A Community Garden: Exploring, Sensing and Eating

The weather felt more like a late fall evening. Chilly, seemingly premature snow clouds had formed blotting out and opportunity for the sun's rays to warm the concrete and raise the temperature a few degrees. As I entered the playground sized fenced in area conveniently located adjacent to the school and the actual play ground (I found out later that convenience is key to a successful urban garden) I found the garden club finishing their daily modifications to the garden.

The aggy I was meeting was Chrissa Carlson. She is the master gardener, proprietor, nutritionist and educator for the garden. All the students at Hampstead Hill school take Chrissa's class. The students learn to explore, sense and eat the garden. The garden is being upgraded with a rain harvesting roof and a sitting area. Chrissa provided a lot of insight but two points really stuck out:

1. Think ahead and create a garden that matches the proposed purpose (i.e. Community space, sustainable food, learning center. etc.)
2. To get the most use out of it and make it a success make it as convenient as possible

Chrissa also pointed me CGRN a new annual membership program assisting individuals, community gardens and green spaces throughout the City of Baltimore. http://www.parksandpeople.org/greening/resource-network/ they have a great network of volunteers and resources for urban gardening.

Education the Swedish way

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?story_id=15949738&source=hptextfeature

Recently I read this article about the British attempt to improve their school systems and reduce economic disparity. The article a Swedish law past in 1991 allowed charities, religious organizations, parents and businesses open and run schools and receive the same amount of funding per student as public schools. The results have been positive. However, there are difference between a country like Sweden's school system, federal policy and educational challenges and the United States. First of all the shear size, economic disparity and differences between urban, suburban and rural educational challenges. But there is something that can be said by enterprising education. So far for the last 40 years, I will use inner city youth education as the point of reference because that is what I am closest too, we are still dealing with the same challenges. Education fundamentally is much larger than a school, a curriculum and test scores. There is a foundation that needs to exist in order for this educational infrastructure to make a difference. Could enterprising education to find ways to lay the foundation of child development that supports this education infrastructure that in the end serves as a platform for educational development and creating future productive and innovative citizens. In an article in the city paper (An Education?: Two recent books take hard looks at the current state of America's public schools | Baltimore City Paper), the writer references two writers and their view and description of the challenges and solutions. The writers and their respective works Diane Ravitch's The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education (Basic Books) and Linda Darling-Hammond's The Flat World and Education: How America's Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future (Teachers College Press).

According to the article Diane Ravitch seems to renounce enterprising institutions role in education reform through charter schools even though she initially seemed to be an advocate for. According to the article Ravitch writes in her book that "she changed her mind because what were perhaps good ideas in the abstract simply did not work out in the reality of actual schools, or they produced negative, unintended consequences in the lives of students and their communities" (An Education? By Michael Corbin - City Paper Article 4/7/2010):

Ravitch's title is an ambitious homage to Jane Jacobs' 1961 The Death and Life of Great American Cities--perhaps the most influential book on urban planning of the 20th century. Jacobs criticized planners' hubris, which didn't take into account the human consequences of their social-engineering abstractions, however well-intentioned. Similarly, Ravitch indicts today's education engineers.

The book is a detailed genealogy of where today's education abstractions came from and how they are found wanting in practice. Ravitch looks critically at both New York City and San Diego, which have been incubators of both the "business model" of education reform and wholesale reordering of curriculum and school organization. She traces the history of the idea of school "choice," from its origins in "vouchers" to its contemporary manifestation in "charters." She argues that where charters were once meant to be experiments for the most vulnerable and needy, they have become boutique schools to shield the better off from the vulnerable and needy, undermining both their original idea and the public trust.

Similarly, she writes that the transfer of de facto authority to what she calls the "Billionaire Boys Club" is unprecedented in the history of American public education. With the power given over to the philanthropic patronage of such organizations as Teach for America, New Leaders for New Schools, the New Teacher Project, and Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP)--all of which have a significant presence in Baltimore--she argues that we've left public education to the "whim of entrepreneurs and financiers."

