Overseas study to help students

Finding ways to improve the education of inner-city students is not a new endeavor.

Educators have made the assertion that improving education in inner-city schools extends beyond the classroom and that the best solution is to remove the students from the environment entirely.

This is the vision of IU law professor Kevin Brown.

But it comes with a twist.

The DuBois Institute, a public boarding school focused on the educational advancement of Indiana public school students, would be located in Ghana and would eventually house and educate approximately 400 students grades six through 12.

“These kids have the academic ability to excel,” Brown said. “They’re just growing up in an environment that won’t help them be successful.”

As the founder and director of the IU Summer in Ghana Program, Brown sent more than 100 students to Ghana and noticed that the culture shock of living in a developing country had a significant, lifelong effect on his students, Brown said.

This social and economic shock would be the ideal effect for the prospective students of the DuBois Institute.

“They’re not going to be the poor, inner-city kids,” Brown said. “They’ll be the wealthy ones with tons of opportunities.”

The students would enter the institute in either Grade 6 or 7 with an initial commitment of attending the school for three years, Brown said.

Ideally, students would complete 12th grade at the institute.

“If we got them there for six years, not only would they graduate, we would be able to put these kids into college,” Brown said.

The curriculum taught in the school would meet the Indiana Academic Standards while exceeding the Core 40 requirements. The principal and classroom teachers would be licensed educators from Indiana and initially commit to stay in Ghana for a minimum of three years, according to the presentation outline of the DuBois Institute to the Indiana Public School Board.

Trips will also be arranged for the students to see other countries throughout Africa, and ideally students will travel to the Middle East to get a complete international experience, Brown said.

“You don’t even know what it means to be an American until you go overseas,” Brown said. “Our goal is to make them special people.”

One of the advantages of the Ghana boarding school is it comes free of charge to taxpayers, Brown said.

The entire cost for attending the DuBois Institute after enrolling three full classes would be between $8,000 and $12,000 per year per student, an amount comparable to the $13,357 that IPS currently pays annually per pupil.

“Public boarding schools in America generally run about $35,000 per child per year.
That’s too expensive for these kids,” Brown said. “We’re trying to get the state to redirect funds from the U.S. to this school. That would cover clothing, room and board and round trip airfare.”

In order for the DuBois Institute to be founded as a state-created school, Brown has to meet with the Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Tony Bennett, to discuss  changing state legislation to include an international public boarding school, Brown said.

Notable supporters of the DuBois Institute include Jim Morris, future director of the United Nations food program, and Samuel Obeng, professor of linguistics and Director of IU’s African Studies Program, who has a direct connection with the president of Ghana, John Evans Atta.

“If you can’t get the best minds together to create the ideal educational program, then roll up the tent – we’re done.” Brown said. “It can’t be done.”

If the DuBois Institute gets the appropriate legislation from the Indiana Department of Education, it would be the first international public boarding school directed specifically at inner-city kids.

“We have the political presence in Ghana, and we have the academic talent here,” Brown said. “These kids are going to be truly extraordinary people.”