National Education Reformer Comes to Town; Calls Education a National Disaster
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Calling the nation’s education system a national disaster that will undermine the success of the country, Harlem Children’s Zone founder Geoffrey Canada told hundreds of political, business and community leaders to make an investment in public education at the Rhode Island Convention Center Tuesday.
Canada was in town to be honored by Family Service of RI, the organization that is attempting to create a mini-version of the Harlem Children’s Zone at the Mary E. Fogarty Elementary School in South Providence.
The Children’s Zone is an initiative that provides wraparound services to children in Harlem, working with families from the time children are born all the way through college. Canada says the program has been an immense success, but noted that it comes with a price tag of around $5,000 per child per year, not including education.
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The crowd of more than 400 broke into applause at least three times during Canada’s half hour speech, but the honoree wasn’t in town simply to be patted on the back. He delivered a striking message, saying that people have not paid attention to the education crisis that is plaguing the country.
“We have designed a system that is literally destroying our children and nobody is treating it like a crisis,” Canada said.
Canada stressed that the country has created a cradle-to-prison pipeline that costs the nation far more in the long run. He said the idea that it is too expensive to help children is unacceptable, noting that the prison system has never had a problem taking anything to scale.
Poor Kids Can Learn
But solving the problem locally may be easier said than done. During his campaign, Mayor Angel Taveras pledged to create a citywide version of the Harlem Children’s Zone, but the cash-strapped city has not moved forward with the plan.
Canada said poverty should not be an excuse.
“Poor kids can catch up, it’s absolutely possible,” he said. “We have one goal at the Harlem Children’s Zone: Get our kids into college.”
Canada said accountability is also a major component. He said when started his first school, he promised New York’s Mayor and the city’s School Chancellor that if the school wasn’t performing, he would fire himself. He said in order to find people willing to invest in education, results are necessary.
Addressing Unions
In order to fix the education system, Canada said it will take an investment from all sectors and, in his opinion, the ability for schools to innovate. Often charged with being a union-basher, Canada said he is supporter of charter schools because he doesn’t believe a system that has been failing for decades should continue to run the exact same way.
“If things are failing, why wouldn’t you bring innovation,” he said. “Only in education is innovation a dirty word. No other business in American could fail for 50 years and continue to run the same way.”
Canada disputed the notion the he is anti-union, but said the country needs to stop treating teachers like they’re doing peace work and allow them to teach.
“I believe if you’re an educator and you can’t teach, you should get another job,” Canada said.
After the event, Canada told reporters that union leadership does a great job protecting its members, but they need to change.
“If they don’t change, they’re going to go the way of the UAW,” he said.
Country Is In Trouble
In the end, Canada called on Providence’s leaders to create real change in the education system. He said that’s the only way improve the lives of children.
“The country is in real trouble,” he said. “There is nobody coming to save your kids.”
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