THE NEED.

READING                                                      WRITING                                            ARITHMETIC

The need is greater than ever. The borough of the Bronx demographic is more than 80% minorities, Hispanic -644,705 (48.4%), Black alone - 416,338 (31.2%) Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Bronx-New-York.html#ixzz2eZy5EINW

Minority families are being jammed into the South Bronx and the children being put low on the totem pole for the quality education they deserve, while their counterpart in more affluent communities are receiving a well rounded quality education. According to the latest report from City-data.com, the South "Bronx school district 9 graduate rate at failing 40% in 2013. On recently, New York State released the most recent graduation rate data. At the end of the spectrum, three districts posted 4-year graduation rates of less than 40 percent — South Bronx District (9), District 18 (32%), District 16 (34%), and District 19 (39%).

New York City Mayor Bloomberg stress that there is a lot of work to be done for our student. Particularly, with those students in New York City High Schools located in the under-served and low-income communities. He

The fact is, while there has been some minor increase in graduates, that he attributes to programs that provide additional focused academic support to students. South Bronx Students, in the troubled urban areas, are still behind the state and the national average with academic achievement levels.

There is a clear identifiable need for qualified education support programs like ours to give these youths the opportunity, tools, and assistance so many desperately desire, but the resources are so scarcely available. We must support these children in any way possible because they are the future. In the South Bronx Youth are challenged, tested, and threatened every single day by a multitude of illicit temptations, Drugs, gangs and violence are the norm. For most of them , the only chance they have is the promise of an opportunity to receive a quality education so that they may put themselves in a position to become productive citizen.

We want this for all children, but we are starting at home, where we were raise and grew up and were fortunate enough to have survived. We are giving back to our community and to be a part of the solution when it come to our children. A quality education is for everyone, not just the chosen few.

In a South Bronx district, parents want action on failing schools

Frustrated parents in one South Bronx district took to the streets to raise awareness about the disproportionately high number of failing schools in the neighborhood.

South Bronx, school District 9 at P.S. 64, on 170th street, the parents protested during dismissal on a sidewalk just outside the courtyard where parents picked up their children. Next they marched up Webster Avenue to a building that houses two middle schools on the state’s latest list of lowest-performing schools.

The protest struck a nerve with several parents at the elementary school. They collided with the protesters on the sidewalk during dismissal, prompting some to share their own frustrations with P.S. 64. Valerie Fernandez said the homework that her fifth-grade son brought home hardly prepared him to think and write critically.< One assignment he had earlier this year was to color in the countries of a world map, Fernandez said.

A parent stated “In this neighborhood, we get the leftovers, because of where we are,” said Yoshika Buchanan, “That’s not fair.”

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