For those of us who have dedicated our work to assuring that kids get educated, we can begin to breathe a sigh of relief that the issue of education is, for the first time in decades, being taken seriously. With big names such as Oprah, Bill Gates, John Legend, Oscar® winner Davis Guggenheim and now Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg giving loud and influential voices to this issue, we down in the daily trenches are finally feeling that the troops have arrived to help us fight this war.
Their ability to get national attention to an issue that local leaders, educators and parents have long been screaming about is, unfortunately, what we needed to move the country to action. Too bad our children’s future wasn’t enough. At any rate, whatever the impetus, the spotlight is finally being shined on those who are doing a rotten job and for those movers and shakers who are making a difference.
Geoffrey Canada, President and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, has become a nationally recognized face in the war against bad education. More recently, Michelle Rhee, the mover and shaker who is shaking up the entire education in our Nation’s Capital has been making headlines for her efforts toward excellence in education. Then there is our own Chicago son, Tim King, CEO of all boys charter school Urban Prep, who can tout 100% college acceptance for every graduating senior in the class of 2010. Job well done!
Well, there are many unsung heroes who fight the good fight everyday and get little or no recognition. For Rich Township District 227’s new Superintendent, Dr. Donna Simpson Leak, we are going to make sure that doesn’t happen. Dr. Leak has vowed that all students in her district will receive an excellent education and educational experience and she has put a plan of action in place that is sure to deliver the results that she expects. Stating in a recent N’Digo article that her life’s purpose is “transforming the lives of as many children as possible,” we, who have been invited to be involved in the process, tend to believe her.
From increasing the number of AP classes available to students, to encouraging parents to get Facebook pages to understand what is important to their children, to inviting the entire community – literally – to be involved in the educational process, Dr. Leak is bringing the art of educating young people into the 21st Century! At Hire Learning, our philosophy has always contended that all community stakeholders must take ownership of educating our youth and actively participate in positive youth development and community connectedness. So to our own South Suburban trailblazer, we say “Way to take us Hire!”
