Celebrating Education Reform at the ESPYS

Champions for Choice Event a Success

By Lisa Leslie
Four-time Olympic Gold Medalist and former WNBA star



With my fabulous co-hosts
Kevin P. Chavous and Jalen Rose

One of my favorite events of the year is the ESPY Awards. It is a fantastic opportunity for sports stars, celebrities and fans to join forces and celebrate the athletic achievements of the past year – And this year was no exception!

I was especially excited for this year’s event as I had the opportunity to co-host “Champions for Choice in Education” with Jalen Rose  and Kevin P. Chavous. The event allowed us to educate fellow celebrities and athletes about the importance of educational choice.

Want to make it in the pros? Better get an education

By Jalen Rose
Former 13-year NBA veteran and current ESPN/ABC analyst

As the battle continues for the Lawrence O’Brien trophy between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, hundreds of thousands of children and teens are having visions of becoming a professional athlete like their favorite superstars. Sadly, for many of them locked in underperforming schools, that’s the only reason they consider reaching higher education.

I do not want to dash the hopes of any child’s dream of becoming an athlete, but the easiest way to obtain a better education and a successful future shouldn’t be attached only to athletic endeavors. We need to set our children on the path to be successful “professionals” – engineers, teachers, doctors and nurses, business owners, and on and on, not just professional athletes.

Our education system needs reform.  The graduation rate for African-American youth is 47 percent - that’s 31 percentage points lower than the national average. An athletic scholarship shouldn’t be the best opportunity to receive a quality education. That’s why I’ve teamed up with the American Federation for Children and become an advocate for educational choice. Parents should have more options and students should be able to attend a quality school that meets their needs.

My passion for quality educational options also led me to start the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy. Founded in 2011, we partner with the University of Detroit Mercy to provide college courses to upper level students.

The school’s motto, “Enter a learner: Exit a leader” exemplifies the school’s goals: Provide students with the best education to help them become well-versed and educated to handle themselves in real life situations. We also made the commitment to guarantee that at least 85 percent of our students graduate high school, 85 percent go onto college and 85 percent earn a college diploma.

In less than the span of two weeks, Louisiana and Iowa, respectively, expanded their educational options for children. That’s a huge productive step that will have a positive impact on the lives of countless children. Meanwhile, the opportunity to go to college on an athletic scholarship remains difficult, and making it for a long-lasting career in the NBA even more improbable. It’s illogical that children are denied educational choice and too often left banking on their athletic prowess as their only way to reach higher education. As kids continue to dream about playing hoops, I encourage parents to join me and demand that better quality educational options be available for children everywhere.

To learn more about educational choice contact my friends at the American Federation for Children, the nation’s voice for educational choice.

Rose: Access to Educational Options Could Be the Ticket to Solving Dropout Problem

Growing up in Northwest Detroit, I watched many of my peers struggle through school – some even dropped out.  What kept me motivated was the fact that I knew getting my high school diploma and making it to college were mandatory steps in achieving my dreams.  I also was lucky to have a supportive mother who kept me grounded and motivated. 

Every day, nearly 7,000 high school students across the country give up on their shot at a better life. In Detroit, four out of ten students do not graduate. A staggering number of these students in Detroit and across the country who decide to drop out of school are African-American and Latino, and come from low-income families with limited access to educational options.

 

Like my high school peers, students drop out for myriad reasons.  There is one thing that is certain, we need to do more as a country to ensure these students have every opportunity to avoid becoming another “inner city statistic.”  

 

Providing children with the opportunity for a better tomorrow starts with a good education.  The one-size-fits-all approach to educating students is obviously not working.  We need to provide families with greater access to educational options, ensuring each and every child has the opportunity to receive an education that addresses his/her individual needs.

In 2011 I founded the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in an effort to give children in my hometown with access to a quality education in a positive environment.  Currently the Academy is serving over 200 ninth and tenth grade students selected at random with a robust educational experience.   Students at the Academy receive a leadership-focused education with the goal of inspiring students to ultimately graduate with a college degree. 

 

The Academy is just one example of an educational option that is working to address the needs of economically-disadvantaged students.   We must take the steps necessary to provide students with access to the education that works best for their needs if we ever hope to solve the issues that plague our inner-city neighborhoods. 

 

Statistics show high school dropouts are 72 percent more likely to be unemployed as compared to high school graduates.  What is also startling is the fact that nearly 80 percent of prisoners in the United States do not have a high school diploma.   With nearly 760 prisoners per every 100,000 citizens, as a nation we spend almost $70 billion each year to incarcerate adults, confine youth to detention centers, and monitor those on probation and parole.   

By ensuring every student has access to the best education possible, we can help prevent more students from becoming statistics.  We must call on our elected officials to work together to provide students with educational options, giving them a chance to receive a quality education that works for their needs. 

