Aired: February 2, 2009 – 11:00 AM PST
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TITLE: Tackling Educational Poverty
SPECIAL GUEST: Special Guest: Marvin Marvin Smith, former NFL Linebacker & Executive Director of Micro-Enterprise Charter Academy
Guest Marvin Smith, former NFL Linebacker, who has been tackling bigger problems than runningbacks these days … educational poverty for one! Listen in as Marvin and Allen discuss Micro-Enterprise Charter Academy and how they design education for today’s minds and tomorrow’s opportunities!
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Micro-Enterprise Charter Academy, (M.E.C.A.) is a charter school designed to address the critical need for innovative educational alternatives for students in the Long Beach and Paramount communities. This school has been designed to provide a quality educational program targeting educationally disadvantaged students in middle school programs whose Academic Performance Index (API) scores indicate under performance. It is the goal of M.E.C.A. to provide students with a rigorous standards-based college preparatory program while preparing them to successfully learn, excel in school and prepare for life educationally, technologically, economically, and socially.
In an effort to effectively serve their targeted population, M.E.C.A. has chosen a strategic location: 5951 Downey Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90805 near the premises of a subsidized housing complex – Northpointe Apartment Homes. The idea to open a school near Northpointe was developed in partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as part of HUD’s “Neighborhood Networks Initiative.” Neighborhood Networks is one of the first federally focused initiatives to promote self-sufficiency, and address the “digital divide” and community building in underserved housing communities. Neighborhood Networks provide a host of services, with state-of-the-art technology as a key strategy to move residents towards self sufficiency. M.E.C.A. will help make Northpointe “service-enriched” housing by providing an essential community resource – a high performing public secondary school – right where the students live.
In this innovative context, the school will be a catalyst for community development. Students will lead the strengthening and revitalization of their own community by building social and economic capital through on-going entrepreneurial and community service projects. They will also be expected to integrate technological solutions, creative problem-solving, and scientific and mathematical reasoning, towards developing their communities and their own assets. As effective community leaders, they will communicate capably across race, gender, sexual orientation and class lines, and exhibit developmentally appropriate levels of self-worth and compassion for others.
The innovative educational plan of M.E.C.A. synthesizes four distinct program goals, which, taken together will prepare students for life technologically, economically, educationally and socially (see “Means to Achieve the Mission and Vision” below for details on how M.E.C.A. will reach its program goals):
1) Rigorous Academic Preparation and College Readiness – all students will participate in college preparation course work that explicitly teaches academic, social, and financial strategies for obtaining a college education. The focus on standards-based instruction within those courses will ensure that all students are engaged in a rigorous curriculum that will make them competitive in any post-secondary setting.
2) 21st Century Technological Literacy – all students will be able to apply technological solutions (e.g. multi-media presentations, spreadsheet applications, web-design, project management tools, etc.) to academic and real-world situations. Among other applications, they will use technology to complete course work, design and manage entrepreneurial projects, apply for college, and research community projects and career aspirations.
3) Entrepreneurship and Economic Literacy – all students will develop economic literacy and marketable workplace skills. Through on-going entrepreneurship projects, students will design and implement micro-enterprises (i.e. small, community-based, student-run businesses) whose proceeds and products will benefit the community. Furthermore, students will engage in economic literacy course-work that will enhance their ability to manage their own finances independently, and secure their financial futures.
4) Self-Determination and Community Leadership – all students will develop the ability to successfully lead themselves and their communities. Students will practice self determination by making effective decisions in their own lives. Furthermore, they will be prepared to demonstrate how math, science, writing, technology, and other tools can be applied in the real world to solve problems and lead their communities. This outcome will be accomplished through explicit instruction on community leadership, and through concrete opportunities (community service and entrepreneurial projects) to practice community change-making.
As described in the section titled, “How Learning Best Occurs,” all four of these outcomes are supported by current brain-based research. Furthermore, they are relevant to M.E.C.A’.s target population in that many of the students come from documented under-performing schools and live in communities where there are few assets and low levels of high school graduation and college matriculation among adults.
