Voices of Determination tells the stories of ten children who overcame extraordinarily difficult circumstances to get an education and end the cycle of generational poverty. It debunks the myth that children are victims of circumstance. In this moving work, Kevin P. Chavous argues that children can and will succeed if the educational system provides them with the opportunity to learn. Many of these narratives depict public schools at their worst. Chavous argues that poor communities routinely hire inexperienced teachers, lack resources, and pass kids along until they drop out. Once out of school, these youngsters quickly find out that they are unprepared for the job market. This, he claims, leads many young people to drift into anti-social behavior and turn to gangs, drugs, and unproductive lifestyles. In addition the narratives in this volume also address such social issues as immigration, bad neighborhoods, poor health care, addiction, and child abuse. Chavous highlights how hope for a better future enabled the children whose stories make up this volume to achieve a better life. There are potential challenges at every stage of a child's development and the adults around them need to be nearby and ready to act effectively. Chavous concludes that the need to strengthen families and to rebuild surrounding communities should be the top priorities for society as a whole.
Building a Learning Culture in America takes an incisive, no-holds-barred look at how America embraced and cultivated a culture of learning in the past, how that culture declined in the sixties and seventies, and what must be done to regain it. From political gridlock to systemic discrimination, Chavous details the many ways education today is off track, and cites specific examples of what Americans might do to reform it. Part memoir and part manifesto, this is a frank, fascinating, and personal account of Chavous’ experience as a politician working to enact school choice in Washington, DC, and throughout the United States. During the course of his political career, he has seen political skirmishes and party scuffles interfere with the United States’ ability to improve its educational system. These conflicts did not cause the problem; they were merely a result. The true problem was more basic: the decline of America’s learning culture. This pivotal work calls for Americans to unite in making the changes needed to reestablish a learning culture as an inherent piece of the American national fabric, and tells us how to begin.
Washington, D.C., council member Chavous has long been an outspoken advocate for educational reform that serves the needs of all of the nation's children. Having been at the forefront of the charter school movement, Chavous now explores what his city has learned from the charter school experience and what it means to American public education as a whole.
Voices of Determination tells the stories of ten children who overcame extraordinarily difficult circumstances to get an education and end the cycle of generational poverty. It debunks the myth that children are victims of circumstance. In this moving work, Kevin P. Chavous argues that children can and will succeed if the educational system provides them with the opportunity to learn. Many of these narratives depict public schools at their worst. Chavous argues that poor communities routinely hire inexperienced teachers, lack resources, and pass kids along until they drop out. Once out of school, these youngsters quickly find out that they are unprepared for the job market. This, he claims, leads many young people to drift into anti-social behavior and turn to gangs, drugs, and unproductive lifestyles. In addition the narratives in this volume also address such social issues as immigration, bad neighborhoods, poor health care, addiction, and child abuse. Chavous highlights how hope for a better future enabled the children whose stories make up this volume to achieve a better life. There are potential challenges at every stage of a child's development and the adults around them need to be nearby and ready to act effectively. Chavous concludes that the need to strengthen families and to rebuild surrounding communities should be the top priorities for society as a whole.
Building a Learning Culture in America takes an incisive, no-holds-barred look at how America embraced and cultivated a culture of learning in the past, how that culture declined in the sixties and seventies, and what must be done to regain it. From political gridlock to systemic discrimination, Chavous details the many ways education today is off track, and cites specific examples of what Americans might do to reform it.Part memoir and part manifesto, this is a frank, fascinating, and personal account of Chavous' experience as a politician working to enact school choice in Washington, DC, and throughout the United States. During the course of his political career, he has seen political skirmishes and party scuffles interfere with the United States' ability to improve its educational system. These conflicts did not cause the problem; they were merely a result. The true problem was more basic: the decline of America's learning culture.This pivotal work calls for Americans to unite in making the changes needed to re-establish a learning culture as an inherent piece of the American national fabric, and tells us how to begin.
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