Last month, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan unveiled the $10 million Promise Neighborhoods initiative -- an effort that distributes up to $500,000 dollars in competitive grants for communities implementing cradle-to-career services. The career-to-cradle model is based on Geoffrey Canada's Harlem Children Zone (HCZ) model and is the centerpiece of the initiative. Paul Tough, who covers HCZ in Whatever It Takes, calls the model "a conveyor belt" within a 100-block area that moves from three early childhood programs, an elementary-through-high school Promise Academy, to a college success office. If that were not enough, HCZ provides some aspect of social services to all children within the 100-block radius.
How successful is the model? According to the HCZ website, the Harvard economist Roland Fryer declares that HCZ's elementary schools have closed the black-white achievement gap. The thought of expanding the cradle-to-career model to other communities should invigorate all who care about inching America towards a more Perfect Union.
Or should it? The promise of the cradle-to-career model is chastened by the persistence of the cradle-to-prison pipeline. The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) Cradle-to-Prison® pipeline reminds us that "nationally, 1 in 3 Black and 1 in 6 Latino boys born in 2001 are at risk of imprisonment during their lifetime." It also notes that "while boys are five times as likely to be incarcerated as girls, a significant number of girls [also enter] in the juvenile justice system." After lamenting that "this rate of incarceration" endangers children "at younger and younger ages," CDF isolates the misguided fiscal policy: "states spend about three times as much money per prisoner as per public school pupil." The cradle-to-career model is not perfect, but in the words of PolicyLink, a key driver of the Promise Neighborhoods initiative, it represents a bold effort to "Lift Up What Works."
The cradle-to-prison pipeline trajectory describes the journey of far too many black and brown children in urban spaces across America. To riff on a Southern hip-hop metaphor, prophetic religious voices often assemble "organized noise" to highlight this lamentable labyrinth. At its best this effort spotlights what -- and who -- might otherwise languish beyond the gaze of news cycles and political agendas.
We can, however, use our "Speakerboxx" (to quote Outkast's Big Boi) in an alternative manner. We might publicly celebrate the Obama administration's attempt to expand the promise of equal opportunity to the social periphery -- to poor children who deserve an education that will them as far as their imagination, as far as Hope's horizon will carry them. Occasional public choruses of celebration for thoughtful policies, instead of progressive religious voices only congregating to criticize public policy, might influence national and local policymakers to adopt more fresh thinking and bold policy experimentation.
Otis Moss III, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, once told me that the title of one of August Wilson's plays -- Two Trains Running -- will preach. Allow me, if you will, to bring a sermonic close to a political development. There are two trains running in urban spaces today. One train, the cradle-to-prison pipeline, leads to deferred dreams, arrested development, and misallocated public dollars. The other train, the cradle-to-career pipeline, can lead to flourishing families, job opportunities, and the judicious use of public investment.
As religious leaders, we have a message for society at large. We can remind our nation that if we train up children in the way they should go, when they grow old they shall not depart from it (Prov. 22.6). We can take our cues from CDF's Samuel Dewitt Proctor Institute, embracing child advocacy not merely as political work but as a ministry of public service. We can remember to plumb the social depths of that childhood hymn:
Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world/
Red, brown, and yellow, black and white/
They are precious in his sight/
Jesus loves the little children of the world
We can keep the Obama administration accountable to its campaign-issued Blueprint for Change, critique it when necessary, and still offer sober commendation when praise is due. As conductors of religious melodies of love and justice, let us take this weekend to remind our houses of worship -- to remind America -- that the itinerary of impoverishment and incarceration is not the last word for our children. There is another train running, one that holds the potential to expand the promise of equal opportunity to all of God's children. This train proposes a $210 multi-year process to accent a comprehensive educational approach in poverty reduction efforts. The cradle-to-career train will not take us to the Kingdom of God, but it may bring us to a more equitable society. Our children are at the station. There are two trains running. We -- religious leaders, people of good will, and concerned caretakers -- are the conductors. Get on board, children, get on board.
Children do lead the way. They led the way, June 16, 1976, thirty-four years ago today in Soweto, South Africa protesting the apartheid educational system. The Little Rock Nine led the way to successful desegregation and civil rights legislation here in America. Children led their parents and other family members to support the election of President Barack Obama,
Early education must become more and more important in America,
Your discussion of "Two Trains Running" brings to mind a book that I hope will soon be on every possible "best seller list"....
The Other Wes Moore by Westley Moore. The book describes two young African American males, with the same name, "running on two different trains". One Wes' train has dropped him off at the final stop of prison. The other Wes' train has had stops that have made him an author, graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, a Fellow at the White House, along with stops at Military service, speaking engagements, Radio and TV appearances and is still running and make stops.
Keep up your great work so that allllll of these funded programs and schools will be made aware of your concerns and will impact the lives of all the young children waiting at the train stations.
Two things I especially like about your analysis that (1) it expands the notion of a talented tenth to include all who are able and willing to commit to their own advancement, and (2) it urges action over mere commentary and complaint. As the Good Book says, "Faith without works, is dead." That goes for talk without works, too.
I am a little puzzled by something you say here and wonder if you might clear it up a bit...
"The promise of the cradle-to-career model is chastened by the persistence of the cradle-to-prison pipeline."
Just what are you meaning to say here? What has the HCZ done wrong? How is it in error? What mistakes is it making such that you chasten it? Are the Cradle-to-Prison rates in Harlem the same or worse than before?
"Chasten" means "to correct, to punish, to reprove or to take to task" for some error, mistake or wrong doing... The plain, straight-forward meaning of your statement is that the Cradle-to-Career Model (exemplified by Geoffrey Canada's Harlem Children Zone (HCZ) in your opening paragraphs) is in error, has made some mistake or done something wrong... Surely you don't mean to say that, do you?
But that's what the premise sentence of your third paragraph means - and you go on to contrast a local program with truly lamentable national statistics as if it is a shortcoming of the HCZ program... But you do not show that the Cradle-to-Career Model is in error; Indeed, you end up supporting that model on the national level, no?
I like what I think you are trying to say; but the implications of your argument as written are ambiguous and I would like it if you would clear it up a bit.
"Red brown yellow black and white..."
It takes a little bit of practice to overwrite the traditional version...but perhaps it's worth the trouble, no?
Many, many black men and women in prison do not deserve to be in prison, would not be in prison if they were white... number one. I can't think things can change unless that injustice is acknowledged. To say African Americans simply need better education, denies institutional racism. Yes, better education for everyone.
The white population needs to get educated about the history of white reaction to the civil rights movement. I would say they need educating about how the current prison system turns human flesh into product. The white population needs to understand how the "war" on drugs has corrupted every institution in this country. Yes, education all round. I say this, btw, as an older white woman who does not know one person in prison and lives in a town with about two black people. It's not hopeless to think people can be educated.
As Oprah Winfrey says, HCZ is an organization that set out to prove that poor, black children can and do succeed.
It is well accepted among the teachers and administrators (those I have met) that the the biggest issue in the success or failure of a student is not class size or textbooks. What really decides the success or failure of a student is the attitude and support of parents.
If Mom and Dad ( for many it's Mom or Dad) show the kids education is important, the kids will think it's important.
If parents will not do their job the rest of us, through our government , must. Public education is a benefit to the public more than to the students. Young people with basic educations are better citizens and neighbors. And a lot less trouble.
I have friends who say "They're not MY kids". True, but they will either be our neighbors or our inmates.