NPR looks at A Charter School’s Unconventional Success:
Five years ago, the American Indian Charter High School in Oakland, Calif. was about to be closed down because of poor attendance and rock-bottom academic scores.
But then Ben Chavis joined the school as principal — bringing his controversial political philosophy and unconventional curriculum with him — and now the school has the highest academic scores in the city and a nearly 100 percent attendance rate.
The on-line blurb doesn’t spell out Chavis’s controversial philosophy, but the interview brings out some evocative soundbites.
Of white liberals, Chavis says, “They have no standards for minorities,” and mocks their condescending teaching methods: “Let’s understand their learning style.” Then he goes one step further: “They wiped out many more people than the Klan has.”
He’s not afraid to praise or shame students, asking a student “How are you making the black population look good?” and warning another, “Do you know what people are going to call you when you get older? They’re going to call you a lazy Mexican.”
Yeah, unconventional.
You can read more about Chavis’s middle school in Hard Line, Top School.