Help a School In Need!

When I was applying to Teach For America, the thing that struck me the most was the educational inequity for low-income areas. Free public education is not, it turns out, does not ensure equal opportunities for all. Only 1 in 10 students growing up in poverty will graduate college, and half do not graduate high school by age 18.

And then there is the school itself. This is most tangible manifestation of educational inequity. How are children supposed to learn the skills they need when the roof leaks, the water is not drinkable, and there is no place to eat lunch?

This is the question my friend Mary Michalow is facing. An excellent journalist, she is now working to become an excellent teacher, seeking a Master's in Elementary Education from the University of Pennsylvania. She is student teaching at Blankenburg Elementary School at Philadelphia, where the situation is dire. So she is reaching out through Kohl's Cares to try to win $500,000 for her school. Below is the description on Facebook:

Imagine going to school in a building where you'll get lead poisoning if you drink water out of the bathroom sinks. The hallways flood with an inch of standing water when it rains, making them impassable. The cafeteria is in a trailer outside because the school building doesn't have one. There is no playground to play on for recess.

For students at Blankenburg Elementary School in Philadelphia, this is a reality.

I'm student teaching at Blankenburg this fall, and I'm heartbroken that students have to learn in an environment like this. So please, vote for Blankenburg on Kohl's Cares. Vote 5 times. And get your friends to vote. And their friends. The more people, the better. Our school is already at a disadvantage because most of the students don't have computers at home to vote, so your votes are even more important. The school could get $500,000 to spend on improvements.

To you it's 5 mouse clicks, to these kids it could mean a roof that doesn't leak and flood the school.

Vote here (5 times!): http://apps.facebook.com/KohlsCares/school/789851/blankenburg-rudolph-sch?src=SchoolShare&_fb_fromhash=30f7df30684bbc7b1f866186a79a591c&ref=mf

I encourage everyone to join the group and cast five votes for Blankenburg. Send this link to your friends! It just takes a few moments and could have a lasting impact in educating children in need.