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Public School Insights recently caught up with Hugh Price, former President of the National Urban League and current chair of ASCD's Whole Child Initiative. In an expansive telephone interview, Price told us about his new book, Mobilizing the Community to Help Students Succeed, which describes how educators and communities can work together to improve student motivation in school, celebrate academic success, and foster stronger student achievement.

Price begins both the book and the interview with the story of Cedric, a high achieving high school student in Washington, DC who chose to hide in a Chemistry classroom rather than publicly accept academic honors--and publicly suffer the scorn of his peers--during a school assembly. Price describes how Cedric's story galvanized his efforts at the Urban League to turn top achievers into "contemporary heroes," celebrate even the more modest achievements of students who pass state tests and earn "B's" in school, and deepen communities' commitment to academic success.

He goes on to provide concrete advice on reaching out to community partners, sustaining programs that recognize student achievement, spreading the word about student success, and igniting students' enthusiasm for learning.

Listen to five minutes of highlights from the interview (or read the transcript of those highlights below):

Or hear the following interview segments on specific topics: 

• Turning High-Achieving Kids into "Contemporary Heroes" (2:05)
• Why do Students Tune Out? (1:23)
• Accomplishments of the Campaign for African American Achievement (2:02)
• Giving all Students Academic Rites of Passage (2:11)
• Penetrating the Community (2:24)
• The Power of "Constructive Community Organizing" (3:02)
• Advice to Districts: How to get Started (3:17)
• Final Thoughts: "There is No Down Side" (0:58)

Highlights

PUBLIC SCHOOL INSIGHTS:  You begin your book with the story of Cedric Jennings, who was a high school student in Washington, D.C., about a decade ago.  Tell me about Jennings and why you begin the book with him.

PRICE:  He was a young man who was actually doing well in school but who was so intimidated by his peers that he would not come to the awards assembly to get his recognition.  Instead, he hid out in the chemistry room.  We just cannot have that. 

I had just been selected to become president and CEO of the National Urban League.  I decided that what the Urban League could contribute best would be to begin to try to mobilize communities to spread the gospel of achievement - to encourage children to achieve.  We decided to mount the Campaign for African-American Achievement.  This book, "Mobilizing the Community to Help Students Succeed," draws many lessons from that achievement campaign. 

PUBLIC SCHOOL INSIGHTS:  Can you describe briefly some of the major accomplishments of the campaign?

PRICE:  What we did was set out to mobilize the community to recognize children.  So, for example, we had events in schools and block parties and street festivals to recognize youngsters for doing the right thing.  Our urban leagues in Florida had gotten together with the Florida Education Fund to create what was then called the McKnight Achiever Society, which is a community-based honor society for youngsters who earn B averages or better in school.  We were so taken by that idea that we took it national, and it became the National Achievers Society.  I recall, a number of years ago, the urban league in San Diego inducted some 350 African-American youngsters [into the society]. 

There are a lot of events like that we stage where we know that none of [the students] hid in the chemistry room when it came time to be recognized.  The youngsters wanted to be recognized.  They wanted to strive to do better in school.  And surveys that we conducted confirmed that.

PUBLIC SCHOOL INSIGHTS:  Would you give any credence to the argument some might make that we cheapen praise if we spread it too thin?

PRICE:  Absolutely not.  I think praise has to have a basis of credibility, but doing well is not just a matter of being the valedictorian, not just a matter of getting an A average.  It's doing well in school, accomplishing, earning C-pluses, B's, B-pluses, A's.  Keep climbing that ladder, but you want to reach out and recognize the children who are on the first rung of the ladder and encourage them to keep climbing.

PUBLIC SCHOOL INSIGHTS:  And on that point, you describe what you call "rites of passage" that are important in the lives of youth and that can get them more motivated and turned on to achievement.  I was wondering if you could speak a little bit more about that.

PRICE:  In many communities there are rites of passage.  Obviously the Jewish community has the bat mitzvah, which is a very big deal in the lives of young people.  I think we need more of that.  I think that our induction ceremonies for the National Achievers Society are rites of passage.  I think points of recognition for accomplishments well done - accomplishments valued by society - transmit a signal to young people that, "You're ready to move forward into the next level of accomplishment and achievement," and that's critically important.

PUBLIC SCHOOL INSIGHTS:  How do you think we can ensure that these strong messages about academic achievement that can be signaled by these big events or rites of passage can actually penetrate the cultures, communities, and schools where children grow up, long-term?

PRICE:  I believe that educators, school board members, superintendents, et cetera, should reach out to the community and say, "We have a major challenge in front of us.  The educators and the schools cannot do this alone.  We need you as active and full partners to engage with us in establishing and sustaining these kinds of rites of passage."

Secondly, I think that what would be exciting is if they would then put together an agenda of activities.  You don't want to just do one thing here, once a year.  You want to do something in September, something in October, something in December, something in January, something in March, to sustain the momentum, to keep banging the drum on behalf of achievement.

I think if communities will do that, in partnership with educators and school systems, and engage youngsters throughout the year, and do that year after year after year, [they] begin to transmit very clearly to the children that if you do well in school you are a hero.

The school districts that have been involved [in this type of activity] have stayed with it.  For example, when you look at the Black Scholars Recognition Event in Westchester County...They've been doing that for 20-some-odd years.  So I think that educators will see the payoff.  They do have to be engaged for the long haul.

The main point I would make is that these activities are not rocket science.  They are fun.  They are conceptually uncomplicated.  They take effort, but there's nothing but up-side and there's virtually no down-side.