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This dumb skank.....
Look at what Linda Crapp said, as reported by the Georgetown Voice today:
“I want to have a D.C. ‘Peace Corps’ for education, to provide extra support for non-performing schools,” she said. She later clarified to The Voice that this organization would be composed of college students, adding, “There’s so much talent that hasn’t been tapped in the universities.” Her own record on the school board, often held up by opponents as a failure, became a point of pride as she related her fight to open and save Banneker High School, which has since become one of Newsweek’s top fifty high schools nationwide. The story ended in cheers from the crowd.
First of all, "Peace Corps for education".....???? Um, I am pretty sure there's a little thing called TEACH FOR AMERICA that does the same thing. And if you can't get enough of that, there's a little thing caled the DC TEACHING FELLOWS. Both are very good programs through which I've met some very good teachers.
So Linda Cropp wants to reinvent the wheel.....typical of politicians. But what ticks me off even more is her statement about untapped talent in the universities.
Are you kidding me??? Try this on for untapped resources:
After School Kids:
The ASK Program addresses the needs of juvenile offenders who have been or may be subject to incarceration. The program's goal is to assist the youths in successfully completing the terms of their probation while helping them to build self-esteem through the development of life skills and constructive patterns of behavior.
ASK participants, referred to the program by their probation officer, meet twice weekly in groups of 10-12 at several different sites in the District of Columbia. The youths are matched with Georgetown University volunteers for one-to-one tutoring sessions and group activities on topics ranging from conflict mediation, interviewing and job-search skills, African-American history, and artistic expression to current events. Youths also participate in cultural and recreational activities such as trips to the theater and museums, as well as camping expeditions and community service projects. Staff members maintain contact with each youth's family, teachers, and probation officers.
***
DC Reads is a tutoring program for low-income children in the first through third grades who are not reading at grade level. DC Reads began in 1997 as a local response to the America Reads Challenge, a literacy initiative established to improve reading proficiency for all elementary students. America Reads Challenge allowed university students who are eligible for financial aid to receive work study funds tot tutor children in reading.
DC Reads provides on-site, one-hour tutoring sessions twice a week in public schools, parochial schools and community-based organizations...
DC Reads currently has approximately 60 Georgetown University students supporting the literacy development of approximately 75 of Washington, DC’s struggling readers in the primary grades. Tutors are paid through federal work study or volunteer their time.
***
The DC Schools Project, a program of the Center for Social Justice at Georgetown University, recruits Georgetown students and gives them the support necessary to effectively provide English as a Second Language tutoring services to the District's low-income youth and adults of immigrant backgrounds.
***
Heads Up: A University Neighborhood Initiative
Founded in 1996, Heads Up is a non-profit organization that runs education and enrichment programs for children and families living in the most under-resourced parts of Washington, D.C.
A unique type of organization, Heads Up draws particularly on the untapped potential of the city’s college students as its tutors, teachers, and mentors. At the same time, Heads Up helps these college students understand their social responsibilities and trains them in the leadership skills to carry them out.
Today, our efforts include daily after-school and summer programs for elementary school students, weekly college and job readiness activities for teenagers, and a service-learning curriculum for college students.
Our entrepreneurial spirit, our commitment to results, and our belief in the principles of service, learning, and leadership guide us towards the day when all children have an equal opportunity to pursue their dreams of a better life.
***
Those are just snapshots of programs I know about....come on, now.
But finally, let me talk about the white elephant in the room, Banneker High School. Banneker is not normal and never was. It is my belief that the existence of schools like Banneker damage neighborhood schools by drawing away the talented youth in the communities. Meanwhile, Banneker is consistently highly ranked among high schools. Well d'uh, no shit Sherlock -- you have to apply to get in. You have to already have quality grades, so it's not like there are any dummies in the first place. And unlike a regular public school, they don't have to keep you if you're failing. So graduation rates are always at a hundred percent, as are college placements.
But what they don't tell you is that Banneker kids struggle as hard as everyone else during that first year in college. What they don't tell you is that yes, some Banneker alums flunk out of college on their firs try. I've seen it. Much love to Banneker, but you can't use that as a measuring stick for success in the DC public schools. Show me schools like Dunbar, Wilson, HD Woodson, and Coolidge. Ordinary schools for extraordinary kids.
Anyway....that really rubbed me the wrong way this morning. Hope everyone has a great day!
Posted by Rashid on September 7, 2006 6:38 AM
Comments
sigh. i like linda cropp sometimes but not when it comes to her views about education. doesn't strike me as someone who is well informed about the things that are being done in education (ie, teach for america, etc.)
Commented by Loryn on September 7, 2006 9:50 AM