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The High Price of Mis-Education

FACT: Our children are struggling in school when it comes to reading, writing, comprehension, and math. Many students are allowed to graduate elementary and high school scoring well below average in essential learning and skill acquisition. Many don't have a functional grasp of the English language.

One teacher told me recently that, "All a student really needs to be functional in the world is to be able to read and comprehend successfully at a 6th grade level." I thought the statement aimed a bit below the bar, but the troubling thing for me is that so many of our students cannot even manage THAT. In communities all over the City, students are being passed from grade to grade without acquiring the appropriate skills. A wake up call for me was the recent airing of MSNBC's Education Nation: Chicago Teacher Town Hall with Tamron Hall. Real teachers from CPS and Charter schools gathered to talk about the State of Education. It was wonderful to see engaged teachers speaking out for the needs of the children they serve every single day.And one thing became immediately obvious - our children need support on the essentials and they need alternative activities. 

The truth is - some children need to be left behind. In fact, quite a few of them do. If being left behind helps them acquire the skills they need to "make the grade" then they should be left behind. End of. And I can't imagine any school system, teacher, or parent having a problem with that. I think we all can agree that our kids need more knowledge - not less. They need to be more skilled - not less. They need access to more opportunities - NOT LESS. And I'm being real open and honest about this because I think people tend to sugar coat things for us a lot thinking that we can't handle the truth. Well, we had better learn to start handling it before we're too far gone. We're tyring to get somewhere as a people. But if no one ever tells us we're going in the wrong direction...if we never realize we're going in the wrong direction, how can we turn around and go in the right one?

Our children's ability to read, add and subtract, comprehend, and make contextual assessments and judgments goes right to the very heart of their ability to function in the world once they leave the relative safety of the school system and enter the 'real world.' Their ability or inability to read, write, think, and make decisions directly impacts their lives as future creators, consumers, and beneficiaries. Not only that - their ability or inability to do these things directly impacts our lives as future seniors who will need to depend on them. When we embrace "leaving no child behind" what we are really doing is embracing "push every child forward." And pushing people forward before they're ready can lead to no good thing. We need to change this. We are better than this.

We are holding the CPS accountable. We are holding teachers accountable. We must now hold students and ourselves, as parents, accountable. What can we do about the the IGs (intelligence gaps) that impact our students IQs (intelligence quotients)? For starters - we can make education a priority. Instead of letting our children slump in front of the TV all day, or letting them wander the streets aimlessly with their friends, or letting them sleep all day on the weekends - make them get up on Saturdays and attend classes that will help make them better students and better people. Don't give them the option to attend, make it mandatory. This will give your children opportunities to gt help in areas they struggle with and give them an opportunity to be exposed to new things like learning Chinese or painting. Saturday Universities are a positive step in the right direction when it comes to helping your child gain the skills he or she will need to actually become engaged with learning. It's hard to complete assignments when you can't write. It's hard to want to participate when you're afraid to go to the board because you can't add or subtract. It's hard to find value in reading when you can't understand or comprehend most of the words on the page. And it doesn't have to be like that for your child. But you, mom and dad, have to make the decision that failure is no longer an option. You have to decide that 'getting by' and 'slipping under the radar' is no longer acceptable.

Parents, I challenge you to give your child more this year. More chances to learn, more opportunities to grow, and more ways to experience new things. Enroll them in a Saturday University in your community and get the ball rolling on their success. DeVry University, a key community supporter, has partnered with The Black Star Project to be one of 50 Saturday University sites across the City. Participating in the DeVry Saturday University is an excellent opportunity for your child to learn in a pleasant, college environment surrounded by caring teachers. The DeVry campus will accept students from all over the City.

There are currently 11 Saturday Universities up and running. Each Saturday University teaches reading, comprehension, writing, and math and each has a specialty art or cultural component taught by volunteers from local organizations. DeVry's Saturday University starts Saturday, May 14, 2011. Each semester lasts 8 weeks and students must commit to a full semester - attendance is mandatory for all 8 Saturdays. Times vary by location, but generally classes run for a 2 or 4hr block.

The Black Star Project is looking for more sites to hold Saturday Universities on a rolling basis throughout the year. If your site is interested in hosting a Saturday University or you are interested in enrolling your child in a Saturday University -  please email Jami Garton at jami@blackstarproject.org or call (773) 285-9600. If you are interested in enrolling in or volunteering at the DeVry Saturday University, please contact Alice Dungey at (773) 697-2242.

Get your kids into a Saturday University and get them into something good!

Keywords: saturday university

Posted in Community Highlights