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Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Searching for something public schools lack
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We sat in a booth, biding time as chaperones for a church youth trip, when the topic of education came up.
He’s the father of two boys. Neither one of them has ever attended a public school. For them, it’s either been private school or home schooling.
It’s not that the Tucker parents have anything against public school or parents whose kids attend them. They just want something different, something they sense public education generally lacks.
And finally, after six years of a satisfying experience in a local elementary school, my wife and I do, too.
This fall, Miles enters sixth grade. Middle school. It’s where youngsters navigate that netherworld be-tween middle school and high school, confronted by pre-teen issues along the way.
As a nation, we still haven’t figured out how best to teach this age group. Should sixth-graders stay on elementary school campuses an extra year? When’s the best time to introduce algebra?
When I talk to Gwinnett parents, one issue typically surfaces, even if they are satisfied with their son or daughter’s school. They wonder if their kids are being taught to think, if they’re challenged to do so. Good question.
The push is on to hold teachers accountable, but the means to that end have focused on what percentage of students do best on standardized tests. We rank “good” schools from “bad” ones and sort, suppress and permanently label young minds.
Some parents want a better way. We do. As Miles enters his transitional phase, we want him to be encouraged to dream big.
It’s something that Ron Clark, the 2000 Disney National Teacher of the Year, instills in kids — to be adventurous. To rise up.
He turned disadvantaged students at public schools in rural North Carolina and inner-city Harlem into high achievers. And yes, they tested well, too. His experiences are the subject of a movie, “The Ron Clark Story.”
My wife found out that Mr. Clark is opening The Ron Clark Academy, a school for fifth- through eighth-graders in south Atlanta. The curriculum, which follows the state’s standard course of study, will include, art, dance, music and business leadership classes.
Students will take educational trips around the world. If all goes as planned, students will have visited six of the seven continents by the time they are in eighth grade.
In addition to international travel, they’ll take local field trips. A trip to a bowling alley will likely become a math lesson back in the classroom. Parents must volunteer 40 hours a year at the campus, which is housed in a renovated warehouse near Turner Field.
The inaugural class is made up of of 60 students from various socioeconmic backgrounds. They were selected out of an applicants’ pool that totaled nearly 350.
The first day of school is Sept. 4.
Miles can’t wait.
For more information about the Ron Clark Academy, visit www.ronclarkacademy.com.
Searching for something public schools lack• Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail: rbadie@ajc.com.
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