She concludes of testing in the era of "No Child Left Behind," counter to all the "data-driven" reform in Baltimore and across America, that we are fundamentally lost: "When we define what matters in education only by what we can measure, we are in serious trouble. When that happens, we tend to forget that schools are responsible for shaping character, developing sound minds in healthy bodies and forming citizens for our democracy."

Ravitch is prescriptive about forming those better citizens, and in this she is a consistent education "conservative." She argues for a national curriculum that all Americans should know. She wants politicians and businessmen out of education decision making. She wants charter schools to focus on kids who need the most help and for teachers to be paid a fair wage, not "merit pay" based on test scores. She wants school attached to family, community, and nation in a meaningful, inclusive story of what America is all about.

This generates several questions:

• Can free enterprise (charities, religious organizations, businesses, groups of parents)?
• Should education be developed, administered and legislated at national level vs. a local level?
• Are the challenges the US faces the same as a country like Sweden?
• Are the challenges faced in urban, rural and suburban America the same?

If we look at the challenges in our urban school system the answer is we need to try everything because there is no formula that has been successful so finding education innovation through enterprising organizations can not hurt and may actually lead to a solution that works and is sustainable.

Answering the last question helps us answer this question. The US is diverse by geography, by culture and socioeconomically. What works for suburban schools might not work for urban schools and the same for rural schools. The challenges we face are local. The same policy, curriculum and administration to address steady improvements is not the same as what is needed to establish basic cognitive learning. Like the challenges that are unique so should our solutions. Benchmarking and testing are important but the same standardized testing to compare apples and oranges does not seem plausible.

Finally, the US is not like Sweden. We are geographically, culturally and socially different. We have different challenges,in a more diverse setting and income disparity much broader in the US. But we can learn from what they have done and adapt it to meet the challenges we face in the US. For 40 years urban education has suffered and lost ground against education standards. We still have no solution to meet these challenges. Now is the time for drastic changes and why not let enterprising organizations try drastic measures to address these challenges. Change, quantum leaps of improvement and innovation only come from breaking the paradigm, inviting new and diverse perspectives to address the challenges and trying and failing. Now is not the time for incremental improvements. Now is the time for drastic changes, innovation and quantum leaps of improvement. We will only be successful once we open the arena and to paraphrase Theodore Roosevelt in his speech "Citizenship in a Republic" to the Sarbonnes in Paris in 1910, to those who's face will be marred by sweat, dust and blood. The time is now for change, the time is now for innovation, the time is NOW. Together we can develop a future of contributing, productive and innovative citizens.

END

Only in Baltimore

A morning run with the Back On My Feet team at Christopher's Place. Cessation of pavement pounding, commencement of the sun. the naked sky painted with a pantone of orange from the horizon to the zenith, infused with varying sized structures adorned with late 1800s artfully crafted sconces. Breathing equalized and increased muscle elasticity relieved any physiological tension. A rare opportunity to observe Baltimore quiet and at peace. An element that seems so unnatural, devoid of the usual alarming soundtrack. The serenity only lasts for a moment. My route broken by a gray haired lady at the helm of her Ford Escort as she screeched to a halt in the first handicap parking spot. Bass and lyrics permeated the sealed vessel, I could clearly make out the lyrics....My Chick Bad...My Chick Hood....My Chick Do Thing Your Chick Wish She Could....She Slide Down Da Pole Like a Certified Stripper. The serenity now laughter and then an ever ingrained scene that may become a viral story.....if only I had a video camera running 24x7...Only in Baltimore

Impacting the community- Non-profit leadership having an effective board

Returning from Lake Clifton campus the artery home is through the heart and soul of east Baltimore down Patterson ave. The challenges we face as a community are tremendous often seemingly unsurmountable. Toiling with how we, together, organizations, business, community leaders, individuals, politicians work as one to create a new thriving ecosystem for a health and bright future in America's cities.

