Growth and Expansion Highlighted at BAEO's Second Symposium

Education Week ^ | 3/13/02 | Catherine Gewertz

[LarryLied]

Gathered here recently for their second annual symposium, members of the Black Alliance for Educational Options took a moment from a busy agenda to reflect on the group's rapid growth.

With nearly 750 members, baeo has grown by leaps and bounds since its founding two years ago as a national organization seeking to offer minority children greater educational options, including publicly funded vouchers and public magnet schools.

The group drew more than 600 people to the conference, which was held Feb. 28 through March 3.

Boyce Slayman, the vice president of baeo, said in one session that the Washington-based organization, which spent $6 million on advertising last year, will be adding two key administrative positions. National directors of communication and development will be appointed soon to assist local chapters in outreach and fund raising. baeo wants to "change the conversation about choice," he said.

Meanwhile, baeo President Kaleem Caire advised local chapters not to spend a lot of time trying to clarify where the group parts ways with political conservatives, and focus instead on "what's best for kids."

After listening to Mr. Caire describe many alternatives to traditional public schools, from privately financed scholarships to charter schools and home schooling, one audience member rose and asked if baeo favored universal vouchers. No, Mr. Slayman said, the group favors vouchers only for poor children.

Mr. Caire, whose two school-age children attend public school in a middle-class Maryland neighborhood, said he would love to use vouchers to expand his own children's educational options. But, noting that he "grew up dirt broke," he said he is "willing to make a sacrifice" to ensure vouchers help those who need it the most: poor families.

Between his serious presentations, Mr. Slayman doubled as a model for the "new spring line" of baeo merchandise. Wearing chinos and sneakers, he kept popping up in one room or another, sporting a white sweatshirt embroidered with baeo's insignia and a black baeo briefcase. He spun delicately around, showing off each item and listing its assets, in an effort to drum up business for the "baeo boutique," a table of the group's merchandise.

During a panel discussion about school systems that narrow achievement gaps between various racial and ethnic groups, Superintendent Ron Ross, whose Mount Vernon, N.Y., district has made stunning gains in test scores in recent years, recounted how he went to war against the two problems he believes cause the gap: ineffective, uncaring teachers and uninvolved parents.

"I went into black churches and said to the parents, 'You are the problem,'" Mr. Ross said. " 'You expect white people to love your kids more than you do? You say you work hard? So did my mom, cleaning floors, and she still got up off her knees and looked to her kids at night.'

"The public schools haven't failed us, we've failed the public schools," Mr. Ross told his audience. "We've allowed lousy superintendents, lousy principals, and lousy teachers and school boards."

The achievement gap has been caused in significant part, he said, "by black folks not caring about their own."

The minute the words were out of his mouth, the audience stood and cheered.

In a quiet room where he relaxed before delivering an evening speech to parents, teachers, administrators, legislators, researchers, and others at the conference, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige was asked by a reporter why he came to Philadelphia to talk to baeo.

"I'm here because I believe parent choice is a necessary condition of authentic school reform," he said, using a line that would get some of the biggest applause of the night 45 minutes later. "I know of no other monopoly the size of the public school system that works effectively."

Here in Philadelphia, where the school district is under a state takeover and being considered for large-scale privatization, Mr. Paige urged reformers to be "aggressive, bold, and mindful" of this maxim: "I think it was Einstein who said the definition of insanity is the belief that you can get different results from doing the same thing."

Mr. Paige, formerly the superintendent of schools in Houston, is unafraid that alternatives such as vouchers and charter schools will weaken the public school system. "The whole idea is to make the system stronger," he said. "If the public schools could do their job properly, they'd be the winner."

After 75 members of the orchestra from a New York City charter school finished a dinnertime set of pop tunes for an appreciative roomful of conference-goers, Howard L. Fuller introduced Mr. Paige as "a brother who leads our children." Mr. Paige called Mr. Fuller, who founded baeo, "a national hero." He praised baeo for "doing the right thing."

"This nation is going to stand up and salute you someday," Mr. Paige said. "Just keep on pushing."

