From the President/CEO

Updated Thursday, January 13, 2011

Considering a New Diploma System: An Update and Editorial about Race, Equity and the Achievement Gap

“The miner’s canary metaphor helps us to understand why and how race continues to be salient. Racialized communities signal problems with the ways we have structured power and privilege. These pathologies are not located in the canary.” – Dr. Pedro Noguera from “The Trouble With Black Boys: And Other Reflections on Race, Equity, and the Future of Public Education.”

PROVIDENCE, RI – Very shortly, the RI community will be asked to provide public comment to the Board of Regents’ proposed plan to institute a 3-tiered high school diploma system (please read http://www.projo.com/news/content/regents_discuss_diploma_11-19-10_46L119E_v29.37b27af.html). In this article, Education Commissioner Deborah Gist is quoted as saying, “[t]his proposal does not water down expectations. Having multiple diplomas … addresses a concern we all share, that, too often, we are shooting for the middle. With this design, we are really raising the floor. It’s not like tracking students. This is a merit-based design.”

I am unclear how this proposal would raise “the floor,” and for whom: for the system? for teachers? students? parents? It seems to me that the proposed system would actually create multiple “floors,” and that each floor would carry with it an implied life direction. Is this a good thing, when many of our students are already being told, “don’t bother applying to college,” “you’re not college material,” or, “maybe you should just take the GED?”

According to Kids Count RI, in PPSD school year 2008-2009, 43% of high school students were absent 18 or more days. For the State (same year), the graduation rate for Black and Latino students was 67% and 64%, respectively. I believe the 3 (really 4) tiered system would exacerbate these realities.

The Commissioner states that “it’s (the proposal) not like tracking students.” Isn’t it? At least somewhat? Under the proposed 3-tiered system, students who pass the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) with a score equal to or above “proficient with distinction” would receive an honors diploma; students who score equal to or above “proficient” would receive a regent’s diploma; students obtaining partial proficiency would receive a diploma; and those who do not obtain partial proficiency would receive a certificate.

Should not the NECAP alone be a sufficient standard to ensure that more students are achieving success? Students who do well on the NECAP, historically, do not have difficulty getting accepted into “good” colleges. Furthermore, guidance counselors know full well that colleges and universities are primarily looking at high school graduates’ transcripts: what courses did the student take? did s/he take honors, Advanced Placement (AP) and/or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses? did s/he take the AP exam? what did s/he score? what was her/his SAT score? what was her/his grade point average (GPA)? With these questions at the forefront, does it really matter whether a student receives an honors or a regent’s diploma?

In the same vein, what real value-add does a certificate provide? A student with a certificate in hand has demonstrated diligence, completed a portfolio, the required Carnegie units, and community service, but s/he still can’t pass the NECAP. What are the options? Does s/he become a 5th year student or does s/he accept the certificate and take her/his chances? If s/he decides to become a 5th year student, will s/he have access to programs that will help her/him study for and pass the test? “Throughout the United States, schools most frequently punish the students who have the greatest academic, social, economic and emotional needs (Noguera).” Does the 3 tiered system provide greater supports for students?

I believe the proposed plan, for all its good intentions, is short-sighted. I believe there are strategies we have not yet fully embraced that can make a difference for our children. Across the country, we hear superintendents saying that districts can’t do “it” by themselves. But has the “it” been clearly articulated?

Students – and particularly students of color – are dropping out in record numbers. There are more black men in jail than in college. The achievement gap among Latinos is growing. In some districts, “Latinas fare even worse than Latino males (Narrowing the Achievement Gap: Strategies for Educating Latino, Black and Asian Students [Susan J. Paik and Herbert J. Walberg]).” And the myth of the model minority, a belief that all Asian Pacific Americans students are high achievers (Hune & Chan), is alive and well.

In too many instances, “[b]lack kids don’t get validation and are seen as trespassing when they exceed academic expectations (Paik, Walberg). They turn on it, they sacrifice their spots in gifted and talented classes to belong to a group where they feel good.” Thus, students of color are not engaged. They know that education is important but, they do not believe it will be their ticket out of poverty (Noguera).

I am not pointing fingers. All of us – districts, superintendents, schools, teachers, community-based organizations, ministers, parents, students, stakeholders, foundations, etc. – are responsible for helping all students succeed. But to do this, we must first know who our students are. And we all must believe beyond rhetoric that all students, particularly greater numbers of students of color, can achieve academic success.

In my mind, the 3-tiered proposal only enhances the differentiation of students. It does not implement additional supports, nor does it establish a climate in which academic success is attainable and rewarding for all.

