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Rachael Wise is one busy high school student. She's in the marching band, the Junior ROTC and plays on two sports teams – and next year she expects to be the first member of her family to ever graduate from high school.
The poised 17-year-old from Charlotte, N.C., who never forgets to add "ma'am" or "sir" to the end of her sentences, was in New York Monday for NBC's Education Nation summit on improving America's schools. She'll be speaking on a panel, along with educators and policymakers, on Tuesday during the weeklong event at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
Rachael is a living example of how a little help at school can go a long way. She was accepted into a program called Communities in Schools (CIS), a national dropout prevention program that targets at-risk kids, sometimes starting as early as elementary school, and helps them stay on track. She traveled to New York with CIS site coordinator Sophia Davis, who works in Rachael's high school.
"We get students who are in poverty-stricken neighborhoods that have some high-risk social factors that deter them from being motivated to stay in school," Davis said. She said foster children, teenage parents, students in low-income and single-parent households, as well as those who struggle with academics and attendance, are their target audience.
Rachael, one of nine children, wants one day to work in military intelligence. She's taken her SATs, and has a handful of colleges in mind that she'll be applying to. She and one of her younger brothers are currently living with their grandmother.
"My grandmother doesn't drive because she's legally blind, so before CIS, visiting a college campus wasn't even an option for me," she said. In fact, Rachael has had few opportunities for travel in general: Her trip to New York was the first time she'd flown.
Recently, Davis took a group of students to D.C. to tour Howard University and George Washington University.
Afterward, "We went to the White House, saw the Smithsonian," Davis said. "By showing them that there's something outside of their school, outside of their neighborhood, it motivates them to go beyond high school."
Founded in Georgia, the nonprofit organization serves more than 2 million young people around the country.
In addition to college tours, CIS holds monthly meetings for their students. Some meetings focus on the college application process – how to sign up for the SATs or ACTs, for example – while others, like CIS's "Dressing For Success Fashion Show" teaches students how to present themselves in professional settings.
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President Obama, the talking heads, and the experts are missing the forest through the trees. The real problem with education is that familes simply don't earn enough money. Many of our parents, perhaps our grandparents, had one member of the family at home to reinforce many of the things that we learned in school. There was constant supervision checking our homework, involved in our lives. Why, because one income was enough to support a family back then. Today, parents would love to give their children the kind of attention that our children deserve. But they simply can't afford to keep one person home. So, there's no suprise that the very weallthy have children who succeed, they can hire tutors, nannys, private schooling, and boarding schools. That's why it doesn't matter how many months or weeks go to school, or whether they go to a charter shool, public school, or a dark closet. When the American family starts to fall apart, so does education.
Here we go again - another president trying to make his mark on education by legislating more demands upon our children - why not the parents? Â
As a teacher, I've endured the educational reforms pushed upon us from state, fed as well as local levels on a yearly basis. Â I've taught to bring out the best in our students - because that's who I am.... not because of the political wheels in motion to make us accountable. Â Merit pay will do no more than entice teachers perform "dog and pony shows" to impress for the bonus attached like that of teaching to the test for funding. Â
Instead of the carrot (funding based on assessment results) in front of the districts by pushing the teachers and the students - go after the parents who must make the need and desire for learning important to and for their kids. Â They're in the workplace, they know the value of an education, yet that message they could send very effectively to their kids just isn't there. Â Pride and effort in what you do to succeed at your goals is sorely lacking in our students and unrealistically demanded by the parents. Â Often both parents are busy with work; adding further pressures and stresses that distracts them from guiding and cheering on their kids. Â
There is no easy fix and legislating more reforms will not make education that paragon every one seems to be driving towards. Â Sadly, these attempts at "fixing" education will only drive out the loyal and dedicated teachers who have had enough of the games and unrelenting pressures of staying competitive. Â Merit pay will only undermine the system even more - selling out for the dollars rather than hanging in for the kids.
Just like health care Obama, you're going after the wrong group and punishing those in the trenches every day trying to work miracles. Â You spent more time "investigating" the auto industry bail-out; do your homework on this before you tax us all again and provide yet another empty satchel of results.
@wallflower -- I think you are missing the point of this particular article. Here is a student that has a challenged home life (so many of our students do) and there is an EFFECTIVE organization running programs in the schools to help her succeed. This programs DOES NOT ask more of teachers and works with schools and the communities to provide support so that our WHOLE society wins in the end....It is a great model for many of our students and deserves to be celebrated!