How the SEED School Is Changing Lives

By: CBSNews

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It's a 24-hour, five-day-a-week job which starts on Sunday night, when the kids check-in from their weekends at home.

They live in single-sex dorms with strict rules: no television and no Facebook.

The days start early at 6 a.m.; classes run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Then there's study hall, extra-curriculars, and tutoring. The day ends at 10 p.m.

This kind of structure and support is new to many of these students. What's also new is visiting college as early as middle school.

A group of eight graders went to see American University in Washington D.C. It's all part of reminding them of their end goal.

"Show of hands, if you're absolutely confident that you're A, going to college, and B, gonna graduate college?" Pitts asked a group of juniors.

"SEED imbeds college and success and commitment into our minds on a daily basis. It's like we build, and we live and we grow into scholars," one student said.

Asked if they had that confidence before they got into a program, a student replied, "No."

According to the student, the teachers boost their confidence.

Teachers put extra emphasis on the basics. Unlike most schools, there are two periods of English and two periods of math per day in middle school.

Upperclassmen are required to read 45 minutes a day in addition to their homework. Classes are small with 10 to 15 students.

Teachers like Jawan Harris know every student personally, their strengths and weaknesses.

Asked how she helps a failing student, Harris told Pitts, "We usually host tutorials after school. Last week, I sent out an e-mail saying, '5:00 until they get it.'"

What time did they finally get it?

"I would say my last student was in here probably until about 10:45," she told Pitts.

"But what public school teacher in D.C. works till 10:45?" Pitts asked.

"I have no idea. But I know that when I leave this building, I'm walking past my principal's office who's in her office talking to another student and there's another teacher still in their office, so it happens often," Harris said.

That kind of dedication and personalized instruction has paid off: tenth graders at SEED score 40 percent higher in reading and 34 percent higher in math compared to other minority students in their area.

But SEED isn't just about academics. There's a "life skills" curriculum taught in the evenings.

Students learn social skills, like self-discipline and etiquette.

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by tagalong4abit September 5, 2010 7:59 PM EDT: Are we STILL doing this? Black/white/inner city, urban, rural, left, right, poor, middle class, rich, working, not working, etc.,.?

The investment here, in whatever combination of public or private funds, is in AMERICANS. AMERICANS people! It will be an average forty to fifty years following college, that these young, impressive, and remarkable students will be producing a return on SEED's investment. With today's dismal interest rates and volatile market, I'd put money in SEED's bank as one of the most promising and solid investments I've seen in many years, and I plan to do exactly that.; Reply to this comment


by sda09923 July 13, 2010 12:03 PM EDT: Say what you want. I understand that not everyone can be helped. I wish they could. I grew up extremely poor and homeless when I was in school. Eat out of dumpsters, slept in the street or on porches in Pittsburgh (Braddock and Rankin). It gets cold there and crimes is.. Fought myself into a top university, graduated in computer science and math. I wish that I could have had something like this. I have held many top engineering jobs and do now. I am working on a new product in my company which will support charities, I will fight like hell to support this one.. You guys have done a fantastic job, I admire you and I will support you any way I can. These people, this project deserves our help. Our Nation needs this..
ray lukas; Reply to this comment


by mnwcsult May 29, 2010 2:51 PM EDT: Interesting set of comments about socialization, racism, exclusionary practices and government conspiracies. It is amazingly easy to get the masses riled up with little real information.

There are exactly two seed schools in America. Seed is a private foundation.

And for once something is working in education and what happens the real haters come forward with statements of no white people, native americans, or hispanics.

How many of you know the demographics of Washington DC east of the Anacostia river. It is nearly 90% African American. As for the comment about DC socializing, there 300 seed students in one school in an area with over 150,000 school age children.

It means that less than 1% percent will get the benefit of the seed program.

I for one have thought that all children should be removed from there backwards thinking parents and educated independent of the parents. Now that would be socialism on a grander scale.

