We are in the midst of a distressing and depressing era of public education. The City of Philadelphia does not have the resources necessary to adequately educate it’s public school students.  Public officials, in a desperate attempt to raise money for things like paper, pencils, glue, crayons and rulers, are trying everything short of a “fish fry” and a black light “rent party.”  Mayor Michael Nutter has announced the formation of the Philadelphia Education Supplies Fund to raise cash for the Philadelphia School District.  Also, Interstate General Media, publisher of philly.com, The Inquirer and The Daily News, is teaming up with Global Citizen, the city-based civic engagement organization, to gather the aforementioned school supplies from public donations through Oct. 25.

Consequently, those of us interested in motivating young people to remain focused on academic pursuits are being challenged to think outside the “box.”  The box, after all, is empty.  For the past fifteen years, I have helped some of the finest Philadelphia high school students and student-athletes prepare for, and transition to, college.  Over time, the process has become much more difficult and challenging.  While college admission requirements and NCAA eligibility standards have become more restrictive, resources available to Philadelphia’s students have been drastically cut.  The outcomes of these trends are easy to predict.

Looking toward the future, Pennsylvania has allocated $400 million for the construction of a new prison complex, while the School District of Philadelphia faces a $300 million budget deficit.  As a society, we have decided to prepare for the days when we “catch” the current crop of underserved schoolchildren engaging in delinquent and criminal behaviors.  Sadly, in Philadelphia the path to incarceration is much easier than the path to higher education.

But, what about the kids that want to learn?  What about the students that want comply with rules and exceed expectations?  The mission of the Bright Baller program has always been to “catch” and reward those kids for doing the right thing.  For many of our youth, athletics is a primary motivating factor behind the pursuit of academic goals.  The Bright Baller Program has helped many area kids leverage their athletic prowess and gain access to some of the finest colleges in the country.  I am pleased to announce that Bright Baller has formally partnered with myGZPoints.com and together they will provide:

1) Free full-length practice SAT/ACT exams to participating HS, AAU, Pop Warner, Little League, PAL and other youth serving organizations;

2) Discounts at local and national businesses for students and student-athletes with strong attendance records and good grades;

3) Tickets to local college and professional sporting events for participating organizations;

4) Free NCAA Clearinghouse analysis for student-athletes with potential to play at the NCAA Division 1, Division 2 or NAIA scholarship levels;

The primary objectives of this joint venture are to expose hundreds of Philadelphia area students and student-athletes to the college application and admission processes, educate them about NCAA and NAIA eligibility requirements and help them accurately assess their own individual predicaments.

If students and parents understand the requirements in 6th, 7th and 8th grade, they will be far more likely to meet them in 12th grade.  Indeed, the Bright Baller myGZpoints.com partnership will provide tangible rewards to students who pass all of their classes and attend school on a consistent basis.  The aim is to “catch” and reward young students and student-athletes for doing the right thing.  Positive behaviors will be rewarded early and often.  On far too many occasions, students and parents become aware of the requirements after it’s too late to improve grades and test scores.

This problem will only become worse under current conditions.  Many School District of Philadelphia high schools no longer have guidance counselors, assistant principals, or other critical staff positions.  Pennsylvania’s public officials are preparing for the logical outcome of these deficiencies.  This past summer, the District terminated 3,783 employees or just about 1 out of every 5 people who work daily with our kids.  Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is currently recruiting Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Vocational Teachers, Corrections Barber Instructors and, of course, Corrections Officer Trainees. Clearly, the state is ready to intervene and “catch” young people when they go astray.

But, what about the majority that are trying to achieve academically and make a positive contribution to society?  Who is going to advise college bound students? Who is going to ensure they are taking courses that will lead to NCAA eligibility?

The Bright Baller myGZpoints.com partnership will not be able to help everyone.  However, if HS, AAU and youth organization coaches are willing to participate in the program we will help a lot of students and parents understand what they need to accomplish.

