Youngstown students’ home life is a factor in how they perform

There’s a competent, knowledge- able commission that’s overseeing the academic recovery of the long-troubled Youngstown City School District.

Likewise, there’s a competent, knowledgeable superintendent who has been working tirelessly to change the disastrous course the urban system has been on for many years.

Finally, there’s a state official who is directly involved in the effort to save the Youngstown district because the governor has asked him to and because he has had an up-close look at what’s going on.

In other words, the state-mandated Youngs-town City School District Academic Distress Commission, Superintendent Dr. Connie Hathorn and Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction Richard Ross are finally on the same page with regard to the district’s academic plan. That’s why we strongly reject the position taken by the Youngstown Chapter of the NAACP with regard to the leadership of the system.

Last week, George Freeman Jr., president of the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, held a news conference to demand the ouster of Hathorn and Assistant Superintendent for Academic Affairs Doug Hiscox because of the lack on progress on the state report card. Freeman and his organization are undoubtedly well-intentioned, but the last thing the district needs at this time is upheaval, which is what will occur if Hathorn and Hiscox leave.

PLAN AT LAST IN PLACE

We have consistently demanded an aggressive plan of action to pull the district out of its academic tailspin. It has taken a while, much to our chagrin, but there is now a recovery plan in place that has been developed by the commission, in conjunction with Hathorn, Hiscox and the board of education, and approved by the State Department of Education.

Republican Gov. John Kasich, who has taken a personal interest in the Youngstown school district, has been briefed by Ross on the recovery plan and also how the commission is handling its statutory duties.

During a meeting with Vindicator editors and writers several months ago, Kasich made it clear that failure was no longer an option for the Youngstown schools. He has asked state Rep. Sean O’Brien, D-Bazetta Township, to form a coalition of business and community leaders to discuss the future of the district against the backdrop of what was done in Cleveland, where the system has been redesigned from top to bottom.

The governor is not prepared to dictate, but he did point out several major issues that must be addressed.

At the top of the list is the well-being of the students, most of whom are at the bottom of the socio-economic strata.

The governor voiced concern about how the home lives of the students are affecting their academic performance. It’s a concern that is justified given that many city households meet the federal poverty designation.

We have long called for a list of at-risk children so steps can be taken to address the problems in their homes.

ROLE FOR NAACP

The Youngstown Chapter of the NAACP would be the ideal organization to lead this effort. The dysfunctional home life of many black children is a major contributor to the school system’s academic failure.

We urge Freeman to rally his members to this singularly important task of not only identifying the students who are in harm’s way, but of coming up with solutions to the absence of the kind of family life that has been shown to facilitate learning.

The governor has said he wants all facets of the district addressed by the community. The NAACP has an important role to play.

Meanwhile, the distress commission, the superintendent, assistant superintendent and state officials should move aggressively to implement the academic plan.

Residents are losing patience.