Ira Glass and his This American Life team have done it again. This weeks stories about going big, brought me to tears of joy when I heard the one about the Harlem Children Zone:
Act One. Harlem Renaissance.
Paul Tough reports on the Harlem Children’s Zone, and its CEO and president, Geoffrey Canada. Among the project’s many facets is Baby College, an 8-week program where young parents and parents-to-be learn how to help their children get the education they need to be successful. Tough’s just-published book about Geoffrey Canada and the Harlem’s Children Zone is called Whatever It Takes. You can see a slideshow of more photographs from the project here. (30 and 1⁄2 minutes)
It is amazing what they are able to do with these kids by catching them early. 8 weeks program with the parents to teach them to encourage their children and give them greater verbal skills by reading to them every night, with amazing results:
If you’re looking for the third-graders who are below grade level in math, you’ll have to go to another school
This past spring, 100 percent of the third-graders at HCZ Promise Academy II scored at or above grade level in the statewide math tests. A few blocks away, 97 percent of the Promise Academy I third-graders were at or above grade level.
Many of these children have been in HCZ programs from the time their parents were in The Baby College, which highlights the effectiveness of our comprehensive model of supporting children.
Finally a way to break the poverty cycle. Obama and his administration has earmarked 10 Million dollars to expand this program to 20 other cities. Very sweet.