G. has consistently led his team members to complete projects on time. In the Festival Committee, he helped to organize his peers to accomplish the production of promotional videos and prepare for public speaking events. –Taken from a Verified Resume issued by Wide Angle Youth Media. “Give me 8 sheep and then we will have […]
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Hard work pays off
Friday, March 25, 2011Editor’s note: Last week, the Maryland State Senate approved the “Maryland DREAM Act,” a bill that will allow all qualifying Maryland high school graduates to pay an in-state college tuition rate regardless of immigration status. The legislation is now moving on to the Maryland House of Delegates. This week, we’re featuring three students who are […]
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Fighting for in-state tuition
Wednesday, March 23, 2011Editor’s note: Last week, the Maryland State Senate approved the “Maryland DREAM Act,” a bill that will allow all qualifying Maryland high school graduates to pay an in-state college tuition rate regardless of immigration status. The legislation is now moving on to the Maryland House of Delegates. This week, we’re featuring three students who are […]
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Ensure that our schools teach democracy
Monday, March 07, 2011In January, Governor O’Malley released a budget which cuts out Maryland’s high school government exam. While I am no fan of standardized tests, eliminating the government exam communicates one clear message: it is not important to teach democracy in schools. In a country where corporate contributions can limit the voice that the average citizen has […]
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Suspended before kindergarten? What’s wrong with this picture?
Monday, February 14, 2011The Maryland State Department of Education recently released its data on suspensions, expulsions, and health-related exclusions for the 2009-2010 school year. As I was preparing an OSI-Baltimore factsheet using the numbers, an alarming data point arose: 75 pre-K students in Maryland received an out-of-school suspension or were expelled during the school year. The punished incidents […]
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We are after what is not easily measured or defined—a great education
Monday, January 24, 2011We see a marked trend in the world of education—especially in urban education. In a well-intentioned attempt to leave no child behind and to raise the levels of poor-performing schools in cities across America, we have misguidedly narrowed our responsibility in educating young people, choosing to define successful schools primarily by what can be easily […]
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A better place for city kids to play
Monday, January 17, 2011For many of Baltimore’s vulnerable young people, games and sports will be played in the streets if Baltimore follows through in closing over half of our Recreation Centers. With the projected closings, we need to re-examine how and where Baltimore’s youth are recreating, and plan ahead to meet their needs with realistic and cost effective […]
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Ready or not!
Monday, December 13, 2010There has been a lot of talk lately about the failure of 20-somethings to launch as demonstrated by a recent article in the New York Times magazine. Buoyed by mounting evidence of delayed marriage and childbearing, more years of education, and higher reliance on parents for economic support and shelter, some social scientists have theorized […]
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What if school were a home—a safe, stable, supportive environment—for every child in Baltimore who does not have one?
Monday, November 01, 2010Across the nation, the economic crisis has caused homelessness among families and youth to increase dramatically. Public schools nationwide saw a 41% increase in the number of identified homeless children and youth over the past two years, reaching nearly one million students. In Maryland, the increase reported by public schools was 26%. Yet in Baltimore […]
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Surrounding our children
Monday, October 18, 2010“Your children need your presence more than your presents.” -Jesse Jackson Since 2006, I have been actively involved in the lives of young girls in the West Baltimore community of Sandtown. As I hear stories from hundreds of girls across Baltimore, a common strand appears: the absence of parents. This problem of parental absenteeism is […]
