Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Superman In NOLA Schools

As you are well aware, there is plenty of discussion surrounding the film Waiting for Superman. As many of know the film levels plenty of criticism at the public schools, particularly in the inner cities, in this country.

I have some great news for those donors and volunteers of Schools Count Corp as well as for the skeptics of public education. Great things are happening in public schools without privatizing. Within the past few days I've gotten my hands on the spring 2010 State of Louisiana LEAP test scores. The results are most encouraging and should send a signal to those who often malign the efforts of teachers, unions, and students, in the public schools pf New Orleans.

I want to share the improvement in these test scores to underline the great work of the students, staff and leaders in the schools we have served for the past five years. Take a look for yourself and you can see the wonderful results.

School/2008-09 score/2009-10 score/ % change

Tureaud Elementary, 72.4, 77.1, + 6.5%
Coghill Elementary, 53.3, 70.4, + 32%
Schaumburg Elementary, 61.7, 68.4, + 11%
J. W. Johnson Elem., 51.8, 64.7, + 25%
Fannie Williams Elem., 60.6, 63.3, + 4.5%
Habans Elementary, 59.2, 62.9, + 6.3%
Henderson Elementary, 62.3, 62.4, + less than .1%
Banneker Elementary, 58.9, 60.1, + 2%
Reed Elementary, 47.2, 50.0, + 6%
Gregory Elementary, 37.6, 49.3, +31.1 %
Carver Elementary, 36.1, 47.6, + 31.9%
Drew Elementary, 40.7, 47.1, + 15.7 %
Craig Elementary, 48.7, 44.0, - 9.7%
Arthur Ashe Charter, 67.2, 82.9, + 23.3%
McDonogh H. S. ,21.6, 42.2, +95.4%
Greater Gentilly H. S., not open, 47.3, no comparison

As you can see from the above LEAP scores, every school we delivered to this past August, with just one exception, had better test scores than the previous year. Though a school's total and real worth can't be measured in standardized test scores, it is obvious that great progress in being made in New Orleans.

No, 'Superman' has not made an apprearance at the above schools, rather, the people in these schools have fashioned their march forward! Great work...keep it up. Don't let people tell you otherwise.

Dick Flesher

Monday, October 25, 2010

Bits and Pieces

ACE: The ACE (Athletes Committed to Excellence), at Hinsdale Central High School, held a kickball contest a couple of weeks ago. A team headed by senior Andrew Worthington came in first place and won the astounding amount of $700. Even more astounding, the team decided to donate the entire amount to our charity! Thanks guys!!!

Global Hope: This wonderful non-profit, which we have had the pleasure of working with in the past, is heading to New Orleans to help reburbish one of the schools in need. Their destination is L. E. Rabouin H. S a 1925 Art Deco style building. 23 volunteers from Global Hope are going to paint hallways, repair/drywall where locker banks have been removed, design and building a new 18' office reception counter and they will restore the outside basketball count among other projects. No doubt, these generous volunteers will do some work that is desperately needed! Be safe and enjoy yourselves!!

Haiti: The sad news out of Haiti is that cholera has hit a rural area outside of Port-au-Prince and 250 have died while countless others have been hit by the horrible disease. There are four or five cases in Port-au-Prince but my sources say these people have been isolated and that they picked up cholera outside of the capital. To my knowledge, no one has been affected at IMN School (which we helped rebuild) at this point in time. I will keep you posted.

Thanks,
Dick

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Principal Reassigned in NOLA

As if the climb out of destruction of Hurricane Katrina wasn't enough (which it was!) now this. Schools have had a long struggle after the storm; teachers and students being displaced out of their homes, schools shuttered due to damage, people being moved around like chess pieces, and everyone feeling the psychological effects of all sorts.

In spite of all of the hardships, plenty of the hardest hit schools in areas ravaged by the hurricane have recovered very well five years later. When you get right down to it, the fortitude of everyone involved in education in NOLA has prevailed. Hard working administrators, eager students, terrific teachers, and diligent principals have made huge strides.

One such school, with its staff and students, which has made significant strides forward is Francis Gregory Elementary. I learned yesterday that Gregory's principal, Aldine Lockett, has been reassigned. Reassigned, are you kidding me!?