In many instances today, “…schools sort children based on various measures of their academic ability and place them on trajectories that influence the economic roles and occupations they will assume as adults. In doing so, they play a role in determining who will lead and manage corporations and government and who will be led and managed by those in charge.” (Bowles & Gintis, 1976; Oakes, 1985)

By introducing the proposed three-tiered diploma system, are we, as Commissioner Gist says, “raising the floor?” Or are we, in fact, sorting?

Please leave a comment here or on the John Hope Facebook page and let us know your thoughts.

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Updated Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Examining Responsibility and Relevance…
Words from John Hope President/CEO, Peter D. Lee

Click here to see past posts “From the President/CEO” blog

Tomorrow evening, December 9, John Hope Settlement House will take a moment to step back and celebrate the good and hard work of its dedicated staff, volunteers and residents. We will publicly renew our pledge of responsibility to the children and families who live in our neighborhoods. We will commit to ensuring that all services and programs we facilitate and build will be the most relevant services and programs for the children and families who live in our neighborhoods today. And in the face of continued and broadening disparities, we will further commit to ensuring that all programs and services we facilitate will be those that will provide the greatest value for our families in their efforts toward success in the 21st century.

At John Hope, we see every child and every family as a gift. And knowing them to be gifts, we do not take their presence lightly. The challenges they face daily are many. It is our challenge – our responsibility, even – to meet our families where they are, to understand the climate in which they live, and to work within the context of existing realities to help forge individual and collective pathways to success.

Every for-profit business knows that if it is to survive and grow, it must be able to clearly demonstrate to consumers that its product is a smarter purchase than those offered by its competitors. This reality holds true as well for not-for-profits, especially in times of reduced funding. While we do not see other agencies as “competitors,” per se, we must be able to clearly articulate and demonstrate the value of our programs and services.

I believe the greatest value John Hope provides is that first and foremost, we recognize and celebrate strengths. In doing so, our approach to the “fix” becomes a holistic one that actually enlists these strengths as resources. In her book entitled, Can we talk about Race?: And Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregation, Beverly Daniel Tatum, President of Spellman College, defines the ABCs in this way:

A = affirming identity
B = building community
C = cultivating leadership

The ABCs as Dr. Tatum defines them are alive and well at John Hope Settlement House. They are the very essence of responsibility and relevance, they are non-negotiables, they are at the core of what has brought in generations of children and families to John Hope, and they are what will draw in the generations to come.

Tomorrow, December 9 at 6:00PM, when we open our doors to celebrate and own our place in this work, we will recognize those who have made a real difference over the past year: Rosa Ortiz, as Staff Person of the Year; Dennis Davis and Ysa Luna for their outstanding service to community; Adriana Vicente as an exceptional youth leader.

The Honorable Senator Deacon Harold M. Metts will receive the most prestigious Paris Vaughn Sterrett Award.

Our Keynote speaker will be Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu, who for decades has been a passionate and tireless advocate for children, and especially boys, of color.  Dr. Kunjufu’s latest book, “100 Plus Educational Strategies to Teach Children of Color,” is a concrete tool for all of us who work with children of color, and it will be available for purchase.

I hope you will join with me tomorrow evening as we embrace responsibility and relevance. For ourselves, for our children, for our community.

In the words of Dr. Kunjufu: “After all is said and done, whatever you see in the child is what you’ll produce out of the child.”

Sincerely,
Peter D. Lee

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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

This past Sunday, December 5, John Hope was recognized at the annual Holiday Tea of the Northeasterners, Inc. Massachusetts chapter. I had the distinct honor of attending this event, which was held in Weston, MA.

“The Northeasterners, Inc. was founded in New York by Agatha Scott in 1930. She was impressed with young African-American debutantes she met while visiting several cities. They all seemed to have similar interests and backgrounds. The idea caught on and several young women representing various states in the Northeast came together with the aim of keeping in touch with each other socially, keeping abreast of cultural trends and rendering services to the community. Some of the past projects were organized to aid community and educational causes. Some included an annual scholarship to Howard University, contributions to the Infantile Paralysis Library Project at Tuskegee Institute, contributions to the NAACP, the Urban League, the United Negro College Fund and the American Cancer Society, among others.”

On Sunday the 5th of December, John Hope Settlement House was recognized and presented with more than 20 new children’s books. In my conversations with members, I learned of the joy they had experienced in selecting the books, especially those that featured successful African-Americans and individuals of color. I was honored to listen to their stories, to learn of the professional lives of these now retired women of color, and gain insight into their passion for keeping this network alive. I couldn’t help but think how their founding story was so similar to John Hope’s genesis.

