Gary, Indiana, is a place of historical and personal pride for me.
I grew up in a small town in Ohio and attended college in southwest Indiana, but like many other African-American kids of the 1960s, our “first” anything, regardless of where it occurred, was more than significant — it was earth-shattering.
It was even more so in 1967, when Richard Hatcher was elected mayor of Gary, Carl Stokes was elected mayor of Cleveland, and Walter Washington became mayor of Washington, D.C. In one year, three major U.S. cities had African-American mayors. So at 7 years old, I began following the careers of African-American mayors the way that many kids my age were following their favorite sports team.
Gary was viewed by many of us, who came of age in the ’60s, as a model city. As a pioneering urban community, from both a social and industrial standpoint, Gary had also produced a long list of outstanding citizens. Indeed, when I met Carlton Long (during my sophomore year at DePauw University) and discovered he was a graduate of Gary’s Wirt High School, I was automatically impressed — just because he was from Gary. Later, when Carlton became a Rhodes Scholar I thought — “of course, he’s from Gary!”
Gary has a capable, committed and passionate school corporation leader in Dr. Cheryl Pruitt, and as a result of her leadership, Gary is still producing amazing students, like Carlton. Yet, Gary’s economic and scholastic challenges are real: declining student population, deteriorating school facilities and failing schools are among the obvious.
As the owner, president and chief executive officer of EdisonLearning, the largest minority-owned, for-profit education services company in the country, I feel duty-bound to help Dr. Pruitt find and implement the right solutions for our students in Gary.
Any speculation that EdisonLearning would walk away from the difficult task of improving educational opportunities in Gary can only come from not knowing who we are as an organization, and not knowing who I am — as an African-American man. Yes, it is personal, but what happens to the students in Gary must be personal for each of us.
We applaud Dr. Pruitt’s commitment to find and implement effective solutions for the entire school district and her decision to resist fragmented plans, which she believes could create pockets of scholastic inequality.
EdisonLearning’s fight against educational disparity is consistent with Dr. Pruitt’s vision for Gary Community School Corp. Too often the quality of the educational opportunities for our students is the result of their ZIP code rather than their abilities or even their efforts. This is why EdisonLearning will continue to meet its commitments at Theodore Roosevelt College and Career Academy despite incurring now millions of dollars in financial losses.
Turning around failing schools and failing school districts is hard work. EdisonLearning has historically served the most challenging urban schools and districts in our country — a fact that will never change. We have not always succeeded, but, unlike others in our industry, EdisonLearning will not shy away from these tough jobs — we will embrace them.
Thom Jackson, is president and chief executive officer of EdisonLearning, the largest minority-owned education services company in the United States.
