[Vision2020] How's This for Education Reform

[Tom Hansen]

This beats anything Luna can find online.

Courtesy of Detroit Public Schools at:

http://detroitk12.org/inside_dps/2008/09/25/nancy-boykin-continuing-education-center-and-catherine-ferguson-academy/

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The Catherine Ferguson Academy

When a teenaged/pre-teen girl discovers she’s pregnant, her life changes
far more than she could ever have expected. Too often one of the first
changes she makes is to drop out of school, sacrificing one of her most
important opportunities for a good future.  To help solve that problem,
DPS created the Catherine Ferguson Academy.

At Ferguson, the main goals are to educate the young mothers and prepare
them for a good future. “We want our girls to know that becoming a mother
in your teens does not mean you are doomed to a dead end life,” said Ms.
Andrews.  All students are schooled in the core curriculum of English,
math, science and social studies in a family-like, accepting environment.
Along with the academics there is ‘real life’ learning about raising a
child and how to function as a knowledgeable, independent and productive
adult. “The responsibility of providing food, shelter and other basic
needs in life should not be stressful. They have the right to look forward
to a rewarding life and we help them achieve it” said Ms. Durant.

The school offers early education classes for infants and toddlers along
with business partners who can help needy students meet their child’s
basic needs such as food, clothing and medical care. Social workers,
counselors and other staff can also put the students in touch with
community services like WIC, the Children’s Center, DHS, Alternative for
Teens, Positive Images, the Detroit Health Department and Legal Aid for
specialized assistance, along with career counseling, mentoring and
tutoring. The all-female student body is something the students seem to
appreciate.

Everything at the school encourages young mothers to stay on the right
‘life’ track. This structure has led to a graduation rate of over 90% at
Ferguson with most of the girls going on to college.  It has also earned
Ferguson a national award and a waiting list.  Added to those is
Ferguson’s Farm, complete with goats, chickens, vegetable gardens, a
horse, beehives and more where the ‘city girls’ have taken to the farm
like they’ve always lived there.  Boykin students generally go back to
their home school after about a year, but they go back prepared to cross
the finish line with a real ‘life changer’
a high school diploma.

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Historical Note:

The Catherine Ferguson Academy is named after a freed slave who, although
illiterate, dedicated her life to educating others in the early 1800s.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to
changeand the Realist adjusts his sails."

 - Unknown