{"id":180,"date":"2011-08-23T15:36:10","date_gmt":"2011-08-23T15:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/uwmnews.chojnacki.us\/?p=180"},"modified":"2015-10-26T20:52:38","modified_gmt":"2015-10-27T01:52:38","slug":"success-is-the-only-option","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/success-is-the-only-option\/","title":{"rendered":"Success is the only option"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"College<\/a>
Getting students to see college in their future is part of Finch\u2019s work. Here he poses with a group attending College for Teens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Darrell Finch is leading an education program that\u2019s achieved a nearly 100 percent high-school graduation rate among young people living in Milwaukee\u2019s Highland Homes public housing.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Darrell<\/a>
Darrell Finch is education specialist for the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, working with families who live in Highland Homes in background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Combining personal experience and a knack for community organizing with what he\u2019s learned in UW-Milwaukee\u2019s Educational Policy and Community Studies program, Finch is an education specialist for the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM), working with nearly 400 children.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Education Initiative he leads for HACM is designed to help parents help their children complete high school and succeed even beyond that achievement.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s working. In 2008 and 2009, 100 percent of the students in the program, who attend a mix of public, charter and voucher schools, graduated from high school. (According to the most recent Milwaukee Public Schools District Report Card, the graduation rate for African American students was 64 percent in 2008-09, although it is trending up). Fifty-five percent of HACM\u2019s Education Initiative grads went on to college in 2009.<\/p>\n

Finch, a 51ÁÔÆæ senior, is a determined and persistent mentor. Eighty-six percent of his Class of 2011 students graduated. Of the three who did not, two attend summer school and the remaining student has joined Job Corps. Not one student in the last five years has dropped out of the program.<\/p>\n

School, sports, life<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
Video by Mary Rinzel<\/div>\n

Darrell Finch describes why his program works, why his work is his passion, and why he returned to 51ÁÔÆæ to better himself and the kids he is determined to see graduate. View full size on YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Before joining the newly formed Education Initiative, Finch was working as a public safety officer for the housing authority. He wanted to reach out to young people before<\/em> they got into trouble, and started a sports program with a bit of education built in. Eventually, the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks and a variety of community groups got involved. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just basketball, it was the skills of living,\u201d says Finch.<\/p>\n

The housing authority launched the Education Initiative in 2005 when old public housing in the area was demolished and replaced with a mix of single-family homes and tidy brick multifamily dwellings, surrounded by green lawns and brightly colored summer flowers.<\/p>\n

\u201cTony Perez [secretary-executive director of HACM] wanted to make sure we were investing in more than homes,\u201d says Finch. HACM officials saw in Finch someone passionate about education and already volunteering to work with young people through the basketball program. \u201cI always tell the kids even volunteer work can pay off,\u201d Finch says with a smile.<\/p>\n

Parent power<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\"Educational<\/a>
Students and families use the computer lab that is part of education facilities at Highland Homes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The program is simple. Residents accepted into Highland Homes public housing must enroll their child (ren) in the program and work with Finch, his staff and case managers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Parents are a key part of the program. Finch asks them to bring their child\u2019s records and schoolwork to the first meeting, and makes sure they have a folder to keep all the papers together for subsequent meetings. \u201cWe develop a plan and set goals and objectives,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Some of these parents are working two jobs or are single parents raising children. Taking the 20-30 minutes to meet with him is a big commitment for them, but is critical to the program\u2019s success. \u201cIt\u2019s not just the work I do; it\u2019s the work the parents are doing with the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Education Initiative offers a variety of programs to support family and school efforts including preschool, after-school help, a summer reading program, social and professional etiquette classes, an annual spelling bee and student recognition awards. Finch also helps families link up with community resources like Community Learning Centers in MPS and precollege programs at 51ÁÔÆæ. If a student\u2019s grades fall, Finch schedules a meeting with the family to see what needs to be done to get the student back on track.<\/p>\n

Making sure the students attend classes is vital. Most schools are working hard to educate these students, says Finch, \u201cbut they can\u2019t succeed if the student doesn\u2019t show up.\u201d The HACM program also focuses on getting the students engaged in their education.<\/p>\n

Motivation in common<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\"Students<\/a>
As part of the Education Initiative, Finch brings students to programs like 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s summer College for Teens. Here students take part in a Spanish class.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Finch is passionate about getting students thinking about their future, not always an easy task with teens or preteens who\u2019d rather be hanging around or playing video games.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Having grown up in public housing and once been an indifferent student himself, Finch knows all about the challenges and the excuses. \u201cSo, you\u2019re living in poverty,\u201d he tells them. \u201cOthers who live in poverty are excelling.\u201d<\/p>\n

The key, he says, is helping the students find something they want to do and figure out how they\u2019re going to achieve that goal. \u201cWe want to start a trend where graduating from school is the norm.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Education Initiative has had unexpected dividends. As families get more involved with their children\u2019s education, some, including a mother of 10 who earned a college degree, have returned to school themselves.<\/p>\n

Finch, who majored in education at Colorado\u2019s Adams State College but didn\u2019t finish his teaching certification, decided to work on his degree in Educational Policy and Community Studies several years ago. He is proud of his 3.8 average, and plans to pursue master\u2019s and doctoral degrees.<\/p>\n

He follows the same advice he offers to the young people in the program: \u201cOnce you\u2019ve got a passion for what you\u2019re doing, you want to be the best at it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Darrell Finch is leading an education program that\u2019s achieved a nearly 100 percent high-school graduation rate among young people living in Milwaukee\u2019s Highland Homes public housing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174],"tags":[],"section":[122,123],"display_categories":[],"related-coverage":[207],"uwmnews-feed":[],"class_list":["post-180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","section-campus-community","section-campus-partnerships","related-coverage-teaching"],"yoast_head":"\nSuccess is the only option<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Darrell Finch is leading an education program that\u2019s achieved a nearly 100 percent high-school graduation rate among young people living in Milwaukee\u2019s Highland Homes 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