Education The Root of All That Is Good

Let us face the facts; education is the root of all that will make our Good county GREAT, to steal a line from County Executive Rushern Baker. The future of Prince George’s County Maryland does not rest in the arrival of the County’s first state agency to call Prince George’s County home, albeit, this is a good thing.

The future of Prince George’s County Maryland rests squarely on the shoulders of our K-12 public school system and its ability to prepare students to compete academically nationally and more importantly globally. The County’s aspirations, the hopes for a booming economy, and a community which is viewed as the beacon of innovation and a cradle of artistic creation is dependent upon an educational network. A network where its K-12 public school district, its community college with its various satellite campuses and its multiple 4-year public and private colleges and universities work to establish a seamless network of educational opportunities. The opportunities must be grounded in high academic standards, open access and affordability.

However, this path we call the future, begins with a high performing K-12 public school system, that embraces innovation, provides transparency, and builds parent and community trust through sound fiscal management, all with the goal to creating an educational environment envied by others and desired by all.

Prince George’s County Public Schools have many, if not most of the ingredients to become one of the best school districts in the nation. The system has some of the most qualified teachers in the state of Maryland, hundreds of the most experienced school based and central office administrators in the nation, and there are thousands of top ranked students sitting in classes across the County. The would be scholars are meeting the demands to challenge themselves academically and they are demanding more of their teachers. When you aligned these strengths with the most engaged group of parents and community stakeholders in the state of Maryland, you have the foundation to move the academic needle beyond a mere smidgen.

Now it is time to match all our strengths with educational leaders who desire only the best for our children, our families, our communities and our county.

The White House

President and First Lady, Vice President and Dr. Biden, Cabinet Secretaries, Senior Administration Officials to Honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

WASHINGTON, DC – In celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and in honor of Dr. King’s life and legacy, the President and the First Lady, the Vice President and Dr. Biden, Cabinet Secretaries, and senior Administration officials will participate in memorial events and community service projects in the Washington, D.C. area, Atlanta, Georgia and elsewhere.

Led by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the King Center, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is an opportunity for all Americans to come together to help meet the needs of their communities and make an ongoing commitment to service throughout the year. This year’s Day of Service will include thousands of projects in all corners of the country.

“Martin Luther King, Jr. lived his life for others, dedicating his work to ensuring equal opportunity, freedom, and justice for all,” said President Obama. “I encourage every American to observe this holiday in honor of Dr. King’s selfless legacy by volunteering in their own communities and by dedicating time each day to bettering the lives of those around us.”

For more on the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service, please visit the Corporation for National and Community Service at www.mlkday.gov .

Please see below for a list of Cabinet Secretaries and Administration officials who will be participating in memorial and community service events in the Washington, D.C., area, Atlanta, Georgia and elsewhere. Any inquiries on the below events should be directed to the corresponding agency or office.

• The President and First Lady will participate in a service project in Washington, D.C. Further details are forthcoming.
• The Vice President and Dr. Biden will participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service in Wilmington, DE. Further details are forthcoming.
• On January 13, Secretary Robert Gates attended the Department of Defense’s National Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observance Program in the Pentagon Auditorium in Arlington, Virginia.
• On January 15, Attorney General Eric Holder will deliver remarks at the Shiloh Baptist Church annual Martin Luther King Jr. prayer breakfast in Washington, D.C. On January 16, he will deliver remarks at the Ebenezer Baptist Church worship service in Atlanta, Georgia.
• On January 13, Secretary Ken Salazar, District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton visited the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial to view progress underway at the worksite. The memorial, which is currently under construction, is expected to be completed in 2011. Secretary Salazar was joined by Harry E. Johnson Sr., President of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation on the walking tour.
• On January 13, Secretary Tom Vilsack will attend a celebration in the Jefferson Auditorium located at the Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. from 10 to 11 a.m. The ceremony will feature Reverend Leroy Gilbert of Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, located in Washington D.C., as the keynote speaker.
• On January 18, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will speak at the opening convocation of the Howard School of Divinity. Her remarks will focus on the Affordable Care Act as a victory for civil rights.
• On January 17, Secretary Arne Duncan will keynote at a breakfast with Reverend Al Sharpton and the National Action Network in the morning and will participate in a service project with City Year at Kramer Middle School, 1700 Q Street, SE, DC in the afternoon.
• On January 17, Secretary Ray LaHood and White House Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes will join Department of Transportation employees and other volunteers for Martin Luther King Day of Service events at Ballou Senior High School. As part of President and First Lady’s continued call to engage in community service, Secretary LaHood, Director Barnes and students from Ballou Senior High School and George Washington University will paint murals, cover up graffiti, clean up around the school and assist in other projects that will enhance the learning environment for students.
• On January 18, Secretary Steven Chu will host a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration in the auditorium at the Department of Energy. Dr. Clayborne Carson, a professor at Stanford University who has devoted his life to the study of Dr. King and his teachings, will be the keynote speaker. Students from McKinley Technology High school will be in attendance.
• On January 17, Secretary Eric Shinseki will serve meals at So Others Might Eat (S.O.M.E.) in Washington, D.C.
• On January 17, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson will attend a breakfast with Reverend Al Sharpton, followed by a Kid Power Inc. Citizen Farm Community Service Event at Tubman Elementary School in Washington, D.C.
• On January 18, Ambassador Ron Kirk will deliver remarks at a Martin Luther King Jr. reception at the World Bank.
• On January 17, Office of Management and Budget Director Jack Lew will participate in a City Year New York service event at Intermediate School 292 and join over 1,700 volunteers taking part in City Year New York/AmeriCorps activities in Brooklyn and across New York City.
• On January 9, Surgeon General Regina Benjamin delivered the keynote address at the 29th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration at the Johns-Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.
• On January 17, Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams and Deputy Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet will prepare and serve dinners at Miriam’s Kitchen in Washington, D.C.
• On January 14, at 10am, the Peace Corps will host the Duke Ellington High School Show Choir to honor the memory and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
• On January 14, GSA Administrator Martha Johnson will participate in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Building Rededication in Atlanta, Georgia. GSA Rep. John Lewis will keynote the event.
• On January 12, the CIA held a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration where Director Leon Panetta made an address. The event also featured poet and activist Nikki Giovanni and a performance by the US Air Force Band Brass Quintet.
• On January 17, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah will prepare, serve, and share in a community meal with over 60 guests who are experiencing homelessness and hunger with the Youth Service Opportunities Project at the Church of Epiphany, 1317 G St NW, Washington, DC.
• On January 17, Corporation for National and Community Service CEO Patrick Corvington will speak at the 18th Annual Hands On Atlanta Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Service Summit, an event which will include a service project to package up to 10,000 food boxes for hungry Georgians as well as learning sessions on important community issues.
• On January 14, CEO Corvington headlined a national conference call and roundtable with African American media hosted by White House Media Affairs. The Corporation for National and Community Service will also promote many MLK Day initiatives including Drum Majors for Service, the “MLK Day 25 Challenge: What are You Doing for Others in 2011” initiative, and MLK Day Ambassadors.
• On January 17, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) will perform a home maintenance project for a “Gold Star” family – those who have lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan. Director Gil Kerlikowkse and other ONDCP staff will do a variety of projects, including painting, light plumbing work and light carpentry, at the homes of several Maryland Gold Star families. ONDCP is also conducting a staff diaper drive and will deliver all contributions to a diaper bank to be distributed to needy families.
• On January 17, White House Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes will join hundreds of George Washington University Students to participate in school beautification projects at five D.C. public schools. Barnes will deliver remarks on Dr. King’s legacy and the importance of service as a solution to our nation’s toughest challenges.

