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work during coffee breaks with guitars, singing
and dancing right in the teachers’ lounge.
Both schools serve the same impoverished
population of Ecoporanga, one on the east
side of town, the other on the west. One has a
new school. The other relentlessly pursues a
powerful, shared vision. This school thrives.
Her students succeed -- and they were
awarded the
Premio Gestão
Escolar,
a source
of hope and pride for the whole community.
Poverty still matters and cannot be
dismissed, but something else matters more:
changing lives for our students in poverty. This
is our leadership challenge.
I am humbled by the work this exemplary
leader demonstrates in the face of poverty. I
am encouraged to know that so many of my
colleagues are committed to a similar vision. I
am grateful to all of the dedicated teachers I
observe on a regular basis as they work
tirelessly to improve the lives of our children.
With the release of the 2013 PISA results,
there is a lot of talk about poverty and its
influence on students’ lives and academic
achievement. Op-ed pieces abound from the
New York Times to the Wall Street Journal to
the Lexington Herald. Thomas Friedman
suggests that there is, “No Shanghai Secret.”
The Wall Street Journal cites the Perry Pre-
school study and asks for investment in early
childhood education. Former military officers in
Kentucky call for support of public education as
a means to national security.
Leadership
. Leadership matters more. This is
our challenge. My challenge is to simply do
better.
“Poverty still matters and
cannot be dismissed, but
something else matters more:
changing lives for our students
in poverty. This is our leadership
challenge.”
--
Michael Shimshak,
Carbondale Elementary District 95
Sra. Geanne Darc de Vete Alves, principal at Escola
Estadual de Ensino Fundamental e Médio in
Ecoporanga, Espirto Santo, Brazil, looks on with her
students as their classmates demonstrate an outdoor
science project.
Poverty in the public education classroom
