News'There is no excuse for any scholar failing to achieve great things'12/30/09
Even though neither of my parents had college degrees, growing up there was never a question my sister and I would go to college. Plain and simple, post-secondary education was the expectation. For too many of our young people throughout Rhode Island and the United States, such high expectations are not universal. Too many of our country's schools do not set a high enough bar, and many make excuses for why a certain child is not "college material." Moreover, not all families have the know-how to work around such low expectations and demand their child be put on a definite path to college. I began my work this year with Democracy Prep because of our shared goal of making sure all our scholars Work Hard, Go to College, and Change the World! As the first Rhode Island Mayoral Academy in the state, we are all 100 percent focused on changing the expectations of public schools and helping every single family set their children on a path to college. On the first day our amazing kindergartners walked through our doors this year, they were transformed into the college class of 2026. Seeing Democracy Prep Blackstone Valley move from concept to reality has been an amazing process. We are a free public school with a joyous school culture, rigorous academics and a "do whatever it takes" approach to education. Indeed, we believe there is no excuse for any scholar failing to achieve great things. Whether the scholar hails from Central Falls or Lincoln, Cumberland or Pawtucket, the hardest-working teachers in the country make every effort to help that scholar achieve. To be sure, each teacher carries a school-issued BlackBerry and is on-call to families until 9 p.m. every night. In just a short while, the growth I have seen in our kindergartners has been outstanding. At the beginning of the academic year, more than 45 percent of the Class of 2026 had below-basic skill levels: They did not know the alphabet and many did not even know how to read or write their own name. Just three months later, the number of scholars in that category is zero. Indeed, in September, 3 percent of scholars were reading at or above a first grade level - that number has already jumped to 32 percent as measured by a national literacy assessment from the University of Chicago. The success of DPBV scholars would not be possible without the solid commitment from our team of mayors, educators, involvement from family members, and most importantly, the hard word from the scholars themselves. If you know of any amazing educators who might want to join our team, have them come for a visit or give us a call. We're one of the few organizations in R.I. hiring rapidly and our doors are always open. I am proud of our scholars and I look forward to walking into the building each day knowing we are one step closer to ensuring every child - regardless of background - is on the path to college and has a bright and successful future. Happy New Year Northern Rhode Island! I look forward to an even brighter 2010!
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