I want to personally thank Ms. Sandi Wilson, President of the Massachusetts chapter, for selecting John Hope. And I wish to extend a special word of thanks as well to Northeasterner member Lynn Edmonds, a close friend of John Hope, who nominated our agency for this prestigious award.

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Monday, October 25, 2010

Friends of John Hope Settlement House,

With the support of John Hope staff, Foundations, Inc., and the Resident Leadership Network, on Thursday evening October 7 we shared some ambitious thinking with more than 50 friends of John Hope Settlement House. We’re calling this thinking our Sustainable Futures Campaign, and the community meeting was an opportunity for us to demonstrate what we see as our responsibility to our residents, to our neighborhoods, to our stakeholders, and to our environment.

And while responsibility to the community has been our mission, work, and intent for more than 81 years, the context within which we work today is much different than when we were founded. We need to address that, and we need to engage residents in our thinking and planning, to ensure that we remain relevant in changing and challenging times, in ways that will continue to appeal to and engage children and families and that will therefore be sustained.

The community meeting on October 7th was John Hope’s attempt to begin a practice of sharing ideas: our ideas about what we think we must become, and our friends and neighbors’ ideas about what they need, to ensure that John Hope is truly preparing those we serve with knowledge for today and for the 21st century. Why is this so important? Because, as a state, we have an unemployment rate hovering just below 12%. Because in some of our neighborhoods it is as high as 30%. Because the disparity continues to widen for our residents of color in terms of education, post secondary entrance and retention, economic stability, health, economic wellness, and juvenile and adult justice.

None of this is new information. I raise it because it is the context in which we work, and to which we have a responsibility. And because I believe that, by having conversations with John Hope friends and stakeholders, we can hone our current services, to make them more relevant to today’s reality for children and families, and in particular for children and families of color. I believe we can help reduce the trends and statistics and begin to move from apathy and complacency to a celebration of individual, family, and community strengths. I believe we can develop programs that inspire. I believe our value add can be truly seen only once we appreciate where we are today and have a shared understanding of where we can go. I am grateful to be able to serve in this role and to help ensure that John Hope is truly a steward of change, toward a Sustainable Future.

Sincerely,
Peter

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September 27, 2010

Friends of John Hope Settlement House,

I hope you and yours have had a great summer. This time always seems to slip away, as fall approaches and we anticipate the sounds of alarm clocks, school buses, stuffed back packs, notebooks, school work, and excellent grades.

Even as the seasons fold one into the next, John Hope enthusiastically enters this new season with a deepening dedication to serving the children, youth, families, and adults of Providence and beyond. Our dedication is not simply to deliver quality programs and services, but rather to ensure that our programs and services are and continue to be truly relevant, even as the demographics of the neighborhoods may evolve. This dedication is not new to John Hope; in fact it has been our mission for more than 80 years. Since 1929, the mission of John Hope Settlement House has been to provide “leadership through comprehensive and dynamic human services, community outreach and advocacy for children, youth, and families in Providence and beyond. John Hope programs and services

-    Strengthen families
-    Foster leadership
-    Broaden opportunities
-    Promote social, educational, economic, and civic improvement

John Hope responds to and embraces the interests of all ages and all ethnic groups within a diverse and changing community.”

Today more than ever, this mission remains relevant. Further, we believe strongly that the value of service should be measured not solely at the end of a funding cycle, but rather at the end of each and every day we enter the doors of John Hope dedicated to ensuring the quality of life our residents deserve.  We believe that each child, youth, adult, and family is a gift to society. And we understand that it is our duty to make sure these gifts are nourished, so that each can contribute to society at their fullest potential. As such, we are more than just a place from which quality services emanate. John Hope is a place where residents of all ages can secure necessary supports for them and for their families; where Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, South East Asians, and Native Americans can together build a network of support; and where we can apply our collective strengths toward helping reduce the ongoing trends that continue to plague our neighborhoods, our children, our adults, and our families.

Our commitment to you and to our neighborhoods is to persistently evaluate what and why we do what we do. Are we making a difference? Are we having an impact on your life?  Do our programs and/or services facilitate what residents really want?  Are we helping you set and meet goals? Is John Hope a safe and welcoming place for all residents to build and create a sustainable future for their families and for their community?

We love the work we do, and it is for this reason that we would like to talk one-on-one with John Hope families to answer these questions and more.  In the meantime, I ask that you please consider commenting and providing feedback on your experiences as you have engaged in the life of John Hope Settlement House. Please do not hesitate to tell us what we can do to better serve the families of Providence.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

Sincerely,
Peter
President & CEO