Education Opens Doors, Creativity Opens Windows...

An editorial...

Education opens doors, creativity opens windows. Both are needed to be successful in the 21st century.

Education, however, doesn't necessarily mean you must have an advanced degree. Education means you graduate from high school fully prepared and qualified to attend an institution of higher learning. The doors are open for that choice. Though, moving on to higher education also means there are potentially more doors that open.

In light of the ramification of education, it is of the utmost importance that the knowledge and skills learned in high school prepare students to thrive in the real world by knowing how to write well, speak articulately, solve problems both individually and in groups, and analyze and critically interact with situations encountered daily.

But, that's only part of the equation to success in the 21st century...

Pair that knowledge with creativity. Not necessarily the ability to draw well or play an instrument delightfully, but the ability to think outside of the box. The ability to make connects between things that no one has thought of before. The ability to zig when everyone else is zagging. Creativity creates opportunities and opens windows.

For our most needy students, education these days falls short in both of these areas. One can look at data from colleges and universities and see that many minority students who do manage to graduate, and not drop out like many Latinos tend to do, need to take remedial writing courses in college. Many college students are also not very proficient in giving presentations or using their analytic and critical thinking skills. Why should they be good at these skills when most of their schooling has revolved around the memorization of facts and learning test taking strategies?

In terms of creativity, in most cases, it's pretty much eradicated beginning the first day of kindergarten. Students are taught to conform. Furthermore, students are labeled as difficult or challenging if they don't fit into neat scholar "boxes" and follow expectations right away.

It almost seems as though some teachers are trying to create drones in schools. But in their defense, that's how they were taught in school and if it worked for them, why shouldn't it work for their students?

Well, we could go on and on about that last question, but here's another question to ponder...

What can WE do to help prepare students to be successful in the 21st century?

How can we help them turn their dreams into successful tomorrows?

Here's an idea...how about we start by implementing this 21st century way of thinking ourselves and use both our education and creativity to come up with some solutions...

In other words, Be the change you want to see...

Si se puede...

WELCOME!

We are a non-profit organization working with children who live in the most economically disadvantaged section of Santa Ana, CA.

Our goal is to provide educational choices in this area by opening a public charter school for children in preschool through twelfth grade.

The area we plan on targeting is located near the central eastern border of Santa Ana in a neighborhood that is multiple-zoned for apartment dwellings, commercial properties and industrial/manufacturing centers. Nearly three-quarters of the children and their families reside in World War II era one-bedroom apartments. Another 20% of the children reside in one or two bedroom apartments located just over a mile east of the proposed campus. The balance of the children live in the mobile home park in the northeastern portion of the proposed school’s boundaries. There are few, if any, children who live in the area who live in single-family homes. Only 9% of the parents living in the area declared that they had attended or graduated college based on a 2010 state demographic survey . The County of Orange average is 62%. The State average is 53%.

Over 95% of the children we will be working with are Latino, primarily Mexican-American or Mexican immigrants. Nearly 90% of the children who enter kindergarten will be designated as English language learners. The percentage of children in the area whose families qualify for free and reduced lunch will likely be between 94 and 98% based on 2010 demographic data.