Extended school day: What are kids doing after 3 o’clock? Well, we believe at our school that kids should be engaged in extracurricular as well academic activities. Here are some examples of those. You compare this to an under-resourced child let’s say at a public school who’s leaving at three o’clock, maybe has a working mom or something, has unsupervised, unstructured time, and I think you can tell the difference. Combining these two things, a child can spend 30% more time in the classroom – obviously another game changer.
Family involvement: So how do we get families to become more involved? You know, when I started this project I traveled around the country and visited schools that were successful working with the under-resourced demographic. And I was surprised when I asked the question, “What’s the most important determinate of success?” The answer was not a child’s aptitude. The answer was an invested caregiver.
So we developed a parental contract. And more than a contract – it really says, “Hey this is how to partner with us at the school.” If you want a great education for their child – and these parents absolutely do – here are some of the things you can do: read with the child at night, do homework, volunteer at the school, be involved. We believe things like parental contracts and other ways to get parents involved are absolute game-changers. Look, schools utilizing ideas like these work. I know. I have visited many of them and we are doing it right here in Charleston at our sister school in Spartanburg where we are seeing under-resourced kids perform significantly above grade level.
You know when I started this project I had hoped it was possible to have a school where under-resourced kids could have the same expectations put on them that my own children have put on them and I’m thrilled to be able to stand here and tell you it’s possible. And here’s a great example – remember Byron? Well, here’s Byron today at one of Charleston’s top independent schools – happens to be my daughter in that picture as well – where he earned a full scholarship based on his own merit and record of academic success.
We know what works in educating under-resourced kids. I want to jump up a down and wave my hands! We know! Yet our system in South Carolina is failing them miserably. It’s got to change. To me this is not about race. This is not about income. This is about taking care of our children. It’s about giving the kids like Byron the chance that they deserve.
And so I’m asking you, the silent majority, to become involved. Be a mentor. Volunteer at your school. The next school board election, take a hard look at who’s running and what their record is and what they want to vote for. Maybe run yourselves. That’s who runs schools in South Carolina. Get involved. It’s too important to ignore. Thank you.
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