Are We Facing a Crisis in Education?

THE HARLEM CHILDREN'S ZONE IS A RENOWNED NONPROFIT THAT DEPLOYS TOOLS NECESSARY TO HELP KIDS IN POVERTY.

GEOFFREY CANADA WHO IS KNOWN FOR HIS PIONEERING WORK WITH CHILDREN, AND GAME OWUSU-KESSE IS CEO.

TOGETHER THEY'RE PROVIDING LOW INCOME FAMILIES WITH CRITICAL SOCIAL AND ACADEMIC SERVICES SO KIDS CAN KEEP LEARNING DURING THIS PANDEMIC.

NOW THEIR COMMUNITY IS BEING SCALED UP NATIONWIDE.

HERE THEY ARE EXPLAINING IT.

THANKS.

GAME OWUSU-KESSE AND GEOFFREY CANADA, KWAME, I WANT TO START WITH YOU.

THIS IS A TIME WHERE THE COMMUNITY AROUND THE HARLEM CHILDREN'S ZONE, THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, REALLY, HAS BEEN DEALING WITH THESE DUAL PANDEMICS, DUAL CRISES ABOUT, THE VIRUS BUT ALSO RACIAL JUSTICE?

RACIAL INJUSTICE HAPPENING ON THE STREETS.

FIRST JUST GIVE AS YOU SNAP SHOT OF THE AVERAGE CHILD COMING THROUGH THE SCHOOLS, THE AVERAGE CHILD AVAILING THEMSELVES OF THESE SERVICES.

WELL, IT IS SITUATED IN CENTRAL HARLEM.

WE'RE WHAT WE CALL THE DEEP END OF THE POOL.

THE CHILDREN MOST IN NEED OF OUR SERVICES.

WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.

THE AVERAGE FAMILY OF FOUR MAKES $18,100 A YEAR.

4,000 RESIDENTS.

OVER HALF DONAL HAVE ADULTS WHO ARE WORKING.

SO WE'RE WORKING A COMMUNITY WHERE THERE ARE QUITE DIRE CIRCUMSTANCES.

A COMMUNITY THAT WE BELIEVE IN AND WE KNOW THAT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE FULL OF PROMISE AND POTENTIAL.

SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO OFFER THESE SERVICES.

TOO OFTEN THE COMMON MISPERCEPTION IS THAT WE'RE JUST A CHARTER SCHOOL.

WE OFFER A WHOLE HOST OF PROGRAMS FROM BIRTH THROUGH COLLEGE THAT FOCUS EDUCATION, YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH AND WELLNESS AND COMMUNITY BUILDING.

GIVE ME AN IDEA OF WHAT YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT IS OUTSIDE WHAT WE WOULD TRADITIONALLY CALL A SCHOOL'S RESPONSIBILITY.

ESPECIALLY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PANDEMIC.

WHAT KINDS OF SERVICES?

WHAT KINDS OF NEEDS ARE YOU STARTING TO FILL?

IN MANY WAYS, WE VIEW OURSELVES AS FIRST RESPONDERS.

AS GEOFF AND I TALK ABOUT THE DEVASTATING IMPACTS IN HARD ELM, IMMEDIATELY IN MARCH WE SURVEYED OUR FAMILY.

ONE OF THE BENEFITS HAVING PROXIMITY TO OUR COMMUNITY, WE CAN HAVE REAL-TIME DATA TO INFORM THE DECISIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE.

WE SENT OUT A SURVEY WHERE WE HAD OVER 33,000 FAMILIES RESPOND.

WE WERE TRACKING THE CLIPS ON OUR RESOURCE PAGE.

AND WE WERE ABLE TO TRIANGULATE AND DEVELOP A FIVE-POUND APPROACH.

THERE WERE MULTIELEMENTS.

SO ONE FOR EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDS.

TWO, THE IDEA OF PROTECT OUR MOST VULNERABLE.

PROVIDING MASKS AND LAUNCHING A PUBLIC HEALTH CAMPAIGN.

