9
By Arthur Culver
East St. Louis District 189
Much has been written about educating children
in poverty. Depending on whose research you
believe, children who come from economically
disadvantaged homes may or may not ever catch up
to their middle class peers in college and career
readiness skills. I fall into the camp that believes
that all children can succeed if learning conditions
are right. To quote the late Dr. Ron Edmonds, “We
can, whenever and wherever we choose,
successfully teach all children whose schooling is of
interest to us. We already know more than we need
to do that. Whether or not we do it must finally
depend on how we feel about the fact that we
haven’t so far.”
For success to occur, the adults responsible for
leadership, instruction, and support services must
believe that their students have the intellectual
capacity for academic success. Equally important,
adults must believe that they have the ability to lead
students to academic success regardless of past
failures. Without a true belief in the intellectual
capacity of their students, as well as in their
leadership and instructional skills, they will not be
able to justify the enormous amount of effort
necessary to succeed.
So, how can educators accelerate the
achievement of economically disadvantaged
children? I reflect on the four “Cs” of leadership –
commitment, courage, capacity, and collaboration --
to ensure success. Your commitment must
transition to a mission. Instead of going to work
every day, you are engaged in a mission. Educators
on a mission perform in a manner that is very
different from those who are just doing a job.
It takes courage to consistently make decisions
that are best for all children, especially when
decisions may not be best for some adults. In spite
of pressure and criticism from peers, superordinates
and subordinates, you must make decisions that
emanate from what is best for all students. This will
eventually cause controversy; however, if you stay
(Continued on page 10)
Educating children in
poverty: Four ‘C’s’ are
crucial for leaders
Arthur Culver came to East
St. Louis District 189 -- where the
poverty rate is 98 percent -- as a
liaison from the Illinois State
Board of Education in 2011 and
two months later was named
superintendent.
“I am honored to be selected
to serve the students and families
in East St. Louis,” said Culver at
the time. “My entire career has been focused on
improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged
students. A student’s zip code, family income status, nor
race should dictate their educational attainment. I am
committed to creating positive changes for the students
and staff in District 189. Many of our children come from
economically disadvantaged homes, but they are rich in
intelligence, ability, and the will to succeed. “
The East St. Louis District is aligning curriculum to
the Common Core standards, providing professional
development to teachers and administrators, making
sure strong accountability standards are in place, and
reducing the budget deficit. Also, under Superintendent
Culver’s leadership, East St. Louis is implementing $8.6
million in competitive grants to support academic
improvements.
Culver has more than 30 years of experience as a
teacher, principal and administrator, including nine years
as superintendent for the Champaign Community Unit
District 4, where African American elementary math and
reading scores and enrollment of African American
students in Honors and Advanced Placement tripled.
These and other improved outcomes led to the
successful settlement of a 10-year-old Federal Consent
Decree for the district.
His experience as a reform agent began with his first
principal’s position in Texas where he took a school that
was 88 percent minority and more than 50 percent low-
income students and led it to “Recognized” status under
the Texas Education Agency accountability system. As a
superintendent and area superintendent in Texas school
districts with high minority and low-income student
populations, he led the majority of schools under his
supervision to “Recognized” or “Exemplary” (Texas’
highest accreditation designation).
In 2009, Culver was asked by U.S. Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan to be part of a “Blue Sky”
Turnaround team to provide innovative ideas regarding
school reform. He also served on the Illinois Education
Funding Advisory Board (EFAB) and the Education
Accountability Task Force.
Poverty in the public education classroom
