Why open a school? To close a prison

When I opened Mott Hall
Bridges Academy in 2010,

my goal was simple:

open a school to close a prison.

Now to some,

this was an audacious goal

because our school is located
in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn,

one of the most underserved and violent
neighborhoods in all of New York City.

Like many urban schools
with high poverty rates,

we face numerous challenges,

like finding teachers who can empathize

with the complexities
of a disadvantaged community,

lack of funding for technology,

low parental involvement

and neighborhood gangs that recruit
children as early as fourth grade.

So here I was.

The founding principal of a middle school

that was a district public school,

and I only had 45 kids to start.

30 percent of them had special needs,

86 percent of them were below
grade level in English and in Math

and 100 percent living
below the poverty level.

If our children are not in our classrooms,

how will they learn?

And if they're not learning,

where would they end up?

It was evident when I would
ask my 13-year-olds,

"Young man,

where do you see yourself in five years?"

And his response,

"I don't know if I'm
gonna live that long."

Or to have a young woman say to me

that she had a life-long goal
of working in a fast-food restaurant --

to me this was unacceptable.

It was also evident that they had no idea

that there was a landscape of opportunity

that existed beyond their neighborhood.

We call our students scholars
because they're life-long learners.

And the skills that they learn today

will prepare them for college
and career readiness.

I chose the royal colors
of purple and black,

because I want them to be reminded
that they are descendants of greatness,

and that through education,

they are future engineers,

scientists,

enterpreneurs

and even leaders who can
and will take over this world.

To date,

we have had three graduating classes

at a 98 --

(Applause)

At a 98 percent graduation rate.

This is nearly 200 children

who are now going to some of the most
competitive high schools in New York City.

(Applause)

It was a cold day in January

when my scholar Vidal Chastanet
met Brandon Stanton,

the founder of the popular blog
Humans of New York.

Brandon shared the story
of a young man from Brownsville

who had witnessed violence firsthand

by witnessing a man
being thrown off of a roof.

Yet he can still be
influenced by a principal

who had opened up a school
that believes in all children.

Vidal embodies the story of so many
of our underprivileged children

who are struggling to survive,

which is why we must
make education a priority.

Brandon's post created a global sensation
that touched the lives of millions.

This resulted in 1.4 million
dollars being raised

for our scholars to attend field trips

to colleges and universities,

[Sommerstein programs],

as well as college scholarships.

You need to understand

that when 200 young people
from Brownsville visited Harvard,

they now understood

that a college of their choice
was a real possibility,

and the impossibility that had
been imposed upon them

by a disadvantaged community

was replaced by hope and purpose.

The revolution in education
is happening in our schools,

with adults who provide love,

structure,

support

and knowledge.

These are the things
that inspire children.

But it is not an easy task,

and there are high demands

within an education system
that is not perfect,

but I have a dynamic group of educators

who collaborate as a team

to determine what is the best curriculum,

and they take time
beyond their school day,

and come in on weekends,

and even use their own money

to often provide resources
when we do not have it.

And as the principal,

I have to inspect what I expect.

So I show up in classes

and I conduct observations
to give feedback,

because I want my teachers
to be just as successful

as the name Mott Hall Bridges Academy.

And I give them access to me
every single day,

which is why they all have
my personal cell number,

including my scholars
and those who graduated --

which is probably why I get
phone calls and text messages

at three o'clock in the morning --

(Laughter)

But we are all connected to succeed,

and good leaders do this.

Tomorrow's future is sitting
in our classrooms.

And they are our responsibility.

That means everyone in here
and those who are watching the screen.

We must believe in their brilliance,

and remind them by teaching them

that there indeed is power in education.

Thank you.

(Applause)