are working. But to keep ensuring our students are achieving their potential, we must continue committing ourselves to put the needs of students first by continuing to raise the bar in our schools.
There are many organizations engaged in the hard work of striving to eradicate poverty. Our schools must help them by doing their part. The district leaders, school leaders and teachers who embrace the principle that all children can learn regardless of background and that poverty does not determine destiny have the mindset to prepare students for a life of achievement and fulfillment.
