Today Dr. Steve Perry is the founder of Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Conn., a CNN education contributor and the author of most recently Push Has Come to Shove: Getting Our Kids the Education They Deserve–Even If It Means Picking a Fight.
But life wasn’t always this way.
Born into poverty, he believes that success in life is determined by where you end, not where you start. It was that philosophy that got him where he is today – an educator known for recognizing issues and creating solid resolutions.
Perry is a nationally sought after speaker appearing on over 200 radio and television stations, including CNN, MSNBC, and FOX, in the past three years.
In 1998, Perry founded ConnCAP, the Connecticut Collegiate Awareness that has sent 100 percent of its low-income, first generation graduates to four-year colleges for six years. His school Capital Preparatory Magnet School has also sent all of its graduates to four-year colleges for three consecutive years.
Perry will share his views on the state of education, particularly among underserved communities, on March 22 at 7:30 p.m., at the Madame Walker Theatre Center part of Steward & Associates’ 2011-2012 Speaker Series season. Tickets are $20 for the lecture and $35 for both the lecture and a private reception.
Perry recently spoke with the Recorder to discuss his educational principals, today’s student’s and his hopes for the future of education.
Recorder: Was education important in your home growing up?
Dr. Steve Perry: Yes and no. Was education important, yes – a lot of people talked about it, but (a degree) wasn’t coveted. My father was a high school dropout and my mother finished her associate’s degree when I got my high school diploma. I was the first (in my family) to get a master’s degree and maybe second to getting a bachelor’s degree. If I didn’t go to college a lot of folks wouldn’t have thought much of it – as long as I had a job.
When did you realize that education was important?
I grew up poor – I got the government cheese to prove it. (Chuckles). I was in Upward Bound, a program that takes students from disadvantaged populations and sends them to college. They were the ones who put it in my head that I could even go. It became clearer as I got older (that education was important). Once I got in college, it was something I needed to focus on.
Today many people urge kids to get a college education, but in 1998 you founded the Connecticut Collegiate Awareness Program. What did you know then that people are just now realizing?
I knew that poverty was not a barrier and that people in education who need us to believe that poverty is this static, immovable object, is the reason why children fail. It’s the people in front of them, the teachers who can’t teach, the principals that can’t run schools and the administrators that are more concerned with keeping their jobs than transforming children’s lives. I saw what education did for me. If you just give kids access to the notion of college, that alone would get them so much further. College isn’t an esoteric notion. (These ideals) go further back than me. I wanted to prove that these people are liars and our children can learn.
Your Capital Preparatory Magnet School prides itself on having a high number of graduates who go on to four-year colleges. How are you able to accomplish that?
We care. We prepare the children throughout middle and high school. We get them the right courses, support them, build them up emotionally and encourage them in the process. Every single kid is expected to go to college and complete at least eight college applications. We make sure they pick the right college.
This seems easy. Why aren’t more schools doing this?
Too many people don’t want to be successful. They’re comfortable with being mediocre. And too many people in our community allow them to fail our children because we don’t know any better. I tell people, “there’s nothing wrong with your children. Just because they’re born in Indy doesn’t mean they’re less intelligent – they just go to worse schools.” Because if someone can go to another school 15 minutes away and outperform your child, that doesn’t mean they’re smarter, that means they have access to better information from a better teacher with a school run by better principals.
For many low-income, first-generation college students, issues like tuition/money and being on your own for the first time arise. What advice do you have for students in these predicaments?
Honestly, the money thing is something I don’t have an answer for right now. That’s where my arms get short – I can’t produce the level of resources our children need when they get there so we end up losing a lot of kids because they can’t afford to stay in school. However, if you can stay on campus, stay focused. It’s much more fun to party with a degree and money in your pocket than it is to walk around broke. You can have fun on campus, but remember why you’re there.
Tell me about your most recent book Push Has Come to Shove.
It’s a call to action to our community to say that enough is enough – your children are as intelligent as anybody else’s. Every kid learns differently and if you put that kid in the right school with the right, caring educators, they’re going to do amazing things.
Do you have hope for today’s educational system?
Oh yeah, we’re going to win. Parents have had enough.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call (317) 297-2905 or visit www.stewardspeakers.com.