Bullying, Harassment and Intimidation

If you saw the recent footage of a father storming a school bus to confront students he claims have been bullying his daughter then you have been made aware of just one of the many horrifying aspects of bullying.As I have written in the past, the act of bullying is no longer confined to the gravel filled play grounds and hallways of school houses.

The act of bullying has moved into cyber space or in another more popular term, it has gone viral. What are parents to do? Where can they turn for support when their children are being bullied? These questions and thousands more like them have parents and families struggling to find ways to protect their children from students who prey on them daily.

The action of that irate father is extreme and undoubtedly represents a fringe form of parent behavior. However, whatever it represented, his behavior captured and displayed a level of anxiety many parents feel as it relates to their children being bullied, harassed and intimidated. When one speaks with parents of children who have been subjected to bullying, it is apparent many families are more than upset they are frighten.

Parents I have spoken with have asked why their children are are not protected on playgrounds, school houses and buses, especially when there is adult supervision. My response is simply, I have no idea how excessive and dangerous forms of bullying can take place during adult supervision, as later revealed in a video taped released about the father’s daughter. The video clip shows students throwing items at the young lady. It was reported that one item was a condom. It has been alleged that several of the young men on the bus were seen placing the condom on her head, while others pulled her ears.

These unspeakable forms of mistreatment (bullying) were occurring on the bus in the presence of a paid school bus driver. I doubt the driver reported the behavior to school officials. If this is the case and perhaps the norm, I plainly see why parents are frighten.

During my research on bullying, harassment and intimidation in the state Maryland, I came across some startling data. According to the Maryland’s Model Policy To Address Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation released in 2009, the number of student suspensions/expulsions in 2007-2008 were 118,834. A look at the number shows that nearly 4,000 of those suspensions/expulsions were for bullying, harassment or intimidation of students.

The report also posited that more than 24 percent of Maryland school districts reported that bullying was a daily or weekly problem. A higher percentage of middle schools reported daily or weekly occurrences of student bullying and student sexual harassment of other students.What can parents of bullying victims do and what should they know? First, it is important that parents of Prince George's County Public Schools understand the definition of bullying, harassment, and intimidation are anti-social behaviors that are conducted with the intent to cause harm and are characterized by an imbalance of power.

Bullying, harassment, and intimidation is intentional conduct, including verbal, physical, or written conduct, or an intentional electronic communication, that creates a hostile educational environment by substantially interfering with a student’s educational benefits, opportunities, or performance, or with a student’s physical or psychological well-being and is motivated by an actual or a perceived personal characteristic including race, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ancestry, physical attributes, socio-economic status, familial status, or physical or mental ability or disability or is threatening or seriously intimidating; and, occurs on school property, at a school activity or event, or on a school bus; or, substantially disrupts the orderly operation of a school. Who should a parent contact regarding as bullying?

The Plight of Youth and Single Women

Written by
Michael A. Robinson

Recent studies revealed startling facts regarding the plight of youth and single women as heads of households in America: a) an estimated 5.4 million youths, ages 16-24, are not in school or the workforce, b) in 2002, the national graduation rate was 68 percent, c) about one-third of high school students fail to graduate or to meet the basic requirements for entry-level jobs, d) almost half of the children living in female- headed households live below the poverty line, e) more than one-fourth of families headed by women with less than a high school diploma live in poverty, f) there are 34,380 single-female-headed households in Baltimore with young children, and approximately one-third of them earn less than $10,000, which is below the poverty line.

More recent data has shown that women with a high school diploma, but no college earned $459 per week in 2002, compared with $809 for those with a college degree. Over a life time high school graduates earn an average of $1.2 million; associate's degree holders earn about $1.6 million; and bachelor's degree holders earn about $2.1 million. The facts are simple, more education leads to a better standard of living for the women and their children. Below are some additional facts associated to level of education of female, particularly African American females.