Through my work with the American Federation for Children, I hope to help raise awareness of the plight of low-income and minority students across the country stuck in schools that do not address their individual learning needs.   These students deserve every opportunity available to help them rise above their current economic situation and achieve their dreams. 

Athletes for Education Reform

Last night in Los Angeles, the American Federation for Children partnered with the Professional Sports Wives Association and Jalen Rose, retired NBA star and founder of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, to host an event for current and former athletes and their families on the importance of education reform. 

AFC Senior Advisor Kevin P. Chavous spoke to a crowd of about 80 people on the impact that just one person can have on their community, and specifically in the life of an underprivileged child. The event, “Giving Kids Hope: Addressing the Education Crisis in Our Communities,” was held in downtown Los Angeles in conjunction with the ESPY Awards, which air tonight at 9 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Along with remarks by Kevin P. Chavous, Rose spoke to the crowd and challenged them to make a difference in the lives of their communities, specifically through education reform. As a national spokesperson for the fight to give children from low-income families access to quality educational options, as well as the founder of a charter school, Rose explained the impact his work has had on thousands of children in the Detroit area.

Watch the video below to hear from other athletes about the importance of school choice in the lives of families:

Rose also reminded the crowd that families are most likely only given educational options when they have the necessary income to afford those options. He said his goal, however, is to promote ways for children from all backgrounds and household income levels to succeed in their education.

Detroit Parents Choosing Educational Alternatives in Strong Numbers

One of the major tenets behind the school choice movement is that parents know their children better than bureaucrats and are in the best position to make educational choices for their children.

Supporters of a quality education for every child would argue that if a child is not getting a quality education in his or her assigned school, that child should have the choice at attend a different school. Furthermore, they believe that parents should be able to shop for the best education, and additional choices will raise all boats via much-needed competition.  Both arguments bring us to one place: school choice.

According to The Detroit News, parents in the Motor City are not only shopping for better schools, but they're doing so in high numbers.  Nearly three-fourths of parents report shopping for a school besides their assigned public school, according to a recent survey conducted by Michigan Future, Inc., a nonpartisan think-tank.

With 71 percent of parents taking advantage of educational options in Detroit, here's where students are going:

• 55 percent attend their assigned public school
• 22.5 percent attend charter schools in Detroit
• 15.2 percent attend public schools outside of Detroit
• 5.1 percent attend magnet schools in Detroit
• 2.5 percent attend private school or are homeschooled

Detroit has lost more than 100,000 students over the past decade, and today serves 90,499 students in the its public school district.  Of those students, 47.2 percent live in poverty and 78.2 percent are enrolled in the federal free and reduced-price lunch program.  In addition, approximately 45,000 children attend public charter schools.

Rose Remains in National Spotlight for Reform Work

Image courtesy Terry Shoffner of the Wall Street Journal.

Back in June, we told you about the great work of former NBA star Jalen Rose, who was then preparing to open a charter school in his hometown of Detroit.

Fast forward seven months, and not only has Rose continued his strong work in the education reform movement, but he's getting some deserved national attention for his contributions to the fortunes of low-income kids.

Last week the Wall Street Journal sat down with Rose to discuss his recent education work, which has centered on the principal that parents should be able to choose the best educational options for their children.

Says the Journal:

He also wants to influence parents—empowering them to demand better schools for their kids. The rigid system of school boards telling families where their kids have to go to school perpetuates poverty and a sense of entrapment, he says: "Forty-seven percent of Detroit area parents are functionally illiterate. So that puts their kids at a real handicap. Say my mom is one of those 47%. That doesn't mean that I shouldn't have a fair opportunity for a quality public education. But since my mom is functionally illiterate and we grew up on the west side of Detroit, I'm forced to go to this school that has been a poor-performing school for 30 years." 

"There should be parental choice," he says clearly. "Schools should be open. If it's a public education, and the school in your district is poor-performing, you should be able to put your student or kid wherever you want." 

Choice could be relatively easily implemented, he says. "I'm a taxpaying citizen, right? So if I'm paying $4,000 worth of taxes and I don't want my kid to go to this school, why can't they give me my $4,000 and allow me to pick where I want to put my kids?"

Consistent readers of this blog already know about the contributions Rose has made to reforming Detroit's schools, but what may be less-well known are Rose's motivations behind his passionate pursuit of educational equality.

A Baller With a Big Heart

A couple of formal rivals on the basketball court might be able to teach something to our elected officials who struggle to agree on issues of education reform.

It was reported last month that former NBA and University of Michigan basketball star Jalen Rose will be opening a charter school aimed at helping low-income kids in his hometown of Detroit, and new details are now emerging, with the high school slated to open this September on Detroit's Northwest Side.

Watch the video below to learn more: