One troubled Camden elementary school has quite an inspirational principal - and she seems to be turning things around:
Parkside Elementary principal Claudia Cream immediately commands attention when she enters a classroom. She greets students in the African language Swahili: "Ago," or "May I have your attention?" Sitting up straight in their chairs, they politely respond, "Amay," or "Yes, you may."
At Parkside, in Camden, students are immersed in African American and Hispanic culture from the moment they enter the three-story brick building. Enrollment is 100 percent black or Latino. The hallways are lined with pictures of famous heroes. Twice a month, a black scientist visits the school.
Cream, in her third year as Parkside's principal, has sought to boost student achievement by instilling ethnic pride, setting high standards, and imposing strict discipline. "Children seem to thrive when they realize they come from greatness," she said. "I give them a sense of who they are."
It's my impression that too many schools that focus on the "pride" part of things, be it ethnic pride, self-esteem, or what have you, forget about the high-standards-and-strict-discipline part that goes hand-in-hand with producing an educated child, of any color. It's nice to see that the standards aren't considered secondary here.
On the latest standardized state tests, covering the 2003-04 school year, 47 percent of the fourth graders achieved proficiency in language arts, up from 35 percent the previous year. A bigger gain came in math, with proficiency more than doubling, from 17 percent to 35 percent...
An educator in Camden for three decades, Cream has earned a reputation for turning around troubled schools. Along the way, she has ruffled some feathers, too, with her strict discipline. She has taken on some of the most difficult assignments, including a two-year stint at the now-defunct Challenge Square Academy, an alternative school for adjudicated teenagers, most released on probation for drug offenses.
Former student Tony Hand, 24, said that Cream "made sure kids were in line" and that if they got into trouble, she "was there to correct you."
Making sure kids stayed in line and correcting them is considered "strict discipline"? Sheesh.
More examples of Cream's "strict" management style:
Each morning, Cream greets the more than 300 kindergartners through fifth graders when they line up in the schoolyard. She delivers a positive meditation on the public announcement system daily to set the tone. Throughout the school are learning centers where students can quickly read a lesson, and stations where they can sit for longer learning sessions.
At the top of a third-floor stairwell, they can stop for a lesson about money and read about Maggie Walker, the country's first black female bank president, who founded the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in 1903 in Richmond, Va.
Teachers now describe the school as having "peace, quiet and organization," which is a rare thing in any school, much less an inner-city one. Sounds like Cream's doing a great job, and if her students don't appreciate it now, they will later on.
Great photo, too.
Posted by kswygert at November 15, 2004 02:55 PM