Charter schools: Segregation or choice?
from Starting Point
(CNN) More than 2 million kids are enrolled in charter schools, 32% of which are African American – and of that 32%, more that half attend schools comprised mostly of minority students. This morning, CNN education contributor Steve Perry explains the lack of diversity, saying "We had to convince white people to come to a very good school in the hood."
Perry is the founder of charter school Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, CT. The demographic of his school has, in the past, been primarily black, poor students–until they were given a quota to provide some semblance of balance. Perry explained the reasoning for the so-called "segregation."
"The children who are typically choosing charter schools are the children who don't have the best education options in the nearby neighborhood, which in many cases are people of color and/or low-income students. They choose the schools they feel are going to give the best opportunity to fulfill what they believe is their true potential. So, many of those families choose charter schools and overwhelmingly they are people of color," he says.
But, he vehemently refutes the segregation claim, saying there is a fundamental difference between choice and segregation.
Milken Award-winning teacher changes lives despite lack of resources
by Tamara Wilson, CNN
(CNN) At a time when many talk about what’s “wrong” with education, there are many talented teachers making a positive impact in our schools.
A great example of an educator who’s making such an impact is Shekema Silveri. She is an Advanced Placement (AP) English teacher in room 110 at Mount Zion High School in Jonesboro, Georgia. Silveri says she loves her students and gives them her best every day. Her students feel the same way about her – some even call her Momma.
Silveri allows ANY student to sign up for her class. There are no requirements, but she says students have to be up for the challenge. She builds confidence in her kids by having them justify their perspectives and evaluate their reasoning, while at the same time teaching them the importance of getting an education.
Mount Zion Senior Jeffrey Wallace had this to say, “We take a look at every aspect of how many great contributions we've made to America and the world as a whole, as opposed to being inside an AP U. S. history class where we predominantly talk about European history, I think it's awesome that I come inside an AP literature class and get the whole lesson that includes African American history. I believe this is great for my self confidence.”
Mount Zion is a Title I high school where you won’t find the latest technology. This forced Silveri to find creative ways to keep her students engaged. While some classrooms don’t allow cell phones, Silveri encourages her students to use them. The students look up definitions for the word of day with apps like dictionary.com and conduct research for assignments on their phones. She also believes they write more when communicating via blog and Twitter. The high school teacher integrates other multimedia into her lessons by having her students give PowerPoint presentations along with shooting and editing video.
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Related: Student News
CNN Student News is ten minutes of commercial-free, cost free news for middle and high school classrooms. It is available on line on our website, as a free downloadable podcast on iTunes and on HLN at 4:00 a.m. ET weekdays during the school year. Go to www.CNNStudentNews.com@CNNSchools on Twitter
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