Here is a school, put in trailers, where the State of Louisiana LEAP test scores have improved three straight years. Beyond that benchmark, I know that Mr. Lockett has committed himself to Gregory. He knows no limits when it comes to supporting staff and students. He has worked tirelessly and in an unselfish manner to help those most in need of assistance.

It would be hard to find a kinder more considerate man that Aldine. I have found him approachable and thoughtful. Over the years that our charity has supported Gregory, I have felt that Mr. Lockett was genuinely appreciative of our work. He was always generous in praise of our efforts and he sought to bring attention to our initiatives in New Orleans schools.

And he is replaced? Well, whoever takes over the reins at Gregory will have big shoes to fill. As the saying goes, 'everyone is replaceable.' The fact of the matter is, the position will be filled but with a person of Mr. Lockett's track record; well, that's a whole other story!

All the best Aldine!
Dick

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The Chili Dinner was a Hot Time!

Though all of the counting of the funds, from last Friday's Chili Dinner, hasn't quite been completed, I can tell you that, as of today, sales are slightly over $3,000.00!! To say the least, that is a fantastic total.

Please know that I am grateful for all of the work provided by the Hinsdale Central Habitat for Humanity club members. These young people cleared tables, served chili, provided drinks & dessert, and greeted our hungry guests with a broad smile.

To all of those who supported the chili dinner, please accept my thanks for your participation and donation to both Habitat for Humanity and Schools Count Corp. I truly hope you enjoyed the meal and evening. To the very last person I chatted with at HC, one and all said the chili was delicious and that they had an enjoyable time. Your participation in this endeavor allows both Habitat and Schools Count to go into 2011 with some necessary funds to support our work.

Many thanks,
Dick

Friday, October 15, 2010

Look at this NOLA School

I am often in contact with a number of New Orleans schools, which we annually assist in the month of August, with regard to what is taking place throughout their school year. Just yesterday I received the Gregory Gator Elementary 'News' from their principal, Aldine Lockett. I want to share a small item from the 'News' that says much about the school, its students and faculty.

Here's the excerpt from the 'News.' "HandsON New Orleans has requested that schools participate in a can good drive that the organization is conducting October 1-23, 2010. Parents and students are asked to contribute as many can goods or dry goods that they can to benefit persons who were affected by the Gulf Oil spill. Students that bring can goods or dry goods will receive 1 GATOR Buck for each good that they bring each day until October 23, 2010. Please support this worthy cause."

I realize lots of students, throughout the country, support aid programs such as the above. However, what is noteworthy about Gregory pitching in to help HandsON is the fact that many of the students at Gregory are in need of support and assistance of various types. Here is a school, in need of our support, reaching out to others in need. I was struck by this thoughtful and selfless act on the part of everyone at the school. It is one of the many reasons why Schools Count Corp continues to bring school supplies to Gregory Elementary each and every August.

Dick

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Your Help is Needed

The success of this non-profit, like almost any other charity or business, is dependent upon many people working together for a common cause. In our case, we need a huge group of people to donate money, pack supplies, find sources of supplies, make deliveries to various locations, participate in various fundraisers and to help locate sources of donations.

It is this latter point that I want to emphasize. Though we have a number of fundraisers (Chili Dinner, KICK, a Mardi Gras Concert and a bowling event) in the works for our expanding efforts in 2011, I want to reach out to those of you who are part of our network to ask you to consider establishing a fundraiser to benefit our work.

Perhaps you might want to run a car wash or a silent auction. You might be interested in developing a 3K or 5K walk or a stair climb to benefit our work. There are plenty of means of raising funds to help children in need. I am simply appealing to you to see if you have an interest in initiating some sort of fundraiser. Obviously, a number of our volunteers and donors would be willing to aid you and participate in such an endeavor.

The more people who pitch in to help. It is always better to have people share in the success of our efforts. Please feel free to give me a call at 630-863-6035 or email me at rich219@comcast.net to chat with me about the possibility of your organizing your very own money-maker.

Many thanks,
Dick

Monday, October 11, 2010

Chili and Superman

What, chili and Superman? How on earth do these two, one a food, the other a film, have anything to do with one another? On the surface, nothing. But these have much to do with one another when it comes to schools.

For the past five days I've written two blogs on the chili dinner and, prior to that, three blogs on Waiting for Superman. Here's the point; the film advocates for new schools, those in Harlem established by Geoffrey Canada and KIPP schools established in many inner cities. What about those students, who by the luck of the draw, as shown in the film, don't get into such schools? Well, they are headed back, in all probability, to the public schools.

