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Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Oprah Speaks, Again
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Part two of Oprah’s public education wake-up call focused on solutions and success stories.
First up is Kevin “KJ” Johnson, former NBA player. He ran an after-school program on the off-season while playing ball. After retiring, he wanted to do more. He convinced somebody to let him take over his alma mater and now, if I heard correctly, runs six public schools in Sacramento. He said his schools are successful because he makes face-to-face contact with parents. “If a parent does not want their son or daughter go to college, this is not the choice you should make,” he said.
Next up, the oft-discussed at Get Schooled and written about in papers everywhere KIPP program. I won’t go on and on about it. The idea is that kids put in long hours and are from the time they walk through the door told that they will go to college.
Lisa Ling goes into a prison and interviews adult prisoners who are learning algebra and regretting their life choices.
Then, an overcrowded school in L.A. Teachers cry, saying only a school serving minorities would be this crowded with no new school in sight.
Bill Gates takes Oprah to one of his small schools and she talks to the students and they tell her they enjoy school and she says in disbelief, “You’re telling me you go to school every day and you are not bored?!?” She then goes to a Gates-funded school in California with all the techno bells and whistles. All students go onto college, some are the first in their families to do so.
That’s it! She covered a lot of ground, but interestingly I don’t think she uttered the words No Child Left Behind. In fact, she went out of her way to promote the idea that it’s people on the outside of the institution who can best fix it.
Thoughts?
(Not to sound like a schoolmarm, but don’t pick on each other, please… just state your views and discuss thee issues. Thanks!)
