The Harlem Children's Zone

December 6, 2009 4:52 PM

Geoffrey Canada's Harlem Children's Zone has helped put historically low-achieving students in New York on academic par with their grammar-school peers. CNN's Anderson Cooper reports.

Read Story: Harlem's Education Experiment Gone Right

Web Extras

Add a Comment

See all 62 Comments


by stevenchaisson December 21, 2009 5:58 PM EST: There is no doubt in my mind that Milo is an educator. No wonder, Edward Deming call this nation 20 years ago the most undeveloped nation in the world. The talent, the potential, the resources and we have almost 40% drop out rate in high school, yes the system need a complete overhaul starting with the education of the teachers.; Reply to this comment


by milo55 December 11, 2009 12:20 AM EST: The cognitive deficiencies facing these kids are enormous because of genetic coding. With the proper training these same students can derive some level of success in a fast moving high tech society. Focusing on tasks that can be repeated successfully will serve them better than indicting the system for failing to understand them.; Reply to this comment


by baltimorejp December 10, 2009 12:50 PM EST: This should be the norm for all public schools. Figure out the cost and lets do it. Fire the ones who don't get it and move forward. Take no prisoners, the public schools must work. Longer school day, shorter summer vacation, enrich with arts, language, music, and travel.

Incentivise the students and meet there needs.

Must be done NOW!; Reply to this comment


by fharrystow December 9, 2009 6:55 AM EST: Mr. Anderson and the producer should have mentioned Dr. Fryer is a highly paid consultant of the NYC Department of Education; NYC Department of Education provide substatnial public funds to Mr.Canada as they do to all Charter Schools. Finally, all charter schools in NYC select their students through the process known as creaming. In other words students who are ELL (English Language Learners), or with learning and physical disabilities are in most cases excluded. Anyone with experience in NYC education affairs should have been included in the report.; Reply to this comment


by young-man-clayton December 8, 2009 3:10 PM EST: kpriscella said "Isn't it amazing what can be accomplished when Government isn't in the equation? And we want them taking over our heath care? I don't think so."

No, what's amazing is how bad education got for the poor and low income families because of the lack of government intervention. If I were to assume your premise, women's suffrage, slavery and civil rights would have just worked things out...right? Wrong. It's statements like these that makes me realize that some people just don't get it. If you really want to make this a political issue, then let's talk about the systematic barriers at the local, state levels combined with the lack of social influence that allows inequalities to continue in poor neighborhoods.

kpriscella, I'm glad to see that you can type. In the future it would be nice if you could add a cogent thought to go with this new found ability.; Reply to this comment


by Emmyf December 8, 2009 12:19 PM EST: Imagine what could be accomplished if this program were to be replicated throughout the country, if the federal, state, and local governments were to invest the funding required. No child--or person--in our country should go hungry or not have health care available to them. This programs underscores the benefits of providing basic nutrition and health care, as well as adequate schooling, to all.

I hope that energy is spent on replicating the effort across the country, rather trying to determine which particular element--out of the many changes effected--is the "one" responsible for the program's success. There is no silver bullet, but all of the elements taken together have created a nurturing, healthy culture that has enabled academic and life success for these children and their families, and by extension, our society.

Emmy Fearn; Reply to this comment


by kpriscella December 8, 2009 9:50 AM EST: Isn't it amazing what can be accomplished when Government isn't in the equation? And we want them taking over our heath care? I don't think so.; Reply to this comment


by equanimitymag December 8, 2009 8:32 AM EST: What a great thing Mr Canada is doing for the children! I am glad to see him providing such a balance in his community. This is something that we can all learn from. This stimulates the economy and that's something we all need. I wish Mr Canada and his school success. Thank you for raising the awareness that education is important. Our future depends on it.; Reply to this comment


by enwr77 December 8, 2009 6:51 AM EST: It is a historical fact that mainstream America has never educated minority America. There are the horrors of what was done in the schools for Native American children. All minority and poor children are stereotyped in a negative manner. A child cannot be educated by negatively thinking educators. Education and its modifiers are positive. Then it is hard to break a 400 year old habit of thinking negative of descendants of Africa. This is why the parents were lined to get their children out of public schools and into a school where they are seen in a positive light and away from stereotyping. As parents they are protecting their children. PBS and NBC have presented evidence of the difference when minority children are taught by their own vs. mainstream America. Dunbar High School in Washington DC was an all Black school, students and educators. The students tested higher than their mainstream counterparts. One of our local high schools was turn into a school of opportunity for inner city children by its Black principal. Corporations came looking for the high schools many successful Black students carrying scholarships that previously only went to suburban schools. When this was heard of, the suburban students wanted to be bused to this school to obtain these scholarships. The suburban schools had many more scholarships, yet they wanted these. The principal was dismissed, replaced by a former nun and the inner city school children were pushed aside. She hated the students and they hated her and smelling her heavy cigarette smoking aired on her clothing. By age eight or so, a minority child recognizes the hate of racism displayed towards them and their parents. They notice the difference in treatment. By teenage years, the time when youth began to judge adults, those who enact different treatment are judged. Respect is not deserved. Some of the parents invited the former nun to their church. She saw well behaved students sitting with their parents, despite the campaign to tell our children they have the right to not obey or respect us and could report us. If a child does not respect who they came from, then they will not respect themselves or anyone who looks like them. The stories in the news say that is where inner city children are today. See saw children that were not raised on drugs or by a psychiatrist. Still she did not get it. While attending the Million Woman March in Philadelphia, I met African American mothers from all over the country. The common issue was the mistreatment of their children by White teachers. The same treatment received by us as their parents but, without the tools of adult defenses. Those who raise their children on drugs and learning disability labels to cover up bad parenting cannot cast stones. They cannot handle their own children so therefore could not handle these children. Stereotyping serves to raise the self-esteem of the stereotype, falsely. Children should be protected from the hate of stereotyping and hate that is written here in many of the comments. The hate that would rather pay tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to imprison vs. five thousand dollars to educate. Before it is said, hating your oppressor is a right not the ism itself. A right often prohibited by the oppressor. These parents are not looking for someone to educate their children as negatively assumed. They are looking for alternative to placing their children in a racist educational system. They are looking to protect their children as we have done since slavery and continue to today. We have always and continue to look for ways where we educate our children, not have them labeled learning disabled and place in throw away schools, which is the same as throwing them away in prison. Separate and unequal is something the Supreme Court decided. We asked for equal funding in our schools, not to have our children bused where they were not wanted, mistreated, not educated and have others brought into our schools to not educate. That meant taking funding from schools where mainstream American children attended. This school will not last long, when we have something positive a way to destroy it is always found.; Reply to this comment


by opticon1 December 8, 2009 12:00 AM EST: The reason for his success is very simple. He does not have deal with the teacher's union and local school board, which this report does not address. Such machines are no more than a machine for local politicians for awarding jobs to cronies. Within the union, bad teachers and school workers cannot be fired and there is no accountability for the educator's poor performance. He has broken strangling of the union in order to hire good teachers and fire non-performing staff. Breaking the union and school boards' political system are the only true way of reforms.; Reply to this comment