---

From The Black Alliance For Educational Opportunities web site:

Parent Profile
Name: Roberta Kitchen
City: Cleveland

For the past 17 years, Roberta Kitchen has been raising five children abandoned by their mother who was strung out on drugs and alcohol.

Roberta reflects on her struggle to raise and educate her children before and after vouchers became available through the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program. She is raising DeAntye, 15; Tiara, 14; Tatiana, 13; and Toshika, 10. Tiffany, 20, is living on her own after graduating from high school.

"These babies came from a rough world. Even while they were living, they were dying. I just couldn’t let them die."

"I wanted them to break out of the system that was their family. I did not want them to grow up on the welfare rolls. I had to show them another way. The key was and is a good education," says Roberta, who is a college graduate and works in a professional position for a Cleveland corporation.

Roberta struggled through a variety of public schools, which did not meet her children’s needs.

"It is very stressful knowing that your children are not learning and that they are not safe because they are corralled in a room with kids who are acting out to get attention."

"I went back and forth through the public schools. I talked to teachers until we were blue in the face. My kids had some good teachers. But so many of them were so frustrated and just threw their hands up."

"I was always at the public school. Whenever the public schools had meetings, I would be there. There was so much broken. I was so disillusioned with the system."

"My daughter couldn’t read. She was in the sixth grade. I had been back and forth with her since the fourth grade. I noticed as I tried to help her with her homework that she couldn’t read. But she was getting Bs and Cs on her report card."

"I asked the school to hold her back because she wasn’t ready to go on to the next grade. They said they couldn’t do it because she wasn’t failing."

Roberta’s experience was much the same as she labored to educate her other children.

"I didn’t want my children’s attitude and spirit to die in school."

So, she turned to private schools. But, ultimately, despite financial help from the schools and her extended family, Roberta could not afford the tuition.

"I would stay up at night looking through the newspapers trying to find a night job to supplement my day job to get money to pay for their schooling."

"People suggested that I lie about my residence so I could enroll my children in a better public school district. And it happens. People do that. But I couldn’t."

"I thought about moving out of Cleveland. But I bought my house before I had children so I was rooted here. Then, I spent all my money on tuition so I had no money left to fix up the house so I could sell it and move. I was stuck."

"At times I felt I had nowhere to turn. Then the voucher program came and gave me a choice. I felt as though I had a chance now to at least fight for them."

With the help of the Cleveland Scholarship Program, Roberta was able to enroll the children in St. John Nottingham Lutheran Elementary School. Toshika continues there with the help of the voucher program. D’Antye and Tiara are in high school and therefore no longer eligible for the program. Tatiana is being home schooled.

"Without the voucher program, I think these children would be on the streets. I know they would be lost. They would have no desire to learn. I look at my girls and they are beautiful and I know they would be caught up with the baby thing and being on welfare. My son would be in the drug world."

"Parents need the right to give their children a chance. We are the ones who know our children. We should be working in partnership with teachers who can actually take our suggestions and make them work."

"When we finally got enrolled in St. John’s, there was a sense of satisfaction. I could go to the school and talk with the principal and teachers and explain the weaknesses and strengths that I saw in my children and they would listen and make adjustments in the way they delivered the curriculum."

"I will not always be there to take care of my children. They need to know how to take care of themselves and compete in this world. I want them to go toe-to-toe with people from other cultures and backgrounds and to succeed."

"The opportunity to give them that came through the voucher program."

To contact this family, please call or e-mail Sharon Schmeling at The Institute for the Transformation of Learning at schmeling@parentchoice.org or (414) 765-0691.

[LarryLied]

Though you might find this of interest. BAEO is looking for help too. One of the jobs pays $50K.

[mafree]

Thanks Larry- vouchers aren't perfect but they sure have saved some families trapped in awful public schools.

[LarryLied]

That is the way I feel about vouchers. They can't hurt and they will help some. Roberta Kitchen is awesome and deserves any help she can get. Somedays I've been down about just taking care of myself. I can't imagine what it must be like to take in five children. Nothing wrong with America a couple million Roberta Kitchen's couldn't solve.

