Post by title1parent on Jun 23, 2010 7:12:55 GMT -5
Champion Debate Team Rejects City's Verdict
Dana Chivvis AOL News
NEW YORK (June 22) -- New York City's Metropolitan Corporate Academy, a small public high school in Brooklyn, doesn't have any sports teams because it doesn't have the money for them, let alone somewhere for them to practice. The school's principal, Lennel George, tries to make up for this by investing in other extracurricular activities to give kids another reason to stay in school.
One of those activities is the school's debate team, one of the best in the city. There are several shiny trophies to prove it -- in coach Alex Jones' classroom, on top of a tall bookshelf.
Last season, co-captains Stephon Adams, 17, and Devonte Escoffery, 18, went to the national tournament in Omaha, Neb., reached the quarterfinals of the state championship and won the New York City championship, beating out schools with better academic track records and better grades on their yearly progress reports.
The team is a shining success for a school that struggles with a challenging student population. As juniors, Adams and Escoffery are already formidable debaters. Next year, they could be an even bigger force in their two leagues.
If they get to compete next year. And if they still have the coach who has challenged them to succeed.
MCA has been slated to close by the city's Education Department, which deemed it a "failing" school in December along with 18 others. A lawsuit has put a hold on the school's demise for now, but depending on an appellate court's ruling, the school could begin to phase out as early as next fall, with no incoming freshman class.
New York City public school budgets are calculated by the number of students enrolled, with each school getting approximately $16,678 per student. Next year, MCA may not have a freshman class at all. Already the school's budget has been slashed 4 percent.
If that happens, Principal George may not have enough money to enter the team in both its leagues or in any leagues at all. The debaters might have to forgo tournaments with entry fees and only debate in ones that are free.
Putting Debate to Rap
Adams and Escoffery have developed a unique style for their debate, rapping most of their arguments instead of delivering them in the traditional fashion.
"Basically, hip-hop shapes urban students," Escoffery said. "That's why we preach, like, hip-hop debate and hip-hop in general, because that's what people listens to. If you on the train and you have your iPod, you have your MP3, that's what booming in their ears."
They initially joined the team to rack up extra credits for school, but quickly saw other advantages both academically and as a way to influence the world around them. Debaters often become policymakers, they say, so if they can influence their fellow debaters now, they might actually be influencing policies later.
"We been winning a lot of tournaments. Not only winning; we also change the mindsets of a lot of judges, a lot of people who debated us," Adams said.
The academic benefits of debate are widely noted. A recent study of African-American males involved in the Chicago Urban Debate League found that participants were 70 percent more likely to graduate from high school and three times less likely to drop out than non-debaters.
Both Adams and Escoffery plan on going to college. Adams is thinking about applying to the City University of New York and wants to study medicine. Escoffery wants to go to New York University to study engineering and business.
The MCA debate team, which is about 20 students strong, meets on Wednesday afternoons to discuss strategies. It is the charge of Jones, 35, an 11th-grade U.S. history and social studies teacher who has been coaching the team for the past three years. He estimates that he gets paid for only a quarter of the hours he puts in as their coach because of the school's tight budget.
But he chose to work at MCA because he wanted to work with students with the greatest need. Adams and Escoffery say Jones is the kind of teacher who will make sure his students pass their city-mandated tests, who will put in extra time for one-on-one instruction. There's a mutual respect between him and his students. They don't call him "Mr. Jones"; they call him "Alex."
However, public schools in New York City have a "last hired, first fired" policy. Jones has only been at MCA for five years. So the budget cuts could cost him his job, leaving the team without a coach.
"He's one of the closest teachers I've ever gotten to know in this building, and it sucks seeing a teacher that you known since you came to this school go before you can even graduate," Adams said. "Before they can even come to your graduation, congratulate you."
Critics of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein say their approach to public education -- which is much like the Obama administration's approach -- ignores the immeasurable emotional impact closing a school can have on a community.
"There's always nostalgia," said Deborah Meier, an education expert who founded a network of highly successful public schools in Harlem. "I even think that matters, even though I don't think that should make the decision."
Is Anyone Listening?
When the city announced the school closings, enraged communities rallied against the decision, saying the Education Department had made a blanket decision directly affecting their lives without consulting them.
"Go into our neighborhoods, talk to us," Escoffery said. "Politicians, come into our neighborhoods, talk to us about our problems and listen, actually listen, so you can make better policies."
In January, the Education Department held a panel to hear public concerns about the school closings and to vote on whether to go through with them. Thousands of people showed up for the event, including Adams and Escoffery, who planned to use their debate skills at the microphone to testify in support of their school.
But by 11:30 p.m., they were still in line to speak and had to go home so they could get some sleep before taking exams the next day. At 3:30 a.m., after nearly nine hours of testimony and 300 speakers, the panel voted to close all 19 schools.
Like their principal and coach, Adams and Escoffery say their school never had the proper resources to succeed.
"We need textbooks, we need an auditorium, a gym," Adams said. "Just give us a chance to show that we can become a great school if we can have those resources and if the students can have those resources for them to have a proper high school experience."
Whether they get the chance to prove themselves rests in the hands of the appellate court judge. In February, the United Federation of Teachers, the teachers union, saying the school closings were illegal because the Education Department had failed to look at the impact the closings would have on each community. In March, the union won the case and the city appealed.
