Your Black World
With all of the obstacles children face in disenfranchised communities, success stories are becoming somewhat rarer. One South Side Chicago principal, however, can boast that all of the students in her graduating class are going off to college in the fall.
At Johnson Prep Academy, most students come from households that aren’t well off economically, but that hasn’t impaired their ability to achieve.
Black Enterprise magazine sat down with principal Dr. Garland Thomas-McDavid to discuss strategies being used to prepare kids for success.
When asked about what sets Johnson Prep Academy apart, Dr. Thomas-McDavid listed a few differences between Johnson Prep, a charter school, and other schools.
“We have a longer school day and longer school year. We’re able to structure our academic programs to give our students more instruction on reading, more instruction on math. We also hire full-time social workers in our building, which is different in terms of the support that is available at regular schools.”
Students are also taught that even though they live in a crime ridden neighborhood, that’s no excuse for not achieving.
“I think it’s important to teach our students that you have to focus once you step foot into school,” Dr. Thomas-McDavid explained. “This is your job. You can be living through hell right now literally; however, the only way you can be empowered to do something about it is to get your education.”
When students step inside the school, they know they’ve entered a sort of reprieve from what goes on outside those walls.
“We absolutely address their individual situations and we have all sorts of programs that we’ve built in to make our school a positive, loving and safe atmosphere but we also hold them to the highest standard,” she explained.
In the end, Dr. Thomas-McDavid wants students to have a “strong sense of community and be thinking about how [they are] going to give back.”
