Our School Community Received One Of The 2017 Escalante–Gradillas Prize For Best In Education

I was recently honored to receive an award, the prestigious Escalante-Gradillas award, that represented an opportunity to celebrate the work of our entire school community. Here is an excerpt from Dan Edelen’s article where he described the three winning school communities, including Mastery Charter-Shoemaker Campus.

Great teachers and school leaders change the lives of young people. You may even have your own story of an educator who changed your life for the better.

Escalante–Gradillas Prize for Best in Education

My blessing is being the one who awards trophies and cash prizes to the men and women who exemplify that same spirit of educational excellence found in teacher Escalante and principal Gradillas.

During a whirlwind week of December 4–8, I visited Tampa, Philadelphia, and El Paso to present this year’s winners with their winnings and to witness firsthand the difference they are making in the lives of the next generation.

“I enjoy being a principal in the neighborhood and school I grew up in. All that has deep meaning,” says principal Sharif El-Mekki. But the former Shoemaker Junior High School, whose halls he once roamed as a student, have blossomed under the ten-year leadership of this visionary educator, who has helped transform it into something much greater.

It was my pleasure to witness in a few hours on an overcast Philadelphia day just how a dedicated principal and his team of educators can bring hope into a community looking for the light. Students prepared for job interviews that morning. Ninth graders got a jump on how to master the ACT test. Banners and flags from notable colleges graced the halls and reminded everyone of the goal—and of the past and present success of Mastery Charter School–Shoemaker Campus. Once one of the bottom-dwellers in academic performance, it’s now among the top thirty percent academically in the city—and that despite receiving thirty percent fewer funds than its counterparts.

In speaking of that success, El-Mekki talks of the double-edged sword for an urban charter school that grapples with a ninety percent poverty rate: continuing to raise money to both sustain and grow.

“I can understand when people look at a school as a house on fire, and that needs attention. But just because the fire is out doesn’t mean the house is flourishing and doesn’t need support to continue to rebuild.”

And sometimes, rebuilding involves consideration for what might otherwise go unnoticed. To get his most promising STEM students to their internships at local science and engineering companies, transportation is a roadblock.

“When we talk about the opportunity gap that exists in certain neighborhoods, communities, and the schools that serve them, that’s one of them,” he said. “Someone may be interested in supporting your students, but you have to be able to get them there, whether it’s by a bus that’s hundreds of dollars or even by public transportation. Over the course of a year, that’s an extensive cost. But we don’t want to limit opportunities.”

There is a solution.

El-Mekki finished as our top principal for this year’s Best in Education Prize, reflecting the kind of determination to help students succeed that Henry Gradillas himself showed at an urban Los Angeles high school. For his work, The Best Schools presented El-Mekki with a trophy and a $5,000 check.

“This award allows students who are pushing beyond the school day to be immersed in STEM-related opportunities,” El-Mekki shared.

Shoemaker’s Student Government and other class leaders cheered on their principal. Everyone wanted to be a part of the celebration.

As I was leaving this excellent school and its dedicated principal, El-Mekki added, “Shine the light on what urban education can look like. Share the stories of schools like ours.”

We’ll be happy to.

Our School Community Received One Of The 2017 Escalante–Gradillas Prize For Best In Education

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

The Good Ole Girls Network

The Comfort with Racism’s Intentionality