For now, MCA doesn't know if it's been given a lifeline or merely a stay of execution.
Dana Chivvis AOL News
NEW YORK (June 22) -- New York City's Metropolitan Corporate Academy, a small public high school in Brooklyn, doesn't have any sports teams because it doesn't have the money for them, let alone somewhere for them to practice. The school's principal, Lennel George, tries to make up for this by investing in other extracurricular activities to give kids another reason to stay in school.
One of those activities is the school's debate team, one of the best in the city. There are several shiny trophies to prove it -- in coach Alex Jones' classroom, on top of a tall bookshelf.
Last season, co-captains Stephon Adams, 17, and Devonte Escoffery, 18, went to the national tournament in Omaha, Neb., reached the quarterfinals of the state championship and won the New York City championship, beating out schools with better academic track records and better grades on their yearly progress reports.
The team is a shining success for a school that struggles with a challenging student population. As juniors, Adams and Escoffery are already formidable debaters. Next year, they could be an even bigger force in their two leagues.
If they get to compete next year. And if they still have the coach who has challenged them to succeed.
MCA has been slated to close by the city's Education Department, which deemed it a "failing" school in December along with 18 others. A lawsuit has put a hold on the school's demise for now, but depending on an appellate court's ruling, the school could begin to phase out as early as next fall, with no incoming freshman class.
New York City public school budgets are calculated by the number of students enrolled, with each school getting approximately $16,678 per student. Next year, MCA may not have a freshman class at all. Already the school's budget has been slashed 4 percent.
If that happens, Principal George may not have enough money to enter the team in both its leagues or in any leagues at all. The debaters might have to forgo tournaments with entry fees and only debate in ones that are free.
Putting Debate to Rap
Adams and Escoffery have developed a unique style for their debate, rapping most of their arguments instead of delivering them in the traditional fashion.
"Basically, hip-hop shapes urban students," Escoffery said. "That's why we preach, like, hip-hop debate and hip-hop in general, because that's what people listens to. If you on the train and you have your iPod, you have your MP3, that's what booming in their ears."
They initially joined the team to rack up extra credits for school, but quickly saw other advantages both academically and as a way to influence the world around them. Debaters often become policymakers, they say, so if they can influence their fellow debaters now, they might actually be influencing policies later.
"We been winning a lot of tournaments. Not only winning; we also change the mindsets of a lot of judges, a lot of people who debated us," Adams said.
The academic benefits of debate are widely noted. A recent study of African-American males involved in the Chicago Urban Debate League found that participants were 70 percent more likely to graduate from high school and three times less likely to drop out than non-debaters.
Both Adams and Escoffery plan on going to college. Adams is thinking about applying to the City University of New York and wants to study medicine. Escoffery wants to go to New York University to study engineering and business.
The MCA debate team, which is about 20 students strong, meets on Wednesday afternoons to discuss strategies. It is the charge of Jones, 35, an 11th-grade U.S. history and social studies teacher who has been coaching the team for the past three years. He estimates that he gets paid for only a quarter of the hours he puts in as their coach because of the school's tight budget.
But he chose to work at MCA because he wanted to work with students with the greatest need. Adams and Escoffery say Jones is the kind of teacher who will make sure his students pass their city-mandated tests, who will put in extra time for one-on-one instruction. There's a mutual respect between him and his students. They don't call him "Mr. Jones"; they call him "Alex."
However, public schools in New York City have a "last hired, first fired" policy. Jones has only been at MCA for five years. So the budget cuts could cost him his job, leaving the team without a coach.
"He's one of the closest teachers I've ever gotten to know in this building, and it sucks seeing a teacher that you known since you came to this school go before you can even graduate," Adams said. "Before they can even come to your graduation, congratulate you."
Critics of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein say their approach to public education -- which is much like the Obama administration's approach -- ignores the immeasurable emotional impact closing a school can have on a community.
"There's always nostalgia," said Deborah Meier, an education expert who founded a network of highly successful public schools in Harlem. "I even think that matters, even though I don't think that should make the decision."
Is Anyone Listening?
When the city announced the school closings, enraged communities rallied against the decision, saying the Education Department had made a blanket decision directly affecting their lives without consulting them.
"Go into our neighborhoods, talk to us," Escoffery said. "Politicians, come into our neighborhoods, talk to us about our problems and listen, actually listen, so you can make better policies."
In January, the Education Department held a panel to hear public concerns about the school closings and to vote on whether to go through with them. Thousands of people showed up for the event, including Adams and Escoffery, who planned to use their debate skills at the microphone to testify in support of their school.
But by 11:30 p.m., they were still in line to speak and had to go home so they could get some sleep before taking exams the next day. At 3:30 a.m., after nearly nine hours of testimony and 300 speakers, the panel voted to close all 19 schools.
Like their principal and coach, Adams and Escoffery say their school never had the proper resources to succeed.
"We need textbooks, we need an auditorium, a gym," Adams said. "Just give us a chance to show that we can become a great school if we can have those resources and if the students can have those resources for them to have a proper high school experience."
Whether they get the chance to prove themselves rests in the hands of the appellate court judge. In February, the United Federation of Teachers, the teachers union, saying the school closings were illegal because the Education Department had failed to look at the impact the closings would have on each community. In March, the union won the case and the city appealed.
For now, MCA doesn't know if it's been given a lifeline or merely a stay of execution.
