In a world where the window of opportunity is small and the education system has traditionally failed, one elementary school on the southeast side of Washington, D.C., is turning to an innovative method of teaching inner-city youth, and the results have been miraculous.
"The urban learner needs special attention," said Lynne G. Long, assistant principal at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Washington, D.C., and a part-time adjunct instructor at George Washington University. Long addressed a conference sponsored by Brigham Young University Monday."Racism and depression of attitudes does not allow them to emerge as thoughtful citizens of this country."
Seventy-five percent of the children at the school are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The same number come from single-parent homes or dysfunctional families. A majority have witnessed violent crimes.
Despite these statistics, teachers and administrators came up with a plan that combines a fundamental belief that each child's talents must be given the capacity to grow at his or her own rate and style, a curriculum that fosters a child's ability to learn, as well as a lifelong commitment of each instructor to learn and grow and a classroom uniform policy.
Individual programs were installed in the classroom that train children in proper greeting and listening techniques. Time is set aside for children to make a choice of what they wish to study, and a record is kept of the child's interaction in that field. Throughout the child's elementary school stay, constant efforts are made to nurture that child in his or her field of interest.
Progress is tracked in a consistent, positive way. Each child's development is documented over the school year, and action is taken accordingly.
Results so far have been overwhelmingly successful, Long said. Fighting is down, grades are up and the children's interest in school is on the rise.
Yet, however successful the new method is, it would never succeed without community, parental and administration support, said Dianne Bryant, a first-grade teacher at the school.
"If we never lose sight of the students we serve, we will be shown the way," said Bryant. "To this we cannot give answers tomorrow."