THE THIRD, THE DIGITAL DIVIDE AND PROVIDING LAP TOPS.

THE FOURTH WAS PREVENT GO LEARNING LOSS.

SO NOT ONLY HIGH QUALITY VIRTUAL ENGAGEMENT BUT FOR SAFE REENTRY.

AND WE HAVE CONVERTED TO RAPID TESTING FACILITIES.

AND FINALLY MITIGATING THE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.

MAKING SURE OUR PRACTICES HELP.

TODAY WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE AND DISTRIBUTE OVER 35,000 MASKS, 1,400 LAP TOPS, 2,200 THERMOMETERS.

NOT TO MENTION BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE INSTRUCTION FOR OUR STUDENTS EVERY DAY.

BEING ABLE TO HAVE TEACH ORDERS LIVE AND BEING ABLE TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH OUR STUDENTS HAS BEEN A VERY UNIQUE ASPECT OF THE ORGANIZATION.

YOU RAN THIS SCHOOL FOR YEARS.

YOU'RE ACUTELY AWARE OF THE EXISTING STRUGGLES THAT ARE THERE, THE DISPARITY HEALTH IMPACTS, THE STRUCTURAL EFFECTS OF POVERTY.

IN MANY WAYS, EVEN THOUGH THEY MIGHT BE INCREDIBLY LOW PAYING JOBS, THESE ARE SOME OF THE MOST ESSENTIAL OF ESSENTIAL WORKERS.

I THINK WE HAVE TOTALLY UNDERESTIMATED THE IMPORTANCE OF PEOPLE WHO EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN.

TEACH THEM EVERY DAY, SUPPORT THEM AFTER SCHOOL.

I THINK WE'RE FACING A CRISIS DM EDUCATION.

WE ALREADY HAD A CRISIS.

UNDERPAYING TEACHERS.

TEACHERS NOT STAYING IN THE FIELD BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES.

NOW WE HAVE THIS.

CLOSED FOR SIX, SEVEN MONTHS.

FOR POOR CHILDREN, THIS IS DEVASTATING.

THIS IS A TIME WHEN KWAME AND I ARE SAYING TO OUR COUNTRY, IF WE VALUE EFFORT, IF WE CARE ABOUT BLACK AND BROWN LIVES, WE'LL HAVE TO MAKE A MASSIVE INVESTMENT IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE BEING DISPROPORTIONATELY HIT BY COVID.

THESE ARE THE SAME COMMUNITIES THAT WE'RE LEARNING HAVE SUFFERED FOR THE LAST 50 YEARS BY STRUCTURAL RACISM, BY DISINVESTMENT IN THOSE COMMUNITIES.

YOU LAY ON TOP OF THAT WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH FOOD AND JOBS AND HOUSING AND WE SEE A CRISIS THAT WE FEEL LIKE THE COUNTRY HAS NOT RESPONDED TO.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT THE KIDS THAT ARE HARDEST TO REACH THAT MIGHT BE IN MOST DIFFICULT SITUATIONS PAT HOME, WHETHER THEY HAVE BAND WIDTH NASA BROAD BAND OR TIME OR SPACE, AS IN A SUPPORT NETWORK, IN THEIR PARENTS, WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED DURING THE PANDEMIC CAN HELP OTHER SCHOOLS LEARN HOW TO REACH THESE KIDS.

WHAT WE WERE TRANSPARENT ABOUT, WE CAN'T PREVENT COVID FROM SHOWING UP ON OUR DOORSTEP.

WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MITIGATING AGAINST ANY POTENTIAL FOR MASSIVE SPREAD.

SO HAVING WELL TAILORED SYSTEMS IN PLACE AS FAR AS, IF SOMEONE IS SYMPTOMATIC, TO HAVE ONSITE TESTING, TO MAKE TIMELY DECISIONS.

SCHOOL DESIGN AND SCHEDULING TO ALLOW FOLKS TO BE IN PODS.

SO IF THERE WAS AN INCIDENT OF COVID, IT IS LIMITED.

