How the SEED School Is Changing Lives

(CBS)  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.

But right in the middle of this same area is also one of the most successful and innovative public schools in the country. Started in 1998, the school is called SEED. It's the nation's first urban public boarding school.

Ninety one percent of the students finish high school, and 95 percent go on to college. It's a charter school that's getting national attention. Admission is by lottery, open to any family in the district willing to take a chance.

Full Segment: The SEED School
Web Extra: Community Matters
Web Extra: Role Models
Web Extra: Planting The College Seed
Web Extra: Winning The Lottery
The SEED Foundation

This last spring, parents and children showed up for a lottery with a unique prize: a $35,000-per year education paid for by private and government money.

Only a third of the over 200 or so kids who applied heard their number called. With a child's future at stake, emotions ran high.

The Grants were one of the families who won the chance to change their child's life.

Asked what it felt like to hear their number called, Purcell Grant told "60 Minutes" correspondent Byron Pitts, "It was shocking. I did not think that was gonna happen."

"When he said 38, I didn't hear anything but joy," Margaret Grant added.

Asked why this means so much to them, Margaret Grant replied. "It's called opportunity. We've never had that before. So why not grab it if you can. Here, you know, the sky is the limit."

With a big smile, the winning student, Taylor Grant, also thought this was good news.

SEED is the brainchild of Raj Vinnakota and Eric Adler. The two former businessmen quit their jobs 13 years ago to take an old idea and make it new.

"There's boarding schools for rich kids; why aren't there boarding schools for poor kids?" Vinnakota said. "The intense academic environment, the 24-hour aspect and constant access to role models. Why wouldn't all of those things be just as important for poor kids as it would be for rich kids?"

"We believe very strongly that there is a group of kids for whom the answer is a 24-hour supportive educational environment. And they're not gonna have a shot if we don't give it to them," Adler added.

It all starts on SEED's campus, a four-acre oasis, a safe zone where 340 kids can focus on school, free from distractions back at home.

SEED's goal is to prepare these children academically and socially for college and beyond. The students enter in sixth and seventh grade; 80 percent of them performing below grade level.

Charles Adams is the head of school. "We're a public school and we have a lottery, we get what we get. It could be an honor roll student, it could be a student three, four grade levels behind that's struggling with a number of issues at home. So we get the gamut," she explained.

According to Adams, there are sixth graders who enter the program with a second grade reading level.

Asked if a child like that will be going to college, Adams said, "Why not? Why not?"

"Because they're way behind. Because they don't read at a proper reading level. They're behind in math, they're behind in science," Pitts remarked. "They're behind in reading."

"I'll take all of that. And they could be a pain in the neck. That's my starting point," Adams replied.

Asked if he thinks it's working, Adams told Pitts, "I know it's working."

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[tagalong4abit]

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.

[sda09923]

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

[mnwcsult]

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.

[chattyone09]

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!

[countrycuz1]

Some days I work 17 hours between three jobs to pay my kids parochial and college tuition. I'm still always broke, driving an unpredictable 2003 Chevy mini-van to work each day. I still find time to spend with my kids and attend church and volunteer at my son's high school. Last year , I made $67 over the limit on a college tuition credit on my income tax. It ended up costing me $1175 which i'm currently paying off to the IRS $100 a month. I guess my quetion is: When is the government going to give me a bail-out? I guess it pays to go on welfare!

[chattyone09]

And that is exactly the goal of the leftist political agenda, make it more attractive for the struggling, hard working middle class to accept government assistance, so they will eventually give up and fall into their socialist, welfare trap, dependent forever. What a novel idea, Obama! Give a family a $67 break and help them remain independent and successful. This is the kind of "bailout" America needs! When do you plan to move your family to DC, the benefits sound great, don't they? NOT! May God continue to richly bless and shower you with increase!

[tagalong4abit]

I don't think the children in the SEED program wished for, dreamed of, or signed up for welfare. The reality here is, at an average of twenty to thirty thousand to financially support a prisoner per year, the meager investment noted with SEED, seems small by comparisson and has a much greater chance of producing life long taxpayers. Just my opinion, thanks for letting me express it.

[stevador39]

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.

[travler--2008]

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.

[mnwcsult]

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.

[teacher11018]

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.

[mnwcsult]

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?

[kaytu1]

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.

[travler--2008]

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.

[mnwcsult]

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.

[flyingddb01]

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.

[teacher11018]

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?.

[travler--2008]

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.