The Community That Ended Educational Inequity

Our Problem

“When I joined the Navy, I took an oath that I would support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. After I retired, it became quite clear to me that there were three things that form the primary threat to our country: ignorance, poverty, and crime. After that experience, I am convinced that the most important of these threats to our national security is the inequality in our educational system. After my experience in Los Angeles, it became apparent to me that we need a different approach to educate our children.”-David Brewer, Vice Admiral United States Navy (Retired), former superintendent, Los Angeles School District

A serious educational and economic equity problem exists in the United States. Findings from the Pell Institute show that students living in the bottom economic quartile have an eleven percent chance of completing a college degree. Defined in opportunity costs, the odds against these youth are 9:1. Students living in the top economic quartile have a seventy-seven percent chance of completing college. Based on financial position alone, the odds in favor of their college success are 3:1. This is the “following tail wind” of wealth advantage inherited by the privileged class. The opportunity playing field is not close to even. 

Additionally, the cost of post-secondary education is punishing. Recent estimates put accumulated college debt in the United Stated at more than 1.7 trillion dollars, the majority of which encumbers the bottom economic quartile. If that debt comprised a gross domestic product (GDP), it would be the ninth largest economy in the world. Consider that corporations chose to spend over half a billion dollars on Super Bowl commercials this year. Such a number gives me pause about what we value. There are other troubling findings. For instance, although access to college for underserved students has increased, completion rates have not risen correspondingly-another inequitable outcome.

Consider the lives of students from that lower quartile. Often, they cannot take a full academic load because of their life demands. Like their more affluent peers they can succeed, but accumulated stresses prevent them from effectively using their abilities. These youth have no flexibility in their academic lives. Their situations are fragile and require a monumental balancing act, and should it fail, their optimal decision is to drop out with little chance of re-entering school. As James Baldwin says, “Anyone who has struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.” The bottom line is that we are wasting millions of young minds blocked by inequity that could be helping this country.

The Tangelo Park Community in Trouble

Bob Allen, the principal of Tangelo Park Elementary School, had to arrive early every morning and police the playground for drug paraphernalia, weapons, and other dangerous materials that may have been left there overnight. He reported being able to observe drug deals going on across the street from the school. Overnight, there were break ins to which, as principal, he would have to make an appearance in the middle of the night – sometimes when the police had already left – and he would find himself alone at the site.

Tangelo had the street name of drug depot. Due to its proximity to the tourist hotels on Orlando’s International Drive, visitors wanting to buy drugs would be sent to Tangelo by hotel employees who had the “I can hook you up with something” look.

Allen’s school climate was negative: poor student achievement, virtually no parent participation except for adversarial complaints, the school advisory committee was virtually unattended, student and teacher turnover were excessive, and when students were asked if they wanted to attend college, very few hands were raised. There was no motivation at Tangelo Park Elementary School. This lethargy pervaded the elementary, middle, and high schools for Tangelo. Without access to quality early childhood education, students were not ready for kindergarten and immediately fell behind, compounding the failure cycle. Legacy data systems estimated that 60% of Tangelo students graduated from high school with very few going on to post-secondary education of any kind. In 1994, the cycle of public-school failure was complete for Tangelo students. In two words, there was “no hope.”

The situation was equally dire in the community. The constant presence of drug dealers and high crime rates were major contributors to the citizens’ discontent. There were 152 crimes reported in Tangelo in 1994 – most of them felonies. There was very little civic engagement and unenthusiastic community participation, combined with a pervading suspicion of outside individuals, lead to nonprofits and other organizations wanting to make things better. They had seen these programs many times before with little or no impact on making their lives better. Any attention in the press was negative. Police foot and car chases were common. The neighborhood became the highest-crime rate community in Central Florida. When crime increased, there was nowhere to go.

The Solution

In 1997, the Tangelo Park Pilot Program became permanent: the Tangelo Park Program – a private sector initiative in the public community that strips away bureaucratic impediments that in many cases cripples good-intended programs. The Tangelo Park Program provides a preschool-to-college educational model that operates on a one-track feeder framework in conjunction with the public school district. The feeder schools provide counselors to transition the students from the Tangelo Park community and assist in college placement to familiarize the students with on-campus experiences. The Tangelo Park Program is politically non-threatening, long-term, and student-centric – funded mainly by outside sources.

Rather than using a lottery system to choose eligible students, Harris Rosen wishes to ensure that all children in the neighborhood have equal access to education. The students of Tangelo Park are on a one-track school cohort plan using the local public schools, which allows a focus on key transitional stages in the students’ educational progression. TPP augments the educational services available to the community while working within the current structure of the public school system. This approach can achieve results comparable to more expensive programs as in private or charter schools. Mr. Rosen’s philosophy is, “It’s the right thing to do.”

One-track education supports diversity, unity, and program coherence. However, because of the egalitarian nature of the initiative, students who receive scholarships, although required to report their grades to the high school counselor, have complete freedom to manage their educational careers. When long-term residents of the Tangelo community reflect on the community before the Tangelo Park Program, they refer to a community that earned a bad reputation, yet had the same goals as other communities. Because of the program, children from the preschool program enter elementary school fully ready and eager to begin first grade. Scholarship recipients do not have to worry about college and do not graduate in debt.

The Program Components (all funded by the Harris Rosen Foundation free of charge to the community):

• Quality preschool that emphasizes knowledge, executive function and social-emotional skills
• Counseling and support throughout public school
• Parent leadership and empowerment training
• Upon high school graduation all expenses to college, community college or skills training free of charge. All Tangelo students leave post-secondary education debt free.

Results:

• Rosen preschoolers among the most kindergarten ready
• High school graduation up from 60% to 100%
• College graduation rate 78%
• 190 college and vocational graduates (the expectation with the program would be 40 graduates)
• 268 degrees earned
• 153 bachelor’s degrees earned
• 76 AA degrees
• 15 work skills certificates
• 24 graduate degrees
• Degrees in 40+ fields
• Crime down 80%
• Vastly improved community pride and civic engagement
• Return on investment: seven dollars returns to society for every one dollar invest in Tangelo

Some Voices:

“This program is drastically different from others because it wraps both arms around the community and says we are here to serve you and help you become the best person you can be.” Dr. Bernice King, Daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr.

“As Orange County Sheriff, I was involved in the Tangelo Park Program and observed as it evolved to result in less crime than other communities in Orlando. I began to refer to it as a ‘Quiet Oasis.’ This was a remarkable transformation considering how much crime and drugs that were there at the onset of the program.” Jerry Demings, Orange County Mayor

After many years of foundations, philanthropists, corporations, major sports franchises, and many others declining, Harris Rosen sponsored the same program in the Parramore community of Orlando. Wonderfully, the Travel and Leisure company is replicating the program in the historic community of Eatonville. The purpose of my doing this session is simple. Is there anybody is OLC who can get someone in their community to do the right thing? If we find one, this session will be a success. Thank you.