SO UNDERSTANDING PROGRAMMING.

WHO IS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE AND HOW CAN YOU REIMAGINE THE PROGRAM TO OFFER BOTH, HAVING A VIRTUAL OPTION IN THE EVENT TO MITIGATE THE DISRUPTIONS, INHE HAVE, INEVITABLY THERE'S A SKAFRLT HOW CAN YOU LEAST IMPACT STUDENTS.

THAT'S BEEN INFORMING OUR APPROACH DURING THIS TIME AND SOME OF THE MAJOR LESSONS WE'VE LEARNED.

GEOFFREY, YOU CAME OUT OF RETIREMENT HELP SCALE SOME OF THIS.

TO THINK ABOUT EDUCATION WHOLE ISTICLY.

YOU'RE NOW WORKING WITH SIX DIFFERENT CITIES.

WHY WAS THIS IMPORTANT?

FIRST, I SMILE BECAUSE I WAS HAPPY IN RETIREMENT.

FOLKS TOLD ME I WOULD HATE IT BUT I DIDN'T HATE IT AT ALL.

WHEN KWAME CAME TO ME AND SAID THAT HIS JOB AS THE NEW CEO WAS TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO SAVE ANOTHER MILLION CHILDREN BY GETTING THEM ON THE ROAD TO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY IN THIS COUNTRY, I JUST FOUND THAT TOO TANTALIZING TO RESIST.

WHAT WE DISCOVERED, THERE ARE COMMUNITY GROUPS AROUND THE COUNTRY ALREADY DOING HIGH QUALITY WORK.

AND THIS IS WHAT I DON'T THINK PEOPLE UNDERSTAND.

PEOPLE THINK, WE'RE OUT TRYING TO SIMPLY RE-CREATE THE HARLEM CHILDREN'S ZONE.

NOW, THERE ARE A SET OF PRINCIPLES, ABOUT PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR THEIR HEALTH, THEIR MENTAL HEALTH, THEIR PHYSICAL HEALTH, THEIR SPIRITUAL HEALTH, AND HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION THAT WE THINK WORKS WITH CHILDREN NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE.

POOR CHILDREN IN PARTICULAR NEED THIS.

SO WE SAID LET'S FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN HELP TURBO CHARGE THESE EFFORTS AROUND THE COUNTRY.

LET'S FIND THE BEST PLACES DOING THIS WORK AND LET'S BRING THE RESOURCES AND SUPPORT TO HELP SCALE THE EFFORTS SO WE CAN IMPACT AS MANY CHILDREN AS HUMANS POSSIBLE OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT TEN YEARS.

KWAME, YOU GREW UP IN CHALLENGING CIRCUMSTANCES.

WHAT WAS THE KEY TO GET YOU FROM WHERE YOU STARTED TO GETTING THROUGH HARVARD AND RUNNING THIS INSTITUTION NOW?

I WOULD SAY DESPITE THE CHALLENGES THAT I GREW UP IN, I THINK THOSE CHALLENGES ARE WHAT DEFINE ME.

AND I THINK SOME OF THE KEY ASPECTS OF WHAT LED TO THE SUCCESS THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE EXIST IN OUR MODEL HERE.

SO THAT'S THE IDEA OF THE CORE.

I WAS GIVEN A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A FANTASTIC EDUCATION AT A LOCAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

BECAUSE THE NUNS FELL IN LOVE WITH MY MOM WHO PLAYED BINGO AT THAT SCHOOL, THEY GAVE ME A SCHOLARSHIP THAT CHANGED MY LIFE AND TRAJECTORY.

IN ADDITION TO HAVING A HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION, THERE WERE SERVICES IN TERMS OF ATHLETICS AND THE ARTS AND ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL THINGS WAS HAVING ADULTS THAT BELIEVED IN MY POTENTIAL.

