Leadership Matters February 2014

Poverty in the public education classroom

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.

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