Editorial “Perception ~ Whose Vision of You Matters?”
Bridging the Black Male Achievement Gap No one can save our children but US!
What’s Going On In A pictorial look at what is happening in the Greenville, NC
Schools Without Principals Look to Set New Standards! What if the teachers who teach our children ran our schools?
Book of the Month! “Kaffir Boy” Mark Mathabane
Be Inspired INCITE-tv Network
& Jack Poles Interior Designer
How do you perceive yourself? Does what people think of you, shape how you perceive yourself? How do you make decisions? Do you make your decisions on what you know for sure for YOU, or for what a person thinks about what your life should be or how you should think? Have you ever took a “look” at the person who is giving you the information…have you looked at the fruit they are bearing in their life? Not fruit as in material possessions, because we have to look further than material wealth because a person can have an abundance of things, but have rotten relationships with people. Look at the fruit of their life…how have they built their life…is it on integrity, is it of the highest quality of life you can think of? Where is the observation-advice coming from, is it from experience…or is it from the scrutiny of a conversation the individual has had with other individuals on how they believe your life should be? Perception is the basic component in the formation of a concept. No two people look at the same thing alike! The meaning of something will change when you look at it in your own way. You can look at anything differently and it will have a different meaning. You can always change perspectives and change meanings. Why not change them to what you prefer them to be for YOU? My favorite saying is “To Thine Ownself Be True!” If you cannot be true to yourself, you cannot be of any service to anyone else! In this issue of IMPACT Magazine, we are highlighting an assessment on the educational system. We draw attention to “How To Bridge The Black Male Achievement Gap”. In the end, our children needs the help not only from the teachers, but ultimately, we as parents have to step up! If we continue to be apathetic in our young men lives, the cycle of what is happening now with the youth will continue. In addition, in Newark, New Jersey, a couple of teachers saw how the education system was failing their students. They positioned the superintendent to say who is better to lead the administration than the teachers themselves. Who better to give the children the the leadership they are in dire need, buy the educational items they are in need of and who better to handle the budget than the teachers. Within two years, the superintendent gave leadership to the teachers! We applaud these teachers in the article, “Schools Without Principals Look To Set A New Education Standard”. If we don’t take a look at our perception of who we are, then the series that we are in will continue. If we look into the mirror and our true reflection of who we are is not reflected back, than we are to grab hold to what we need in order to get that true likeness….remember, “To Thine Ownself Be True”! If you aren’t true to yourself FIRST, you can be of no service to anyone else. Be a blessing to someone today,
Tunisha C. Brown Editor-In-Chief
Though decades of research have documented the persistence of a racial bias that threatens to increase the marginalization of African -Americans, the black male achievement gap is reversible. To date, one of our greatest civil rights victories was the dismantling of a biased educational system that segregated opportunity. However, this report confirms that in many schools across the country, a segregation of opportunity continues in the form of critical resource disparities, de facto racial segregation, and biased school discipline policies that unnecessarily and prematurely remove black males from classrooms. Our next big challenge is to structure a coordinated response to this crisis so that we keep our young men from walking down a path toward economic instability, lifelong participation in lowwage employment or underemployment, and in the worst cases, incarceration, sickness or premature death. According to the report, we can bridge the achievement gap when we invest resources into early education and in classrooms and other environments that extend opportunities for our children to learn, and when there is institutional accountability to advance parity. A host of national foundations--including the Kellogg Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the Open Society Institute's Campaign for Black Male Achievement, among others--have led a national investment in efforts to reverse this troubling course, but still more is needed. We need the rallying cry of our communities to support the work of national and local leaders who continue to fight for the security and healthy development of all of black males by offering them the tools they need to be productive sons, fathers, brothers, uncles, partners, employees, leaders and active participants in our society. When the equity agenda is elevated and achieved in education, the more likely it is that black males, and all other children, will succeed. This is a worthy investment.
It's just Dominique Lee's personality to dream big. Two years ago, as a high school teacher, he grew increasingly frustrated at how far behind his students were in reading and other subjects. Simply put, his students were unprepared. "I just kept thinking, I have to find a way to get at some of the feeder schools these kids were coming from," said Lee, a Teach for America alum. "And who better to change things than teachers?" Lee, along with other teachers he brought on board, wanted to take over leadership control of a school -- from budget decisions to designing curriculum. After two years of planning and presentations to Newark superintendent Dr. Clifford Janey and his staff, Lee's plan was approved. And this fall, BRICK Academy, a public school, opened under new leadership -- the teachers."I think it makes sense the people that are ordering should be the ones in the classroom knowing what we need to order," said Charity Haygood, who is the school's principal.
(Pictured Left) BRICK Academy's Princess Williams teaches her kindergarten class in Newark, NJ.
"And that's why, as principal, I'm in the class helping teach." Yes -- Haygood, along with BRICK's other core leadership, teach every week -- this year, they're working with first grade students. BRICK Academy enrolls 650 students, from kindergarten through eighth grade. Lee finds time to do just about everything during the school day. "...Working with the first graders, then jumping hats and doing the report for downtown and then jumping back and doing cafeteria duty, it is a lot..." Lee admits. "But my fundamental belief is that every child deserves the right to read. And so that drives me." "Any theory is only as good as it is put into practice," said Jonathan Gyurko, senior vice-president at Leeds Global Partners, an education investment firm. "I think it only works if you have a clear accountability system." Gyurko said he applauds the efforts teachers are taking to transform their schools. "This kind of approach keeps school leaders totally connected to the real work of schools, which is teaching students." Similar school models have opened in cities such as Minnesota, Detroit and Boston. The leadership structure is still relatively unproven, but BRICK Academy's teachers say they're already seeing results. "We recently came together [as teachers] and discussed a brand new reading intervention program," Lee said. "We designed what we wanted and once we secure funding, we can make it happen."
Atlanta’s premiere African American interior designer, Jack Poles realizes his clients’ visions with passion and timeless design. As owner of J. Poles Interiors, Jack, draws from his background of floral design and retail merchandising to create inspired and memorable spaces. His attention to detail and to his client’s vision has awarded him the opportunity to design hot Atlanta properties such as the famed Villa Juanita, home to Anthony Pratt, and the exclusive lake house of environmentalists Laura and Rutherford Seydel. Jack’s talents go beyond residential design as he has redesigned both Premiere Dermatology and Levett’s Funeral Homes.
Incite television network is a new innovative media concept that is designed to showcase news, information and events that matters to you. The network was created because there is a growing need to provide specific information to the masses. With the convergence of media within three major platforms (television, computers, and wireless devices), we decided to take the next step. INCITEtv Network threw away the conventional business models and developed one that caters to the needs of today’s consumer – you. INCITEtv Network is the first and only web-based television channel in North Carolina with 24 hours of programming daily. TV2Go, INCITEtv is as close as your laptop or cell phone, and when you travel you can still enjoy the programming. To view the INCITEtv Network, you may look on YouTube or at www.incite-tv.net.