THEY WOULD ALWAYS SAY TO ME YOU'LL BE THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

I HAD NO POLITICAL ASPIRATIONS BUT THE FACT THEY BELIEVED PUT A BATTERY IN MY BACK THAT SAID, HEY, IF I CAN FOCUS ON SOMETHING AND SET MY MIND TO ACHIEVING A GOAL, ANYTHING IS IF POSSIBLE.

I HAVE SOCIAL CAPITAL TO PROVIDE ME THE RESOURCES, THE EXPERTISE, THE KNOW HOW, THE LOVE, THE GUIDANCE, THE KNOWLEDGE, TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS AND BETTER MY SITUATION.

SO I THINK THOSE WERE SOME OF THE KEY ELEMENTS IF MY PERSONAL STORY THAT LED TO A PATH FOR ME TO GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE, TO GO WITH MORGAN STANLEY AND ULTIMATELY END UP IN MY DREAM JOB.

YOU'VE WATCHED KIDS LIKE KWAME GO THROUGH THE HARLEM CHILDREN ZONE SCHOOLS, WHETHER THEY STARTED AS KINDERGARTNERS AND NOW SOME OF THEM IN COLLEGE.

THE IDEA OF COLLEGE WAS PROBABLY DRILLED INTO THESE KIDS, THE IMPORTANCE OF IT, THE GRAND YOU'RE OF IT.

AND HERE THEY ARE COME FALL AND THEY'RE DOING IT OVER ZOOM.

THIS IS TO ME ONE OF THE CONTINUING TRAGEDIES OF WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN OUR COUNTRY.

WHAT WE FOUND IS THERE ARE A GROUP OF KIDS WHO ACTUALLY NEED TO GET AWAY TO COLLEGE TO BE SUCCESS WILL.

AND I WAS ONE OF THOSE KIDS.

THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO WAY I COULD HAVE STAYED IN THE SOUTH BRONX AND DID COLLEGE WORK BY ZOOM.

MY LIFE WAS TOO CHAOTIC.

THERE WAS TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON ME.

I NEEDED TO GET AWAY AND FOCUS AND TO GO A LIBRARY AND HAVE THAT WHOLE ENVIRONMENT CHANGED.

SO I AM WORRIED ABOUT EVEN OUR KIDS WHO ARE SUCCESSFUL, EVEN THE ONES IN COLLEGE RIGHT NOW.

I WORRY THAT THEY STRUGGLE.

THEY'RE OFTEN THE STRONGEST ONE IN THEIR FAMILY.

EVERYONE SOW TALKING ABOUT PAYING THE BILLS.

WE'VE BEEN PREPARING THEY WILL TO GO TO COLLEGE.

WE'LL DO EVERYTHING HUMANS POSSIBLE.

I AM TELLING YOU, UP AND DOWN THE WHOLE CRADLE TO CAREER PIPELINE, WE HAVE A GENERATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN TRAUMATIZED BY THIS EXPERIENCE.

IT WON'T TAKE SIX OR SEVEN MONTHS TO MAKE UP FOR THIS.

WE'LL BE WORKING ON THIS PROBLEM FOR THE NEXT DECADE.

TRYING TO MAKE UP FOR WHAT IS HAPPENING IN 2020, 2021, TO POOR CHILDREN IN THIS COUNTRY.

KWAME, ONE OF THE MORE ACUTE NEEDS THAT YOUR SCHOOL FEELS IS SCHOOL LUNCHES.

BREAKFASTS.

PLAIN OLD FOOD.

HOW HAVE YOU GOTTEN AROUND THAT?

CONSIDERING HOW IMPORTANT THAT NUTRITION IS FOR EVERYTHING ELSE, AND SOME OF THESE FAMILIES MIGHT BE REALLY RELIGHTNING ON THE SCHOOL LUNCH.

A GREAT QUESTION.

PARTICULARLY IN A YEAR, WE HAVE A SET THAT PRODUCES OVER A MILLION MEALS A YEAR FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

AND THE ROLE THAT THE SCHOOL PLAYS FOR FEEDING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE.

MAKE GO SURE THEY HAVE A HEALTHY AND WARM MEAL.

IT IS SO CRITICAL.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO.