My problem is having experienced the DC and Maryland school systems first hand is that there isn't enough money for more seed programs.

For those of you that don't remember school systems across the country are failing "No Child Left Behind" as a national policy to address the mismanagement of education across the country.

As for earning too much to get a tax credit our family also had to pay additional taxes however we benefit from better education than most and like being able to pay our taxes and for our childrens college. But the the sad realization is that not all have been as lucky as us and we would like everyone to be as successful.

That success will start with good education and I for one don't care how the education is implemented or paid for. All of our children need a good start and we all know that means education.; Reply to this comment


by chattyone09 May 26, 2010 2:38 PM EDT: Who would have imagined, government child rearing! Study Green Dot schools in Watts/LA CA. They educate successfully without government/political intervention while parenting is left to the families; what a concept! Open your eyes America, DC is socializing and lovin' it; you're next!; Reply to this comment


by stevador39 May 24, 2010 4:23 PM EDT: If private schools use public money they are a national disaster. They drain money out of public education. For the benefits they give a privileged few they deprive the majority of public tax dollars that should justly go to public schools. The administrators of public schools refuse to deal with disruptive students. While every student is entitled to a free public education, disruptive students and those with special needs must be separated from the classroom. These kids need special attention. Mostly they should be prevented from denyng education to the majority of students.; Reply to this comment

by travler--2008 May 24, 2010 1:11 PM EDT

After watching the 60 Minutes program Seed, I found it very disturbing in one way. I saw no Native American, Mexican American, Caucasian or any other people in the school that were other than African American with the exception of a couple of teachers. If this program has been in operation since 1998, I would have guessed that the lottery that chooses the people for the program would have picked at least a few of people that were other than African American over the years. The program sounds great and seems to be excelling in getting children to attain higher goals and education. I would like to see a program in this state or city doing the same thing. I would hope one we might start here would have a wider cross section of the population than the one featured on 60 minutes did.
I seem not to be the only one that is commenting on what I observed in this program. If this is using federal monies to partially fund it, there should be someone looking into the why of there being no one of any other race than African American in this school, or was this the fault of CBS camera work or editing that removed or deleted showing people of other races in this news clip. If that is the case, then CBS should explain why such a thing was done.

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by mnwcsult May 24, 2010 1:34 PM EDT: Did you actually read the article? "A few miles from the White House in southeast Washington sit some of the worst public schools in America. The students there are mostly poor, mostly black, and their test scores are low. Only one in three finish high school; of those who do go on to college, just five percent graduate."

No Native Americans, Mexican Americans or Caucasians in one of the poorest black communities in Washington DC.

And the lottery to speak is drawing from the Anacostia neighborhood in Washington DC.

No racist, just reality.

by teacher11018 May 23, 2010 10:57 PM EDT

I just watched your story about SEED. I wonder what happened to the 10-12% of the students they lost. Were they kicked out? Why did they leave? I also wonder about the training of the teachers and their qualifications, what their working conditions are and what the burn out rate is. Also, what about the kids whose families don't have it together enough to enter the lottery? Or the kids who don't win the lottery? I'm concerned about public funds supporting a school that only serves a portion of this community at the expense of those that are left out. I am a unionized teacher asking these questions, not because I support the status quo or am afraid to work hard for my students, but because privatization of our public school system in the form of charters DOES NOT change the status quo, it only serves a select few at the expense of the most needy. Those students that do get asked to leave charters (which are a lot) end up back in the public schools that are trying to serve the community while underfunded. We will never "fix" public education unless we are willing to fully fund all schools AND address the social problems that keep kids from being able to learn. You can't learn if you've just been shot in the leg or your parents are working too hard to help support you or sometimes, even, you just don't make it to school. This goes for poor black kids in D.C. and poor white kids in Kentucky. We need to fund social services and public education if we want to have a well educated country. As one of our founding fathers believed, education is the path to life, liberty, and happiness.

