The American educational system is groaning under a weight that it was never built to bear: Replacing the home in producing productive citizens.
Schools were designed to teach the three Rs with the assumption that parents would provide the basis that anyone needs to be able to learn: a supportive environment, discipline and basic necessities.
That has been upended by a poverty-stricken culture over which the schools don’t have control. One example is the free lunch program. At a basic level, parents are supposed to provide for their children’s food. But what are schools supposed to do if they don’t? They can’t teach hungry children, and anyone with a heart wants to do something for a child lacking nutrition, so thus a program is borne that is outside the realm of teaching.
That’s not to criticize schools or the policy, but just to point out reality. Although everyone should be able to realize such problems exist, few have come up with any practical solutions.
That’s where the Indianola Promise Community comes in. Based on a concept developed in Harlem, it seeks to start with expectant mothers, continue with in-home visits during pre-school years, help children with academics during school years and finally prepare them for college and careers.
That’s a lofty goal and an expensive one: IPC is getting $30 million from the federal government spanning 2013 through 2017 as a pilot program. The results so far, according to a presentation to the Indianola Rotary Club recently, have been real but modest. It’s just hard to turn around such a longstanding problem in a few years.
One major improvement has been in kindergarten readiness levels, which increased from 24 percent in 2014 to 52 percent in 2016. That shows that the younger you start, the more impact you can have. Carolyn Willis, an IPC administrator, said home visits have proven particularly effective.
That could point the way to what other rural communities in Mississippi could do to turn the tide of poverty, along with other innovative ideas like charter schools. It’s difficult but also an economic imperative for the state’s future.