If you have a team, student or student-athlete interested in participating, please contact me via:

Facebook – Delgreco Wilson

Twitter – Delgreco Wilson

LinkedIn – Delgreco Wilson

Email – delgrecowilson@outlook.com

Unfortunately, Philadelphia’s public school students have very little to look forward to this year.  As they return to school this week, they will encounter a radically reconfigured school district.  Over the past few months, 24 schools have been shuttered and 3,000 employees have been laid off.  The consequences of this reconfiguration are significant.  Over 9,000 students will attend a different school than they attended last year.  An astonishing 60% of public schools will not have a guidance counselor on staff.  There have been numerous reports of class sizes reaching into the 40s.  The well-publicized $304 million dollar budget deficit has led to shortages of teachers, support staff and basic necessities like paper.  These are truly dark educational times in Philadelphia’s public schools.

Yet, there are beacons of hope shining through the clouds of despair hanging over Philadelphia.  South Philadelphia’s Dion Waiters, entering his second season as a member of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers has tried to lessen the burden on some families and teachers by providing school supplies and book bags for several hundred Philadelphia families.  “Education is the single most important issue in our community, I want to help provide kids with the supplies they need from day one”, said Waiters.  “This year, especially, I want the kids to know that someone is there for them.”

Born and raised in South Philadelphia, Waiters has concentrated his early philanthropic efforts on serving children in his childhood neighborhood.  This summer he supported the Point Breeze Youth Development League and co-sponsored the Dream Chasers Sports & Entertainment Summit.

Waiters, who would be entering his senior year at Syracuse University, has developed a keen sense of responsibility at a young age.  “I love South Philly, it has shaped me into the man I am.  But, I realize there are many things that kids see and hear about that should not be a part of their lives.  Over the years, I’ve lost a lot of friends and people I knew to violence and the criminal justice system.  My God given basketball abilities have allowed me to attend some of the finest schools in the country.  But I never stop thinking about the young people attending public schools in Philadelphia.”

Watching Waiters interact with the children during the Book Bag Giveaway, one senses that he understands the impact his presence has in South Philly.  Upon arriving, he took the time to acknowledge and greet every parent and child individually.  He posed for pictures and patiently autographed the book bags for the adoring children.  Waiters explains, “I understand the predicament these kids find themselves in.  The district has a big deficit.  But, the kids didn’t do anything wrong.  I want to motivate kids to stay in school and study.  There were moments when I didn’t perform at my best as a student.  I was fortunate, there were always adults around me that helped me keep my eyes on the big picture.  I want to help these kids do the same thing.  This is just a start, we plan on impacting education in a big way over the coming years.”

The “Back2School Book Bag Give-a-Way was organized in conjunction with the office of Councilman Kenyatta Johnson and the Point Breeze Youth Development League.  As Waiters prepares for his 2nd NBA season, he looks to improve on his All-rookie performance last year.  Off the court, the young man is already an All-Star.

The coaches have been contacting you for months.  The tweet, texts, direct messages, facebook hits seem endless.  One thing is clear, they want you to come play basketball for them.  They have explained how you fit into their plans and their system.  Now, they are coming to visit you at home and you are taking official visits to their campus.

The coaches have been contacting you for months.  The tweet, texts, direct messages, facebook hits seem endless.  One thing is clear, they want you to come play basketball for them.  They have explained how you fit into their plans and their system.  Now, they are coming to visit you at home and you are taking official visits to their campus.  

They are going to show you the campus, the arena, the locker room, the media room, the weight room, the practice gym, the dormitory, the cafeteria and the pretty girls.  It all feels right.  You are ready to commit.  At this point, you should ask one VERY important question:  Coach, do you graduate your players?

When he gives you a response don’t just take his word for it.  Together with your parents and advisors check the record.  The Academic Progress Rate is a Division I metric developed to track the academic achievement of teams each academic term.  Each student-athlete receiving athletically related financial aid earns one retention point for staying in school and one eligibility point for being academically eligible. A team’s total points are divided by points possible and then multiplied by one thousand to equal the team’s Academic Progress Rate score.

The above chart lists the A10 programs in order, highest average APR to lowest average APR over an 8 year period spanning 2004-2012.  Using this chart, parents and potential recruits can compare the level of academic achievement across A10 programs.  Also, the average APR data for all Division 1 Men’s Basketball Programs is included for comparative purposes.

Within the A10 Conference, only 4 programs, Fordham, Duquesne, Massachusetts and St. Bonaventure have APR averages below the APR average for all Division 1 basketball programs.