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by mnwcsult May 24, 2010 1:37 PM EDT: So being a unionized teacher in s city full of failing students uniquely quailifies you to do what? The SEED school in Washington DC is only one school.

The public school system of Washington DC is not doing that well as a whole with all of its unionized teachers. So what is your point?

by kaytu1 May 23, 2010 10:52 PM EDT

Talk about Rascist!!. 2 white teachers in that school and no white kids. What? Everyone got their way in 1964 and white kids can now just be ignored? I think not 60 minutes!! Why didn't someone ask why all the kids there were black? I never saw a white kid.

It isn't that I want to deprive a black kid of anything. They are people just like me. But after all the crap we went through with segregation it seems to me like our white kids are now the oppressed ones. Have you done a story like this on caucasion kids in the same circumstance? If you have I haven't seen it, and I USED to watch regularly.I think that 60 minutes is walking on their knees smooching the current administration butts. And I don't like it. I will send this video and a copy of this letter to everyone I know. You are not showing both sides of ANY story.
Bully for you for showing a feel good story. But FYI, there are tons of White kids out there without the same opportunity.

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by travler--2008 May 24, 2010 1:17 PM EDT: I agree with you. The lack of people of any other race than black left a sour taste in my mouth. The one thing you did not mention, was it possible that 60 Minutes camera work or editing room removed anyone of another race? I would hope not, but it is a point to ponder. I too think it is a heck of a program and wish this state had a similar one, but one with more of a cross section of the population than this program showed. The use of federal funds to fund this program should be considered when looking at the racial balance.


by mnwcsult May 24, 2010 1:38 PM EDT: Did you actually read the article? "A few miles from the White House in southeast Washington sit some of the worst public schools in America. The students there are mostly poor, mostly black, and their test scores are low. Only one in three finish high school; of those who do go on to college, just five percent graduate."

No Native Americans, Mexican Americans or Caucasians in one of the poorest black communities in Washington DC.

And the lottery to speak is drawing from the Anacostia neighborhood in Washington DC.

No racist, just reality.


by whjohnsonjr May 30, 2010 2:09 AM EDT: I don't know any white families that would have entered their kid in the SEED lottery. Many of these SEED kids have issues away from the school.

by flyingddb01 May 23, 2010 10:14 PM EDT

I have to say I am all for education. I have one problem with the Seed school. We have been blamed for being racist for so many years now but it seems that it is okay if the shoe is on the other foot! I saw no Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, Indian or any other race other than African American. It appears that it's okay to have an all black Miss America, have all black colleges but if the white soceity were to try that we would be called racist. I have friends of many different backgrounds and races so I am not racist but I also want to see that racism is looked at the same way for all AMERICANS! I think we have come a long way in making equal rights for all but lets not turn our minds off so we cannot see how it is being constured. We will always have people disagree but that is why we live in America, because we have the right to freedom of speach without being perseucuted, or at least we used to.

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by teacher11018 May 23, 2010 10:47 PM EDT: Don't you think that the reason the students are black is that they are reflecting the neighborhood the school is in? Perhaps the reason this school wasn't built to serve a white middle class neighborhood is because those communities already have schools with high success rates and kids that are surrounded by academic influences that already put them on track for college?.


by travler--2008 May 24, 2010 1:21 PM EDT: The comment from teacher11081 did bring up a point. The population of DC has more black than any other race in it. The fact that the news article did not show any other race than black is what has given us concern. That and the fact that federal money is being used to particularly fund the program.


by mnwcsult May 24, 2010 1:38 PM EDT: Did you actually read the article? "A few miles from the White House in southeast Washington sit some of the worst public schools in America. The students there are mostly poor, mostly black, and their test scores are low. Only one in three finish high school; of those who do go on to college, just five percent graduate."

No Native Americans, Mexican Americans or Caucasians in one of the poorest black communities in Washington DC.

And the lottery to speak is drawing from the Anacostia neighborhood in Washington DC.

No racist, just reality.