High expectations

It is no secret that inner city schools struggle to meet the bar of academic achievement.  Know one has the perfect plan but the key is to have a plan.  APS has some of the most talented and dedicated teachers that you will ever find.  That is why I am encouraged that Atlanta Public Schools will produce more Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s and Ceasar Mitchell's in the future.

I am fortunate to have my organization L.E.A.D. to be a partner with the Atlanta Public School System through the Atlanta Partners for Education program. This allows me to be a part of the solution.

Within L.E.A.D., we meet our middle and high school male students where they are.  We are dealing with at risk male students but our expectations are extremely high for them.  We offer year round baseball programs with a methodology that helps everyone stay on track towards graduating from high school and enrolling into college.  We realize and accept that it takes a village to raise a child.

Some students have risk factors that are more serious than others and we are sensitive to that but every student has the potential to be great and it is my responsibility to set the bar high for every young man in my organization.  If a young man falls, it is also my responsibility to pick him up but push him forward.

One of the pillars of excellence in L.E.A.D. is exposure.  I truly feel that a young man is less likely to fail if he is exposed to a high level of success on a continuous basis.   High expectations has graduated 100% of our L.E.A.D. Ambassadors from high school and they all enrolled in college.   High expectations within APS produced Dr. Martin Luther King from Booker T. Washington High School  and Ceasar Mitchell from Benjamin Elijah Mays High School.

I am honored to be a part of the solution and I encourage you to do the same by joining our L.E.A.D. Tailgate Club at www.Lead2Legacy.org.

If not me, who?  If not now, when?  High expectations is more than a buzz phrase for me.  The bar will continue to be raised high by L.E.A.D. within APS.