This information is very useful to parents and students weighing scholarship offers from multiple universities.  It provides a way of quickly gauging a program’s ability, over time, to retain players and keep them on track to graduate.  The Black Cager will provide this information for all Division 1 Conferences over the next few weeks.

A10 Average APR Rankings  

A graduate of Philadelphia High School for Girl’s, Tracey Stanton-Wilson has maintained a life-long commitment to public education.  Her husband, Darrell Wilson graduated from Lamberton High School in Philadelphia’s Overbrook section.  Her oldest son Kyle, attended Universal Charter for middle school and graduated from Preparatory Charter HS before heading off to college.  Last fall, as she was assessing the options for her then 8th grade son Darrell, Jr. she focused exclusively on public and charter schools.  That is, until she received a phone call.

In February, a family friend called and invited Tracey to attend a “focus group” being conducted at West Catholic HS.  At first, Tracey was hesitant because she assumed that the cost of Catholic HS would be prohibitive.  With her oldest in college and her daughter in a full-day private preschool, educational expenses were already presenting a challenge.  There was no way, she felt, that she could afford the tuition to Catholic HS.  Nonetheless, her friend encouraged her to attend the focus group and let them know that financial considerations were the primary barrier for her family.  After all, the aim of the focus group was to identify issues and concerns Philadelphia’s parents have about Catholic High Schools.  The Faith in the Future Foundation was trying to gain a better understanding of issues faced by parents of school-age children.

During the focus group, Tracey and 14 other parents were provided with information regarding West Catholic High School academic programs and Catholic education in Philadelphia.  They were also asked a series of open-ended questions about their school selection processes.  What were the factors influencing their selection?  Was Catholic education a viable option?  If not, why not?  Tracey was very impressed with responsiveness of moderator, Patti Boyle from the Faith in the Future Foundation as well as the West Catholic HS Director of Admissions, John Jenkins.  So much so that, along with several other parents, Tracey completed an application for admission and financial aid.

However, she remained concerned about the cost.  Could the Faith in the Future Foundation provide enough aid to make attending West Catholic feasible?  Over the next few months, she maintained constant contact with Mr. Jenkins.  When the initial financial aid offer was not sufficient to meet her family’s needs, Tracey was disappointed and she let him know.  Mr. Jenkins was committed to identifying additional sources of financial aid for Tracey.  Through their ongoing dialogue, he came to realize that she was exactly the kind of parent, and that they were the type of family, he wanted to attract to West Catholic.  She was committed and passionate about education.  She was willing to sacrifice financially to ensure her child access to a high quality safe learning environment.

Tracey had a history of “choosing” strong educational placements.  As a student, she “chose” to attend highly competitive Girl’s High.  As a parent, she enrolled her oldest son in Prep Charter, one of the better performing Philadelphia Charter High Schools.  With Darrell, Jr. she was ready to choose Catholic education.  While she remained committed to public education, Tracey was very concerned about some of recent developments within the School District of Philadelphia.

Facing a $300 million structural deficit and still uncertain whether it will get the increased revenue and labor concessions it was seeking, the School District was asking schools to prepare to operate next year with a principal and a bare-bones allotment of teachers – and just about nothing else.  The District sent ended up sending 3,783 layoff notices to assistant principals, teachers, counselors, noontime aides and others. Tracey considered the consequences.  That meant the contractual maximum class size in every classroom, 33 or more students in every classroom.  It meant no dedicated money for guidance counselors, interscholastic sports, extracurricular activities, librarians, art or music.  No money, even, for secretaries.  

After much discussion Tracey and Darrell, Sr. decided they had to make a decision that was in Darrell, Jr. best interest.  As concerned residents of the Grays Ferry community, they remain supporters of efforts of Universal Companies at Vare Middle School and Audenreid High School.  However, if they could negotiate a workable financial arrangement, they would send Darrell, Jr. to West Catholic Preparatory High School.

Tracey and Mr. Jenkins continued to work together and finally they were able to reach a point where monthly tuition payments were manageable.  The Faith in the Future Foundation has pledged to make high-quality Catholic education accessible to all Philadelphia families that want to attend Archdiocese schools.  According to Tracey Wilson, “Mr. Jenkins really worked with me to make this happen for my son.  I couldn’t be happier.”