The crisis in public education has ominous implications for the future of our way of life. Equally ominous is that the forces on both sides of the battle for the future of education are tragically wrong. The reform initiatives of "No Child Left Behind;" "Race to the Top;" privatization; blaming teachers and their unions; standardized testing; charter schools and vouchers are all recipes for disaster. Equally disastrous are preserving the traditions of public education and excusing schools and teachers because of the challenges of poverty and racial segregation. It is the focus on failure of the part of both sides that is distracting us from the simple truth about the problems in education and that keeps us from a practical solution that will transform education in America. Instead of "Why do kids fail?" The question we should be asking is "Why do some students succeed in our schools and what characteristics do they share in common?" What we discover is that whether they are white, black, rich, poor, live in a thriving or deteriorating neighborhood, or come from an intact or fractured family is that almost every highly performing student has, 1) a parent who holds out high hopes and expectations for him or her and who believes that an education is the ticket to the American dream; and 2) who accepts responsibility as full partners in the educational process with their children's teachers and principals. Each and every one of these parents works hard to instill a powerful motivation to learn in the minds and hearts of their children. The other thing these high performing students share is that they have learned, with little or no help from us, how to progress successfully through the educational process. We must forget about all of the excuses and distractions of poverty and focus our complete attention on two objectives: 1) reinventing the educational process to do a better job of teaching every child how to be successful and, 2) working to engage an ever-increasing percentage of parents as full partners in the educational process. Nothing else matters! Reinventing Education, Hope, and the American Dream: The Challenge for Twenty-First Century America, is focused on putting teachers in a position in which they can teach and students in a position where they can be successful. The book offers 19 specific recommendations to fix the educational process, and 14 specific recommendations to repackage and resell the American dream and to engage American mothers and fathers as full partners in the education of their children. What we will also discover is that, in each of our communities and school districts, we have the power to act on these recommendations. We do not require any one's permission nor do we need an act of Congress or state legislature. All we need, now, is you!
About the Author: This work was inspired by the author's experience, over a period of ten years, as a substitute teacher in the middle- and high school classrooms of Fort Wayne Community Schools. Also contributing was his experience as a juvenile probation officer, during the first nine years of his professional career, and as a manager responsible for the hiring and training of employees for his organizations. The work was also influenced by Mel's experience as a test administrator of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) which is used by the Department of Defense to assess applicants for enlistment eligibility. The ASVAB is also a highly regarded vocational aptitude test and is given in high schools all over the United States. A former Chief Operating Officer of a distribution and inventory management firm, Mel Hawkins served as Court Executive of a unified trial court, manager of a multi-specialty group medical practice, management and leadership consultant, and a small business owner. This experience has given Mr. Hawkins a unique perspective, one that has served him well as an innovator and problem-solver. Educated at Manchester College where he received a BA degree, the author has also earned a Master of Science in Education (Psychology) from the University of Saint Francis and a Master of Public Affairs from Indiana University. Mel resides with his wife in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Mel and Chris have three adult children and two grandchildren. Active in his community, Mr. Hawkins attended Leadership Fort Wayne; has served as president and member of the Board of Managers of Byron Health Center, a 500-bed long term care facility; was a co-founder and board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Wayne; co-founder, board member, and former president of the South Side Business Group of Fort Wayne and Allen County. Mel has also served on the board of the Martin Luther King Montessori School, the Alumni Board of Leadership Fort Wayne, and as co-chair of the legislative committee of the Indiana Correctional Association. In the last seven years Mel has been allocating and ever-increasing portion of his time to writing. An experienced public speaker, Mel looks forward to the opportunity to promote one of his books.