Putting a Spark in Education
April 18, 2013鈥擜lumna Joanna Belcher (C鈥�03) wants every child to get the education they deserve. For her, that means creating a school with dedicated teachers at every grade level.
Belcher is the founder and principal of , Newark鈥檚 first KIPP elementary school. KIPP () is a national network of charter schools. Belcher found her passion for education as a student at Georgetown. 鈥淚 worked at a school in Southeast DC for four years,鈥� she said. She was startled when she compared the pre-college experiences of DC students with her new Georgetown classmates. 鈥淪tudents were prepared for two different life tracks,鈥� she continued.
After graduation, she joined Teach for America and taught in San Jose, California. 鈥淎t my school in California, there were a lot of strong teachers,鈥� she said. In her first years of teaching, she discovered that a student鈥檚 success was primarily 鈥渄ependent on the expectations [a] teacher sets for you,鈥� she explained. 鈥淲hat you would see at the end of the year had nothing to do with how kids entered, and everything to do with what happened inside [the classroom].鈥�
For educators, difficulty arises in maintaining that positive effect over years. 鈥淭here鈥檚 research that shows that three strong teachers in a row will close the achievement gap for our students of color and in low-income communities,鈥� she said. In San Jose, Belcher saw success in isolated classrooms, but when she transferred to an elementary school in the Compton neighborhood of Los Angeles she saw success on a larger scale.
鈥淓very child was accountable to high expectations, and every teacher in the school was on the same page,鈥� she continued. 鈥淭he impact it had on the kids and the community was tremendous. Our [students] were prepared to get into any competitive middle school or high school. [But] in Compton, we had our kids going into a failing middle school.鈥�
As an educator, Belcher鈥檚 focus has been on creating better schools, rather than criticizing societal elements outside of her control. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy for us to blame the community and blame the parents, but we鈥檙e not fixing the problem,鈥� she explained. She also feels empathy for those parents who are involved but have a choice between 鈥渢his failing school or that failing school.鈥�
鈥淭hose factors are not the cause of our children鈥檚 success. They definitely contribute, of course. But the quality of the school, which is something we do have control over, is key,鈥� she said.
Belcher鈥檚 desire to offer students, strong teachers, at every grade level led her to KIPP, which started as a middle school program and now includes elementary and high schools. 鈥淜IPP鈥檚 whole vision is around college completion and character. We tell our kids, 鈥楪oing to college is important, but being an active community agent is just as important,鈥欌�� she explained.
Belcher acknowledges that all of her students may not want to go to college, but she wants students to be prepared if they choose to pursue a college degree. As children fall behind from inadequate schools or teaching, their paths can be decided. 鈥淩ight now we are making that choice for kids in schools across the country, and that鈥檚 not okay,鈥� she continued. 鈥淲e have schools that are perpetuating the inequities that already exist.鈥�
At the beginning of her career, Belcher was committed to the traditional public school model. 鈥淐oming to a charter school was a big challenge for me,鈥� she explained. Her school, SPARK Academy, is housed in the same building as a Newark district school, which highlights the differences between the two systems. 鈥淚 work very closely with two principals at two district schools. Our kids are facing the same challenges, but we have a completely different level of flexibility and autonomy to deal with those challenges,鈥� she said.
Unlike a public school principal, Belcher has more freedom in her budgeting and staffing decisions. She can also use whatever curriculum she feels is best for her students. However, Belcher believes that charter schools must work with public schools. 鈥淟ooking at our city as a whole, we鈥檙e not a part of Newark Public Schools (NPS), but it鈥檚 my responsibility to work with NPS and to learn from them.
鈥淲e need to have high-quality district and charter options. We need to make sure every kid has the ability to attend a good school.鈥�
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