[summer]

Larry, thanks for the flag on this! :)

[summer]

BTW, this took a lot of guts to say, and I hope some black leaders were listening:

The achievement gap has been caused in significant part, he said, "by black folks not caring about their own."

[LarryLied]

That line did get cheers. But I believe not caring is not nearly the whole story. Blacks were trusting. Democrats did see they got good jobs in government, liberals did say all the right things. The idea Democrats would put unions above the welfare of black kids was unthinkable. But it is not unthinkable anymore. Black parents know it is true.

[summer]

Who is more to blame, I don't know; but, many black parents -- and most of them are raising one or more kids on their own, without a partner -- need to do more.

[LarryLied]

Florida already has a chapter of this group. Imagine if every state and large city did.

[floriduh voter]

I know this is a serious topic but is that a big cake in the photo? I must be hungry.

[summer]

LL, You gotta love FV's wit.... :)

[Recovering_Democrat]

BAEO is a nice start, but universal vouchers for students in failing schools is a better idea. The best idea would be vouchers carte blanche to allow parents REAL CHOICE in the schools their kids attend.

Of course, though, demon-rats are only pro-choice when it comes to KILLING KIDS, not educating them.

[LarryLied]

Selling them as for poor inner city kids is a astute political move which is impossible to counter. Once they have them, parents who are paying property taxes and don't have them, will demand equal treatment. If we can get 20% of the kids out of the government system, every parent will know somebody will a kid out of it. And that will cause the monopoly to implode.

I hope.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Without the voucher program, I think these children would be on the streets. I know they would be lost. They would have no desire to learn. I look at my girls and they are beautiful and I know they would be caught up with the baby thing and being on welfare. My son would be in the drug world."

"Parents need the right to give their children a chance. We are the ones who know our children. We should be working in partnership with teachers who can actually take our suggestions and make them work."

Thanks very much for posting this, Larry!

Indeed, Roberta Kitchen is doing a formidable job!

[Amelia]

"My daughter couldn’t read. She was in the sixth grade. I had been back and forth with her since the fourth grade. I noticed as I tried to help her with her homework that she couldn’t read. But she was getting Bs and Cs on her report card."

"I asked the school to hold her back because she wasn’t ready to go on to the next grade. They said they couldn’t do it because she wasn’t failing."

The mystery to me is how some of the kids get through school with Bs and Cs when they can't read. But I'll guarantee you they do...either because they are "good kids" and some misguided teacher is afraid of hurting their "self-esteem", or because a principal somewhere has told the teachers that no child can be allowed to fail - whether they can do the work or not.

I think vouchers are an excellent idea. One problem is going to be, in cities there are generally plenty of private schools to provide choice. In more rural areas, the only thing available (especially for single parents who can't afford to drive their children 30 minutes to an hour each way to school) is often the public schools.

[LarryLied]

I'ld like to see the day when private school lease public school facilities. Or buy them out :-)

Schools will spring up when more vouchers are available. That is a danger too. The far left is very good at getting government funds. They won't get a lot of customers but they will be bad PR for the movement.

[Recovering_Democrat]

good point, ll. ya gotta start small. :)

[Grampa Dave]

Sounds like a great dialog and discussion went on!

How does Je$$e get by with his stands against vouchers and the other options to improve the education of inner city children?

[Amelia]

We teachers talk among ourselves from time to time about starting a school, but most of us are better at the actual teaching than at teaching and running a business...Lots of us would love to teach at a place where we could really teach.

At a high school level, so many of the kids need remediation we are not trained and/or don't have the time (because it doesn't fit in with our subject matter or curriculum) to provide. Also, so much time is taken up with discipline.

I really think that if the discipline is strong and consistent, expectations are clear, standards are enforced, and the basics are stressed, schools - and students! - can and will be successful.

[LarryLied]

We teachers talk among ourselves from time to time about starting a school, but most of us are better at the actual teaching than at teaching and running a business.

Hire me! Hire me! I'll even see that I and any other administrator needed make less than you teachers. Wouldn't that be a novelty?