It is not the getting there, it's "the getting there".

Al,

I have been so busy, hard to find time for the blog. Quick recap-
Last week SRI training at NYU - Really good and I will fill you in even more about it. I am going to take the on-going training to get certified. NYU offers and luckily Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom HS (FLHFHS) has a relationship with NYU to get vouchers for classes, I am really excited.

Earlier this week, I spent two days in Asbury Park with Eunice from Newark to present the Big Picture Design and Distinguishers to folks there. It went really well, in my next post I will show the agenda for the two days and the results.

I have read two books this week, Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic, and Educational Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap by Richard Rothstein and Common Sense School Reform by Frederick Hess. They were assigned by my professor from my Baruch class. Two radically different books that look at the Achievement Gap. Really interesting stuff, that I will write more about later. We have a 5-7 page paper due next week, so I have to write about Achievement Gap anyway.

The real reason for the quick post was from this email that I receive from Rhodesia last week
(I got her permission to post this)

Hello and Good afternoon Lydia and Jeff,

I just wanted to give you an update about my summer. The public health program where I'm currently attending on Friday's afternoon from 1-3 is going great. I am the new member of YAB (Youth Advisory Board) and was lucky to be the public speaker of the first class (somebody punked out !). While spending time with the coordinator, we talked about the internship program and now have one. The program is very interesting and awarding each member with a certificate of completion every week for each topic.

How awesome is that? Tell me regular summer school can get a kid active and engaged in their local community and their own professional growth. This totally stems from her LTI and the work Lydia has done with her. I have a bunch of people in my graduate class that are working on Health Policy and I was thinking how in a couple of years Rhodesia will be one of them. The interesting thing about this for me is that in Frederick Hess' book he talks about how schools need to focus on student achievement above all else and that all the work of adults in the building should be focused on that (sometimes with exceptions he says). Rhodesia got this opportunity because of my relationship with one of the "We are The Bronx" fellows that works at Einstein Hospital. Here is the original email that he sent me.

Dear Colleagues,

The Youth Public Health Institute (YPHI) at the Bronx District Public Health Office (Bx. DPHO), part of the DOHMH, was created to increases the public health knowledge and skills of adolescents. This year our training workshops will cover topics such as leadership, time management, epidemiology, sexual and reproductive health, tobacco control, emergency management, public health research, physical activity, immunization, Geo-knowledge, and basic public health efforts that assure health equity in neighborhoods.

Through the YPHI, the Bx. DPHO aims to fill the void that exists around public health knowledge by providing factual data and information on public health issues affecting NYC and the South Bronx as well as create leadership that will help prevent diseases and promote adolescents health. The trainings workshops are designed to serve as a baseline overview of the knowledge and skills expected of emerging public health professionals.

Furthermore, by providing FREE trainings to adolescents, the YPHI strengthens the leadership competence of future public health professionals. Finally, the YPHI works with individuals and local organizations in the South Bronx to introduce youths to the thriving field of public health.

I don't disagree with Hess that achievement is the most important thing that schools should measure, but there are so many ways to get there.

Great seeing you and Dana at dinner the other night. BG really provided me with so many life-long friendships, I am so grateful. I may hit up Big Bang X next week and present with the Roadtrip Nation guys (If I can get my 5-7 pager done). I'll let you know how it goes.

Best,
Jeff