Recently, Baltimore Mayor Martin O?Malley and Gov. Robert Ehrlich traded barbs over what should be the minimum passing grade in Baltimore City schools, 70 or 60. It?s now 60. Big deal. The school system and the two gubernatorial candidates have much bigger issues to debate.
One of those must be how to better serve some of our most at-risk students: Foster children.
Few groups are more at-risk than the 7,000-plus foster children in Baltimore City. Studies show foster children are more likely to repeat a grade and to drop out than their peers. They also score lower on standardized tests and skip school more frequently than other students.
As adults, foster children are more likely than the general population to be incarcerated or dependent on state services. And studies show between 25 and 33 percent of youth in foster care become homeless after leaving the system.
It shouldn?t be a surprise that foster children fall behind in school. They would not enter the system without having an unstable home. Adding to their problems is the transient life within the child welfare system. Children who end up in long-term foster care move homes and schools, disrupting learning and relationships.
So how can we address these problems and provide foster children with better educational opportunities?
Derrick Nixon has an answer. A former Baltimore City special police officer and foster care group home counselor, Mr. Nixon wants to start a new school to provide foster and other at-risk youth a quality learning environment that develops the stability and community so often lacking in their home life.
Mr. Nixon is applying to the Baltimore City School Board to receive a charter for the Youth Barriers Removed Institute. Education expert Iris Metts, former superintendent of Prince George?s County public schools, helped to develop the business plan to ensure the school implements a rigorous curriculum and sound management practices.
More than a dozen charter schools have opened in Maryland since 2003.
We the people can show the School Board that Youth Barriers Removed deserves to be in the next round of charters by calling 410-396-8700 to register our support.
Let?s ensure that some of the most vulnerable amongst us receive the education they need to find good jobs and to contribute to society as adults.