That's where the chili dinner comes in. We work to help schools in many inner cities where the students don't have a chance or opportunity to attend Canada's schools in Harlem or the KIPP schools. We help those students most in need in the public schools at the mercy of a lottery system.

For every $1000 that Schools Count Corp earns from the chili dinner we can purchase, tax free, 500 binders and 3200 folders! That is a staggering amount of supplies. So if Superman doesn't arrive at the New Orleans and Chicago Public Schools, at least our company can greatly aid the children most in need.

I hope you can make the chili dinner this Friday, Oct. 15. Tickets are $5 apiece and the 'all you can eat' dinner will take place at Hinsdale Central H.S. from 4:30 to 7 pm.

Thanks for your support!
Dick

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Anyone for Chili

This Friday, October 15th should be a wonderful night for lots of reasons!

For one, the HC football team is playing one of its traditional rivals, the York Dukes. Both teams seem destined for the state playoffs (York has already qualified) and a HC victory will put HC in the playoffs.

Aside from that excitement, the Hinsdale Central H.S. Habitat for Humanity Club is teaming up with Schools Count Corp for the fourth annual Chili Dinner. All of the proceeds will benefit both groups going into 2011, Habitat for its annual trek to build a home in West Virginia and Schools Count for its delivery of supplies to Chicago Public School students.

Tickets for the 'all you can eat' chili, along with a dessert and beverage, are just $5. Dinner will be served in the Central cafeteria from 4:30 to 7:00 pm. Why not bring the entire family out and have a great meal while helping two worthy causes? You're bound to have a great time!!

Thanks for your support!
Dick

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Chili Dinner on Oct. 15th

It's that time of the year...Friday night football, cool temperatures, and chili! And it also just so happens that all of this is taking place while Habitat for Humanity, at Hinsdale Central, teams up with Schools Count Corp for one of our biggest fundraisers of the year.

Our 4th annual Chili Dinner will take place on Friday, October 15th in the Hinsdale Central H.S. student cafeteria from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Tickets, whether purchased ahead of time, or at the door are $5. That's an amazing price considering you get all the chili you can eat plus a dessert and beverage. By the way, did I mention that there are all sort of toppings for the chili? Well, there are!

All of the profits from the chili dinner will benefit two organizations, the HC Habitat for Humanity Club and Schools Count Corp. The Habitat member will use their funds for their 2011 building trip to West Virginia while Schools Count will use their portion of the proceeds to buy school supplies for students in the Chicago Public Schools.

Why not avoid cooking after a long week of work and school? Get the whole family together and come on out to support these great organizations! Once you finish your delicious meal you just might want to head out to the football field to watch the Red Devils take on the York Dukes.

Hope to see you on the 15th!

Thanks,
Dick

Friday, October 8, 2010

Waiting for Superman - Part III

As I suggested yesterday, it is impractical to simply shut down tens of thousands of schools nationwide and to replace them with something new. Yes, reforms need to take place but not at the expense of dismantling the entire public school sector. To be sure, whether intended or not, that is the impression one is left with after viewing Waiting for Superman.

Let me offer some thoughts on some reforms that educators, not for-profit enterprises, ought to consider implementing. This is not a point to take lightly. The vast number of superb educators in this country are capable of making such decisions without non-educator assistance. To wit, when is the last time you heard of educators lecturing lawyers about reforms in the area of law? On the same point, I have never heard of teachers telling the fire department how to run their affairs.

As educators we ought to go to our district and building administrations and ask for fewer interuptions to the school day. Late starts, partial day institutes, and teacher improvement sessions, during the regular school day, pull teachers out of their classes. The vast number of teachers I work with don't like this and want to be with their students in the classroom. Disruptions to the normal five-day week are common and need to be eliminated. Students would be better served in such a scenario.

Students would prosper with a 7 1/2 hour school day. Too many schools have less than seven hours of instruction. Quite simply, 6, 6 1/2 or 7 hours is not enough time to give students the optimum classroom time. To go beyond 7 1/2 hours would be detrimental to the overall educational experience (activities, jobs, athletics, etc) that students currently enjoy.

I also believe that having a school year of 190 to 192 classroom instruction days would be wise. Notice I said that these are instruction days and not days devoted to the assorted tasks which government bodies and school districts set aside for other sorts of activities.

