Waiting For Superman

I finally had the chance to see the film Waiting For Superman.  If you have not seen the movie, please go see it!  It is still out in some theaters, and I assume will be out on video soon.  If you have seen the movie, post a comment to tell me what you thought about it.  The basic premise of the movie is that the American education system is failing millions of students.  Most of those children are minority students who live in cities and rural areas that are socioeconomically distressed.  The film shines the light on many reasons for why those school districts are failing to meet the needs of their students, but it also highlights schools that are actually effectively reaching socioeconomically disadvantaged children regardless of the students' level of poverty, blight in their neighborhood, or family structure.  And the effective schools now have a proven track record of success over time. 

The movie proves something that I believe very strongly in... that all children can learn and become contributing members of society regardless of their environment.  Efforts to change the health of kids' families and their physical living conditions are still important, but kids can benefit from a good education regardless of the their needs.  Research now proves that.  Kids do learn when schools have effective teachers, strong and effective school leadership, plenty of support and intervention, high standards, and meaningful accountability.  I have spent my entire professional career working with socioeconomically disadvantaged students... first as a public school teacher and administrator for six years in California, and now as a coordinator of a mentoring program that impacts public school students.  I have first hand knowledge and experience that has taught me that all students can learn, but I also have seen how students are let down when things don't go like they are supposed to.

I've said this many times, but one of the best things people can do to support kids in their development is to mentor them.  I love the LAMP concept because it focuses on kids in Homewood.who are falling behind in the local public schools at an age when intevention and support is critical for them.  Research shows that nationwide, 88% of children who have a mentor for at least one year go on to attend college.  That's not a typo.  If LAMP holds up to the standards of an effective mentoring program, then 88% of the children we mentor in Homewood will attend college.  I have the education and I have been certified to be a school site principal, so people often ask me why I don't try to change things in Pittsburgh by becoming a school principal.  My answer is that I believe very strongly that mentoring provides profound intervention in the lives of troubled youth.  My energy has always focused on at-risk youth, and I believe I can reach at-risk students in a much more powerful way by mentoring them over a long period of time.  I am mentoring lots of kids, and LAMP in general is reaching lots of kids.  It is a joy to watch the kids persevere over time, and hopefully all of the kids who are being mentored will graduate from high school and go on to college or vocational school.  Time will tell, but in the mean time at least the kids don't have to wait for superman.