The sun waned amidst theoretical and conceptual conversation about the challenges we face and how we over come them. The intellectual sounding board, a friend and neighbor, who is the founder CPIE (http://www.cpiedu.org/) of a non-profit organization with the goal of educating our youth about the atrocities committed against peoples because of social, cultural ethnic or religious differences. Through education the goal is to eliminate these atrocities in the future. Currently, Helene works for a non-profit call CLIA (http://www.communitylawinaction.org/ ). CLIA's mission is to inspire and engage young people to be effective problem solvers, critical thinkers and advocates for positive change.

A identified deficiency in the effectiveness of NPOs is the lack of quality strategic leadership. With a meeting scheduled with Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) (http://nfte.com/default.asp) and being a member of the larval entrepreneurship council we are struggling with how to leverage the talented executive team that are members of the board while minimizing their time since they are volunteer yet maximizing their effectiveness and value add to NFTE.

Our discussion was fresh and poignant. The council needs a clear direction and has a few clear next steps to become more effective and harness the excitement and enthusiasm of the board. The three things discussed:

1. Clear Objectives for the board. Based on NFTE Baltimore's goals for this year the board should be expected to achieve some basic objectives in order to have clear and attainable measures and make efforts more focused. These should initially be suggested by NFTE but eventually as NFTE sets goals for 2011 the rotating chair and the eCouncil will set objectives based on the strategic goals.
2. Communicate Appreciation for Board members time. Most board members of the eCouncil are involved because they believe in the organization, its mission and the impact it is having on the youth in Baltimore. It is still a commitment and both the individual and the organization that they are representing would like to know their investment is being appreciated. In the end it is an investment by the organization and many times the only thing they could ask in return is building brand awareness through their involvement. The solution some directed communication to the NFTE business and community network highlight the commitment and appreciation NFTE has for the individuals and organization who are part of the NFTE eCouncil.
3. This last point came from a discussion the pioneers of the Accenture Baltimore community and the Executive Director Jackie Trunce of Back On My Feet (www.backonmyfeet.org) had about other tangible ways people and organizations can get involved in the NPO without directly supporting the cause. The challenge is to come up with a list of tangible ways people can get involved, with less commitment, broader opportunities to use different skill sets in diverse areas of interest. This expands the quantify of individuals who can get involved thus expanding and deepening the relationship with organizations through engagement with their people.

The question is left what else is missing in NPO leadership both at a board level as well as at an executive level?

Hoop houses- The beginning of an Urban Agricultural Revival

Juxtaposed to the its urban surrounding sits the Lake Clifton campus with century old dilapidated buildings, a 70s style high school campus and much under utilized green space. Erect three slightly opaque structures lye in parallel. Greenhouses created by 'Civic Works' (http://www.civicworks.com/) and 'Real Food Farm' (http://www.real-food-farm.org/) with a partnership with the school or as their proprietor Tyler calls them hoophouses. Inside the ambient temperature rises about 15 degrees warmer then the thick foreign particle saturated Baltimore city air outside of the thin plastic film that covers the skeleton of a series of semi circles linked by a spine of overhead irrigation. These greenhouses are experiments for sustainable urban farming, hands on learning and filling the nutritional voids in the surrounding community and the school. The next step 6 acres of agricultural space that will be harvested to serve as an oasis for the city of Baltimore's many food deserts.

The farm is to be economically viable asset for the city and the community. To accomplish this the plan is grow and reap hardy crops that can be sold on a mobile platforms (i.e. a ice truck like vehicle, community markets, etc.) to fill nutritional voids and high-end produce like herbs, heirloom tomatoes and specialty vegetables to be sold to restaurants in order to make the space sustainable and eventually profitable.

Food, nutrition, green space, hands on learning, natural environment are integral pieces of community and sparked my interests in science when I was a child. To observe not only the growth and harvesting of food but to see the ecosystem that exists in concert with the growth of this vegetation and in the earth where the roots find their sustenance we find this thriving ecosystem that is interdependent where each component is critical to the success of the next and too much of one can throw the ecosystem into degradation. Much like the importance of human community each person, organization and component are necessary for the success and growth of the community.