June 17, 2019
By Jeanne Allen, Founder and CEO of CER

Jeanne Allen speaks at the 2019 Alpha Academy graduation. Far from the busy cities and suburbs most Americans inhabit are communities like Fayetteville, North Carolina a sprawling city among the state’s six-largest, with a rich past that would make any history buff proud. It is there that a revolutionary model for education is preparing future leaders in ways that pay tribute to the city’s pioneering roots.

Fayetteville was named for the French hero who aided the Americans, the Marquis de Lafayette. Fayetteville citizens declared their independence before the Declaration of Independence was signed, and it was there in 1789 that the state ratified the U.S. Constitution. It was economically successful for all the reasons agrarian societies were, and into the 20th century the city and environs grew dramatically post-World War II. Eventually it would house Fort Bragg, one of the army’s largest installations. Its economic success seemed all but assured for generations to come.

Except it wasn’t. The upheaval of the 1960s and vestiges of segregation would continue. Eventually, like so many places, agriculture would no longer sustain the area. Society’s challenges would take a toll on the community and on the schools. Fewer students well-educated meant fewer people working, less business and declining school quality. Split fairly equally between black and white, the city’s average income is less than $45,000. These are not communities in which most people seek to live. Despite its noble history from the time of its founding until more recent years, Fayetteville’s youth are at risk of not moving forward as so many generations of people right there in that city once did.

Thankfully, some people seek revolutionary change for children and families daily. Eugene Slocum, founder of Alpha Academy, his board and his faculty are just such people. They saw the failure of traditional education to restore success and accomplishment to families. So they started a school.

Founded 18 years ago on a shoestring budget, Alpha Academy is well on its way to achieving its vision: “to be one of the most successful schools in the world. Success is measured by our service to the community while helping students graduate, obtain successful careers, and become model citizens of the world.”

Indeed many schools like this are thriving across all public and private sectors. But the distinction for Alpha, in this particular community, is that people wanted to start new schools knowing that failure was the norm.  They needed to succeed quickly to stay in business. That’s not something other public schools have to worry about. Charters must be mindful of success, day in and day out. These goals make them more responsive, more accountable and more committed.

Their ideals are catching on. The Institute is now so filled with students Mr. Slocum has to expand yet again, not with public funds which do not support these alternative public schools, but by borrowing from banks who know Alpha Academy is a safe investment. Like most successful charter schools around the nation, there is a waiting list from towns and cities near and far.

Alpha equips its students for life beyond the schoolroom, in creating programs like the Katherine G. Johnson S.T.E.M. Institute, named for the NASA Pioneer who played a pivotal role in launching America’s space program. Mrs. Johnson, you may recall, was a human computer, able to calculate and correct equations  that would propel humans into space. But to achieve such great heights, Johnson had to endure incredible trials on account of her race and gender, as documented in the 2016 feature film, “Hidden Figures.”

I was struck by the many pictures of Mrs. Johnson’s throughout the halls of the Institute’s corridor when I was there for the graduation ceremony this year. Every day educators explore the depths of the many contributions of scientists like Mrs. Johnson. But at Alpha Academy, students have had the opportunity to meet such an innovator, face-to-face, and it’s made an impression. Several kids have remarked that meeting Mrs. Johnson has been directly inspirational and confidence-building.

This new resolve was evident at Alpha’s recent graduation. As I sat watching and listening to the salutatorian, valedictorian and other graduates, I was so moved by their passion and resolve. After they gave speeches and were awarded scholarships, their families practically knocked down the auditorium with shouts and screams of excitement. And these were just eighth graders! Alpha “graduates” their kindergarteners and fifth graders, too, to show them the importance of moving up, celebrating the fact that they are making it–that graduation is indeed a big deal, worthy of their attention.

So why have some state lawmakers called for a moratorium on charter school growth while the Governor sits idly by? Why has the National Education Association pushed to defund charter schools like Alpha? This is an affront to teachers, who didn’t join the profession for politics any more than Mrs. Johnson joined NASA to make a political statement.

Alpha Academy pushes students beyond the limits of an average scholastic benchmark or a graduation date, netting achievement far beyond the typical North Carolina student and dramatically above the local levels in reading, math and exceptionally so in science. This is especially laudable considering its student body is low income, and predominantly comprised of racial minorities. Yet while Alpha and its leaders have their heads down doing the real work, pundits and politicians in the state and beyond are launching cannon shots intended to malign and undermine their progress.

While the days of North Carolinians rebelling against King George are long gone, the revolutionary concept of specialized neighborhood public schools, tailored to teaching skills today’s world needs, is considered rebellious to traditional education today.

Like the British who shot cannons off the waters of North Carolina to fight American independence, those for whom tradition is more important than principle are firing. But principle won then–and it will win again, as long as people like Eugene Slocum are firing back with cannons of education for all to hear and see. Fitting, for a revolutionary leader from a revolutionary town.Follow Jeanne on Twitter or LinkedIn or some of her other work here. 

Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education.