JUST BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE A NUMBER OF SUPPORTS FOR OUR COMMUNITY GIVEN THE FOOD INSECURITIES.

WE'VE HANDED OUT FOR YOU,000 PACK ANS OF TWO WEEK SUPPLIES OF NONPERISHABLE ITEMS.

AND MONTHLY WE HAVE HARVESTS.

TODAY WE'VE DISTRIBUTED OH 30,000 POUNDS.

MORE SPECIFICALLY TO OUR SCHOOLS.

WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE A DELIVERY SEVTS THAT IS ABLE TO PROVIDE MEALS EVERY SINGLE DAY TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO ENSURE THAT FOOD INSECURITY IS NOT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WILL IMPEDE THEIR ABILITY TO LEARN.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT HERE.

AND WHERE HAS IT DONE WELL, AND WHERE HAS IT FALLEN SHORT?

YEAH.

HERE'S WHERE OUR GOVERNMENT REALLY DID WELL.

THE FIRST CARES ACT, THE ABILITY TO INCREASE THE UNEMPLOYMENT PAYMENTS TO FOLKS, A HUGE NUMBER OF AMERICANS WERE OUT OF WORK FOR NO REASON OF THEIR OWN.

I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE I KNOW, THAT LIFE LINE LITERALLY SAVED THEM DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME WE'VE HAD TO SHUT DOWN THE COUNTRY TO TRY TO DEAL WITH THIS PANDEMIC.

BUT THAT ALSO IS WHERE WE'RE FAILING OUR CITIZENS RIGHT NOW.

THE FACT THAT OUR CONGRESS COULD NOT GET TOGETHER WITH THE PRESIDENT AND PASS A NEW SERIES OF SUPPORTS FOR FAMILIES AND THE UNEMPLOYED IN THIS COUNTRY IS AN ABSOLUTE DISASTER.

AND I THINK IT IS CRIMINAL.

I'M NOT EXAGGERATING.

PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE BASIC NECESSITIES.

THEY CANNOT BUY MEDICINE.

THEY CANNOT BUY FOOD.

THERE IS NO WAY TO PAY THEIR RENT AND THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE ABANDONED BY THE GOV WHO IS SAYING, WE'RE NOT GOING TO DEAL WITH AMERICANS RIGHT NOW.

IN THE MIDST OF A HEALTH PANDEMIC, I THINK THIS IS A SHAME.

I'M ASHAMED OF OUR COUNTRY.

FOR FAILING TO AID ITS CITIZENS IN THEIR TIME OF NEED.

YOU LOOK AT ALL THE PEOPLE DYING IN THIS COUNTRY.

WE'RE LOSE GO MORE PEOPLE IN A DAY THAN WE LOST IN PEARL HARBOR AND THE GOVERNMENT SAYS WE WON'T HELP?

I THINK THAT'S AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE WEST NEED TO HOLD OUR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR FAILURE.

I WOULD AGREE.

WE'RE AT A UNIQUE MOMENT WHERE THE COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS IS PRIMED FOR ACTION.

IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HAVING A MEANINGFUL IMPACT AT SCALE, THERE MUST BE A RESPONSE FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO BE ABLE TO BRING AND MARSHAL THE RESOURCES THAT ARE NECESSARY IN ORDER TO FIGHT ON THE FRONT LINES OF THIS WAR.

SO WHETHER IT IS PPE SUPPORT, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, IN THE MOST DEVASTATED COMMUNITIES, SO THERE CAN BE A MULTIFACETED THREAT IN THE SOCIAL JUSTICE ENVIRONMENT.

AND IT IS IMPERATIVE FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO STEP UP TO THE LEADERSHIP MANTLE.

IT CAN'T JUST BE DONE ON PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS OR CORPORATE DOLLARS.

THERE NEEDS TO BE A CORPORATE RESPONSE AND THAT LEADERSHIP HAS TO COME FROM THE GOVERNMENT.

KWAME OWUSU-KESSE AND GEOFFREY CANADA.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.