Your editorial on Flag Day discusses some of the flaws in the grading system as it relates to students pursuing academic excellence.  The Florida Partnership for Minority and Underrepresented Student Achievement Act of 2004 increased the availability of college-level AP classes to high school students.  The Class of 2008 is the first to spend four years in high school under this legislated initiative.  In Hillsborough County, 31 percent of the senior class graduated with a 4.0 or better grade-point average. 

Hillsborough County schools provide opportunities for even unprepared students to LEARN how to grasp college-level concepts.  There are drawbacks to pushing some students towards AP classes.  Nevertheless, the school district helps change outcomes for a number of these students who otherwise would not be in AP classes. 

Flag Day is a reminder that America is the “Land of Opportunity.”   Teachers who embrace the challenge of helping unprepared students grasp college-level concepts add value to that phrase and America’s system of public education.

Nick’s mom recruited me to be a presenter at the recent Middleton High School Coming Together Expose for students, parents, and members of the community.  Nick is a freshman there in the Engineering Magnet program and a member of the Air Force Junior ROTC unit.  I agreed to make a presentation and suggested the title be: “Secret Handshakes for the College-Bound Student.”  

Media reporting the following day highlighted the principal’s determination to keep trying to get parents involved after the dismal turnout that Saturday.  There was only one parent who stopped by the room where another gentleman and I had set up to share information with students and parents.  This mom did not have children at Middleton.  Nevertheless, the previous evening she learned about the Expo from Ms. Buchanan, the school’s parent liaison and decided to explore opportunities available for students at Middleton.

CW spent enough time to get an idea of what the two presenters in Room 211 had to offer and she took our handouts with her.  She mentioned that she would get back to me.  She has a son who is a junior in Pasco County and a freshman daughter at the Brooks-Debartolo Academy.

A week later, Debbie, Nick and I agreed to fellowship at the Village Inn Pancake House.  Debbie has an issue that Middleton and the school district have yet to address to her satisfaction.  I cannot change that, but at least, I can listen and offer encouraging words.  When CW called me, I invited her to the Village Inn so that I could also fellowship with her and her son, Christian.  They joined us about an hour into the fellowship.

Before they arrived, I got Debbie’s version of the week’s events that related to an unresolved incident at Middleton.  Nick had on his 2007 Notre Dame “The Shirt” and ND shorts.  His older brother, Joshua, will graduate from ND this year.  I also congratulated him on contributing to the recent award that his Junior ROTC unit received.   “The Distinguished Unit Award is limited to the best of the best of our nation’s 879 Air Force Junior ROTC units.”

Christian sat across from me when he arrived and his mom sat to my right.  For the next couple of hours, once again, I received “the paycheck” for what I do.  As I asked questions of him, Christian’s responses indicated that he is making use of already existing opportunities to prepare himself to become a competitive applicant to America’s Best Colleges.  As it turned out, both he and his mom were interested in finding out more about the exceptional opportunities that Notre Dame offers young people.

Christian plays football.  He is also the vice-president of the Student Council at his high school.  He has done some volunteer work and frequently attends church at First Baptist Church of College Hill in Tampa.  He is uncertain of his college major, but has a strong interest in Math and Engineering.

Last year, Christian took a college-level class, Advanced Placement World History as a sophomore.  This year, he is taking AP English, AP US History, and AP Statistics.  During the summer, he will be taking AP Microeconomics and AP US Government.  His schedule during his senior year will include AP English Literature, AP Calculus and Physics.  Once again, I found myself sitting with “Gold” at the Village Inn Pancake House! 

It has been a little while since I last had something worthwhile to post to The MIMS Institute blog at www.mimsinstitute.wordpress.com.  Three 21^st Century graduates of Yale University helped me get started with this way of putting my reflections in Cyberspace.  Who’d a thunk that, after a week of “No’s” from the likes of the School District of Hillsborough County and the College Board, the Good Lord would send me fuel to keep the lamp of hope burning in the form of a “Christian” to forward to Notre Dame’s admissions and Engineering officials?

Wow, what a difference a news article can make!

Friday’s Florida Sentinel included “School District Offers Opportunity For Middle and High School Students To Attend College.”

 Ms. Gwen Hayes’ report mentioned some of the comments from the meeting between the superintendent and the Sentinel Editorial Board on Wednesday, April 3.  Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board and other members of the organization, joined the superintendent, MaryEllen Elia, at this meeting.  The big news of the day is that next school year Hillsborough County will become the first EXCELerator school district in the nation.  The article includes words like, “The program aims to increase the number and diversity of students in honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes.”

I applaud Ms. Elia for bringing Governor Caperton to meet “influence-shapers” in the black community during his short visit from the College Board’s New York home office.  I also applaud the Florida Sentinel for relaying the information to its readers in such a timely manner. 

Some tremendous possibilities lie ahead for our young people.  Our community can choose to buy into these renewed efforts to prepare ALL children for college success.  Governor Caperton likely will return in a year or so to highlight the successes of the first EXCELerator school district in the nation. 

