Professor Stanzler asked me to introduce the cohort to the Harlem Children's Zone. I whole-heartedly believe in the system Geoffrey Canada has created in Harlem to combat the societal view that poor children cannot accomplish what wealthy suburban children accomplish on a daily basis.
Canada himself was from a poor neighborhood and became a young father and college dropout. Later in life, as remarried middle-aged father to a second son, he realized that children in urban areas lack one large aspect that children in suburban rich areas often have access to, mental stimulation from an early age.
Canada began his work to combat truancy issues in urban areas in the 1970’s. Today the Zone has grown to covering 100 NYC blocks and helps nearly 7,400 children. See the Zone website for a full breakdown of the history. http://www.hcz.org/what-is-hcz/history
Canada has found the proper mix between giving children access to quality education, healthcare and after school programs while also forcing parents who might otherwise ignore their child’s education to be involved in the process from infancy to high school grauduation. See the websites for details on progress. I promise you will be amazed by how well these children test and how successful they are in life given their socioeconomic status.
Listen to the This Life Story here: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1262
Geoffrey Canada’s This I Believe:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96667434
Listen to NPR stories here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94977387
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94576366
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102246990
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I heard that episode of This American Life a while back and was very impressed with his ideas and the school's impact on the community. The way that he gets parents involved is particularly inspiring. I only dream of making an impact like that!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Jen!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your take on the Harlem Children's Zone, and I'm looking forward to perusing the links that you've shared on this subject. I think it's amazing what Canada has done in Harlem, and it's so inspiring to see someone who has been willing to take some risks and try something different -- and to such amazing ends! Thanks again for sharing. :)
WOW. This almost seems unreal. Thanks for informing us about Canada; I had no idea that this is going on. I am interested in how the Zone "forces" parents to be involved in their children's lives...that is the one thing that breaks my heart about Detroit children. I was involved with this summer math camp in Detroit and the professor who runs the camp asked, the day after Father's Day, any child in the camp who spent time with their father that day to raise their hand. IN a room filled with 150 students, only 10 raised their hand. It was devastating. How can we expect kids to do well if their learning ends after school? I appreciate your insight into this jen and look forward to researching the Zone some more.
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