Urban Scholar Jane Myers

Literacy coach Jane Myers, from Providence, R.I., loves to help children learn. It was the excitement and gratification she earned watching children grow and learn that made her eager to further her own education. As an Urban Scholar, Myers feels encouraged by HGSE's investment in her, she says. "They believe I can make a contribution to urban education. Their belief and investment have strengthened my commitment to finding work that will benefit urban children."

What are your thoughts on teaching in an urban school today?
I think it is critically important and also challenging work and requires a lot of skill, creativity, wisdom, and energy. One of the challenges is in educating children from diverse ethnic backgrounds in a way that respects and supports their differences as well as prepares them to succeed in mainstream U.S. society.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about urban schools?
I think some of the misconceptions are those that generalize about the quality of urban schools. I have seen urban schools which incorporate cutting-edge approaches to teaching, but because of hiring or firing practices, the quality can vary greatly within the school. I think the "deficit model" of approaching children in urban schools, in which we think of all that the children lack rather than all that they already know, is a destructive one. It perpetuates disrespect of children and families, and ultimately it leads to low expectations and lack of personal investment in their success.

What would you change about education today?
It is hard for me to think of one element since the "delivery" of education in public schools is such a complex, integrated process. I would change the way that many school systems currently make decisions - for example, by hiring and firing teachers in ways that do not ensure that all children get the best teachers available. I believe teaching needs to be more collaborative than it generally is and that schools need to make room for the very wide-ranging ways that children learn best.