Will leaders from local black organizations be at his side, recognized as equal partners in helping our children dream of going to college?

College Board EXCELerator Schools Brochure 

“Hillsborough County is one of only five districts nationally participating in the EXCELerator program.  Next school year (2008-09), Hillsborough County will be the first school district in the nation to expand the EXCELerator program to all of its middle and high schools”

Invitation to Celebrate the Partnership with the College Board and Hillsborough County Public Schools, Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Document for Discussion

I’m thankful, Lord, that all the darkness in the world has never put out Thy light.-Unknown 

The year 2008 has an extra day called Leap Day (February 29).  In Tampa, where I raised a family, the city’s Black History Committee used that evening in part to honor Twenty Points of Light.  Sierra attended on my behalf while I was witnessing the lights being held up by 21^st Century Yale graduates in the Greater Houston Area.

Café Charisma is the brainchild of Dexter Upshaw, Jr., Yale ’06.  Koinonia (Kim) and Jesse Givens III are 2001 Yale graduates.  They established Not Just Ministries, Inc. in order for others to multiply their talents in service to minority and underrepresented communities.  Not Just Ministries supported, guided, and entrusted Dexter in coordinating and executing this inaugural Café Charisma.  In Dexter’s words, “It’s not just fellowship…it’s Kingdom!”

As I experienced the evening unfolding, I saw the light that the Givens are holding up for believers in the Greater Houston Area.  I also witnessed the enthusiastic support they received from their home church family.  Using my cellphone camera, I took two primitive pictures.  The message for me is clear:  “And there were lights.”  Kim and Jesse explain the dreams of Not Just Ministries.  Dexter and Lindsey Upshaw (Yale ’04) in a profile shot.

Our board and advisory council held a teleconference earlier in the week.  I don’t know how many such conferences were occurring throughout Cyberspace that Tuesday evening.  I just know that Not Just Ministries is an excellent example of what I live for:  To see young people committed to their faith using their highly developed critical thinking skills to bring the light of hope to others.

http://www.notjustfellowship.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=79&Itemid=91

This is the link to more information about Cafe Charisma and Not Just Ministries

Higher Education on the Brink Final Draft This ENLACE report alerts legislators in Florida of potential (real) impacts on college access for students seeking admissions to the state’s public universities. 

This is a good time for community leaders to watch out for and guide students who have the academic potential to prepare for college success.  This is a great time at the local level for this type of affirmative action—and strategic leadership—now that the door to higher education opportunities at state universities is closing.

A relatively small pool of black students who live in key urban zip codes still may benefit from the limited enrollment opportunities in the years ahead.  For them to do so, though, it will take some hard work on their part and on the part of those who serve as advocates for them.

In zip code 33610 for example, there are over 60 black, faith-based organizations.  Hard work may result in 10 black females and 10 black males from the zip code receiving acceptance letters from state universities each year.

Vigilance is key.  Nothing states that the local public education system has to produce this outcome.  Nothing states that local churches will go out of business if the zip code does not produce 20 competitive applicants for state universities each year.  The systems in place can still blame students, parents, schools—and legislators—for not producing this outcome.

Perhaps future ENLACE and other reports will highlight affirmative actions taken by community leaders to help minority students gain access to the dwindling number of seats available at state universities.

Pat, 

When you and the organization’s president meet with the superintendent on Friday, please give her a copy of the Thursday, January 24, 2008, St. Petersburg’s Times article, http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/24/State/Students_to_feel_crun.shtml “Students to feel crunch.”  At the bottom of the article is data from the Florida Board of Governors, the organization that provides oversight for the State University System.  The last group of figures show enrollment for the system from 1997 through 2006.   

Click here for  a Word document showing the number of blacks who received bachelor’s degrees from Florida’s public universities during the same time period.  Briefly, less than 2,000 black males and less than 4,000 black females receive bachelor’s degrees annually from a system that has an enrollment approaching 300,000 college undergrad and graduate students.  (Anyone want to guess how many black males from zip code 33610 are among the total students enrolled at USF?  Does 27, including 4 freshmen, sound about right?) 

There may be something that the NAACP and the nation’s eighth largest school district can do together to raise the volume on community-based discussions and ACTIONS related to getting students prepared for college.  The gist of the Times article is that the wide-open access gates to state universities are about to close! 

Article excerpt:  “Better to give a high-quality education to fewer students than a mediocre degree to the masses, they say.  The proposal to be considered today would direct all 11 universities to “align” their enrollment with the money available, even if it means admitting significantly fewer students starting this fall and laying off faculty members in the months to come.  ”My hope would be that we tie enrollment to the funding available,” said Roberts. “Because the reality is, if you admit students who don’t get a quality education when they attend, you’ve done them a disservice. You cannot keep growing enrollment to the detriment of the students.”   

In His Service,

Jason