The Importance of Education Reform

Education reform is currently a very hot topic in the United States, and the front runner of this topic is Geoffrey Canada. Canada set his sights on Harlem in New York City, this neighborhood is one of the worst for violence, drug abuse, and other types of crime, so in a way tackling Harlem was like tackling Mount Everest. Thus he began the Harlem Children Zone, this was a charter school for inner city children who otherwise would have to go through the bureaucracy of normal public schools. Canadas goal for this school was to close the achievement gap between children in other neighborhoods or affluent suburbs and the children in the inner city such as Harlem. However, Canadas most important goal is for every student at his school to go and graduate from college. "We are calling our school a Promise Academy because we are making a promise to all or our parents, if your child is in our school we will guarantee that your child succeeds"(22) The school encompasses around 12o students from grades 1-10. Since many parents want their children to attend this school there is not enough room and a lottery is needed. The hope that many people have for this type of schooling is that it will spread all across the United States into other cities like Detroit, or Los Angeles. Canadas goal to close the achievement gap seems steep however, in is own school he has improved test scores dramatically. This story very much relates to my service because unlike what most people think, in the United States not everyone is given educational opportunities, and the system fails them and the end up with a below average education. With more people like Geoffrey Canada however, it will be possible for all students in the United States to succeed.