The nonprofit Children’s Defense Fund’s Freedom School at the Rondo Education Center, 560 Concordia Ave., is hard at work this summer reversing the learning loss so typical of grade school children during the summer and making up for the even greater loss resulting from the school shutdowns and distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The free school, which is open to all students in grades K-8, has a track record of achievement especially for underprivileged children. The students, or “scholars” as they are called, are tested at the beginning and end of the six-week session. Their scores have indicated gains of 12 to 18 months in proficiency in both reading and math, according to the Reverend Dr. Darcel Hill, the school’s executive director.
“This is one of the largest summer school programs,” Hill said. “And its record of attendance and retention of scholars carries over to the regular school year.”
Freedom School traces its beginnings to Freedom Summer, or Mississippi Summer Project, a voter registration drive held in that Southern state in 1964 in the midst of the civil rights movement. Over the past six decades, the school has emphasized literacy, math, leadership development, character building, civic engagement, social action, and college and career readiness. Parental involvement is key to the program’s success.
“Being part of a program like Freedom School pushes me as a Black educator to want to be better and do better,” said Jackson, who is currently working on her doctorate. “Witnessing so many strong people of color in higher positions who strived to close the racial achievement gap inspired me to go back to school.”
Most of the scholars come from households with incomes low enough to qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Their school day begins with breakfast. That is followed by an assembly of all the scholars in the gym for harambee, which means “pull together” in the Swahili language of East Africa. There, the scholars, more than 300 strong, participate in chants and songs at full volume, setting an upbeat mood for the rest of the day.
Each harambee includes a guest speaker who reads from a book he or she has selected. Among the readers this summer are Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, Saint Paul Superintendent Joe Gothard, members of the Saint Paul School Board, state legislators and local parents.
A focus on STEM
The scholars then adjourn to their respective classrooms for academic instruction. Among the subjects this summer are science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The youngest group is learning about heroes in science. The middle grades are studying engineering. The students in grades 6-8 are building robots and being introduced to careers in STEM.
Musical enrichment is part of the curriculum. This may include singing, tap dancing and African drumming and dance. Some of the classrooms are creating music videos with choreography. Practical skills in nutrition, the best ways to lose weight, and hair care and grooming are also taught. The scholars, Hill noted, are often called on by their parents to share their newly acquired knowledge.
Freedom Schools across the country will participate in the National Day of Social Action in late July. This year’s theme for the Rondo scholars is nonviolence. They will be making posters and writing letters to legislators inviting them to come to the school that day. They will also learn about conflict resolution, the importance of voting and how to work for peace and justice.
The Freedom School at Rondo sponsors several field trips during the summer to such places as the Science Museum of Minnesota, the Minnesota Zoo, a Conquer Ninja gym and Trollhaugen in Dresser, Wisconsin, for zip lining and other outdoor recreation.
Many of the scholars who come back to Freedom School year after year go on to college and good careers, according to Hill. One such alum, Talisha Jackson, is currently the assistant principal at Wellstone Elementary School in Saint Paul.
“Being part of a program like Freedom School pushes me as a Black educator to want to be better and do better,” said Jackson, who is currently working on her doctorate. “Witnessing so many strong people of color in higher positions who strived to close the racial achievement gap inspired me to go back to school.”
Mayor Melvin Carter endorses it. “Freedom School is an incredible example of what can be accomplished when the energy, passions and culture that young people bring to the world are leveraged to accelerate learning,” he said.
— Carolyn Walkup
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