In its first ever broadcast from Lawrence Township, Afternoons with Amos traveled to the McKinzie Center for Innovation and Technology, part of the Lawrence Township Schools. McKinzie offers a wide range of hands on courses in a variety of real world skills for high school students. Over 40% of students in Lawrence Central and North attend classes at McKinzie where they can earn college credit at Ivy Tech, Vincennes and IU. Top Lawrence Township schools leadership and administrators appeared live on the broadcast and dealt with a wide variety of issues. From the township aggressively moving to reduce the achievement gap Black students have compared with whites, to the district’s efforts to achieve rigor and strengthening their academic programs and engaging parents. Listeners confronted Lawrence officials with examples of continued lack of communications and problems in dealing with issues involving students in Lawrence schools from transportation, to special education to educational equity.
In Part 1 of the visit, Amos talked with two McKinzie students – senior Hakeen Townsend and junior Ashley Stowe about their experiences, as well as McKinzie Principal Barry Norman and Ass’t Principal Frank Svarczkopf. Amos discussed how the township is closing the achievement gap with Lawrence Township’s Associate Superintendent Dr. Jan Combs and Erica Buchanan, principal of Sunnyside Elementary where Black students have eliminated the achievement gap.
In Part 2 – Lawrence Township’s Exec Dir of Human Resources Dr. Sharon Smith discussed the difficulty the district has in recruiting teachers and administrators “of color”. Lawrence Superintendent Dr. Concetta Raimondi and School Board President Carol Helmus talked a number of issues with Amos and listeners. Also Lawrence North Principal Brett Crousore and Lawrence Central Principal Ricky Valadez talked about the academic rigor and goals of their schools and their policy on waivers for graduates.
Click Arrow for Part 1 Of Broadcast from Lawrence Township. Runs 46 Minutes ©2012 WTLC/Radio One.
Click Arrow for Part 2 of Broadcast from Lawrence Township. Runs 57 Minutes ©2012 WTLC/Radio One.