In terms of teachers who don't get the job done, and some of them are out there, it is better left to each school to deal with this issue. If a private law firm, farm, or 'mom and pop' store has a poor employee it is left to them, as it should be, to determine the employee's fate. Each school (and school district) has to determine the point at which remediation and retention should occur. There is no need for a state or federal law enforcement agency to jump in and oversee how to handle a poor instructor. There are plenty of good school administrators who can, and do, handle this effectively.

I believe the above changes can take place and would be useful in terms of improving the quality of instruction in the vast number of American public schools.

I am hopeful that teachers, local teacher associations, and school administrative personnel will be the forces to enact such changes. State and national education associations would be well served, in my view, to move forward on this front.

Dick Flesher




Thursday, October 7, 2010

Waiting for Superman - Part II

Waiting for Superman suggests some pretty monumental reforms in public education. While I agree that reforms are warranted, there are three very real conditions (there are actually more than three but these arguments should suffice for now) that preclude the drastic actions suggested by Davis Guggenheim.

First of all, a total overall of the schools, implied by the film, simply isn't warranted. There are plenty of public schools in urban, suburban and rural areas that are flourishing. Our charity works with a number of inner city schools and I would never alter their current terrific work. For example, Benjamin Banneker in New Orleans, is a case in point regarding their success with all levels and types of students. Quite simply, it is an inner city school that gets the job done and the reforms sought by Guggenheim aren't warranted in this school.

A second practical point needs to be made clear regarding Guggenheim's call to action. Even if reforms are made and new schools are created the time frame for making such alterations will take many years because of the thousands of current schools who need to keep their doors open. Those so called 'failing schools' will need support until such time that reforms can take place. The point is this, schools can't suddenly be torn down and closed overnight even if the need exists.

Finally, though Guggenheim taps into the work of KIPP and Geoffrey Canada, among others, I feel that he needs to look at some of the best public school practioners, teachers and building personel, who operate within the public school sector. I think he would find that there are literally thousands of very bright and thoughtful teachers who have created and implemented reforms within the current system and have carried them out successfuly. The whole system isn't rotten nor does the whole system need to be done away with.

Tomorrow, I will offer some ideas (solutions) to current problems that will enable growth and progress to continue within the current structure.

Thanks for your support of Schools Count Corp!
Dick

Monday, October 4, 2010

Waiting for Superman

Yesterday I had the opportunity to watch Waiting for Superman. It is a compelling movie in that it; uncovers some startling poor reading statistics nationwide, takes dead aim at the teacher unions in the country, and bemoans children not having the quality of education they need and deserve.

Much hype and a fair amount of criticism have accompanied the film and I must say that I can understand why teachers in this country are pretty upset. There is a great deal of blame laid on public schools though I thought the film made it clear that there are plenty of great teachers in both the good and not-so-good public schools. At least the film made it clear that it takes great teachers, wherever they are, do have a profound impact upon young people.

The thrust of the film was this; public schools, especially the inner cities ones, right now, are not getting the job done. And because of this situation school reform has to take place right now. The reasons for the decline of public school education are many according to Guggenheim; a lack of accountability, tenure laws, too many governmental agency rules, poor teachers, outdated organizational structures, and teacher unions...to name a few.

Guggenheim identified Geoffrey Canada's schools in Harlem and the Kipp schools (99 of them nationwide at the time of the film) as having the right idea when it comes to improving the quality of education. Among the practices that provided positive results, aside from eliminating some of the roadblocks to reform mentioned in the previous paragraphs, were a longer school year and a longer school day.

While there are parts of the film that I found discomforting I was not, as a retired teacher, offended. Reforms are needed and I will get to some of those tomorrow.

My chief concern is this...if a school is open right now and it is having some difficulties, the current need is not for immediately shutting its doors and firing the entire staff. Struggling schools will not close tomorrow. That is a simple truth. What many of these schools need is some immediate practical help.

Oh, by the way, what happens to the three students, out of the five in the movie, who don't get into a Kipp School, a charter, or one of Canada's schools? Well, they head back to the so called 'lousy' school. It is that school, and its students, who need our assistance.

Dick

Girls Singing at IMN

Classes Singing at IMN

IMN School Opens

Driving into Port Au Prince

IMN School Welcome

Tour of IMN School

IMN School