Guest MINDSETTER™ Chace Baptista: Achievement First is a Lifeboat
Friday, December 09, 2011
Opening a new charter school is always a charged debate. Opponents often consider charter schools a drain to the existing school system. Proponents of new charter schools label their critics as protectors of the status quo. While this rhetoric gets thrown around at the 30,000 foot level, I am going to speak at the ground level about what matters to me: families, young people, and the impact on our communities.
While I feel like I'm able to listen to and understand both sides of the rhetoric, at the end of the day, Providence residents debating the Achievement First Mayoral Academy proposal is kind of being on the Titanic (after the iceberg) and debating whether or not there should be one more lifeboat on board. I don't have to rattle facts for you to know the situation facing our young people, especially those who are impoverished,are dire. High school graduation rates, not to mention college graduation rates, are abysmal at best. And when students do graduate, they are not consistently prepared for the real world.
I'm not arguing that the Achievement First schools would have the ability to single- handedly save Providence and raise graduation rates. It’s just one lifeboat. Of course, we have other lifeboats too: great programs for youth and families that educate and empower them. But why not include one more lifeboat can fit that many more people?
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTTo the people who believe that this new program will be a major drain on resources: I ask youfor your lifeboat design. What is your plan? What would you spend the money on to drastically change things for the same number of students? In lieu of that plan and real meaningful action, I would bet that the money wouldgo to maintaining fixed costs of the system rather thaninnovative programs for the kids who need it most.
At the end of the day, the one thing that I believe is that families in Providence want more options; that they want an opportunity to have real choice within their school system, as well as accountability. While not a silver bullet I believe that AF is one more lifeboat that families want here in the capitol city that will help young people of color break free of the cycles of poverty.
