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Kids at Atlanta’s Ron Clark Academy- Inspiration or Exploitation?

I was in Atlanta for New Year’s and you couldn’t miss all of the news clips of Ron Clark telling the story of how he received a donation to the Ron Clark Academy from Oprah for $365,000. A heartwarming story, and those kids are absolutely adorable. From the message boards, it seems like there’s a little bit of a split on how people are feeling about the Ron Clark Academy’s rise into the spotlight. I question it, to some extent, but am choosing to believe the best of intentions. I’d love to see these kids grow up and do fantastic things with their lives given the positive exposure they’ve received from their “You Can Vote However You Like” song during a historically significant election.

I don’t know Ron Clark, and I don’t anymore about the school than what I’ve seen from these kids on tv, but I think some black folks are tired of seeing the great white savior swoop into the inner city and “save” the poor underprivileged black children. That’s where I think some of the controversy is rooted.

Excerpt from Us Magazine…

An educator named Ron Clark almost didn’t notice the whopping check, which was included in a letter from the talk show host. Clark opened the private academy in 2007 in one of the poorest neighborhoods of South Atlanta. Most students rely on private donations to pay the $14,000-per-year tuition.

from another US Magazine article…

“We teach school all day and fundraise at night,” Clark told the Associated Press. “To have an unsolicited gift come like that is incredible.”

Clark says the donation will pay for 26 students to attend the 80-student middle school for one year…

…The check came from the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, which handed out $4 million to educational programs in 2008.

I know from my own experience, and just life in general, that you have to hustle to get your voice heard, and if Ron Clark is milking his school’s 20 seconds of fame for the benefit of the school, then you can’t knock that hustle. I mean he worked the kids into the media circuit at a time that the nation was opening up themselves to change. Children are the best representation of all things are possible. Something warms our hearts to see kids tackle grown-up issues like the election from that happy “sky is the limit” perspective. Besides, the election was followed by Christmas so you just have to embrace the joy. I love Oprah to death, but I know she’s an opportunist with the financial means to justify it. God love her for writing that check, but I hope she stays in touch with Ron to see how the students are doing…and not just the shiny stuff like “We are the world” type jingles.

Well, the latest single from the children of Ron Clark Academy is “Dear Obama.” You can hear it in the YouTube clip below by skipping to about 3:35 in the clip…unless you want to hear Ron’s heartfelt story again told in the voice of “Kenneth” (comedian Jack McBrayer) from “30 Rock.” Maybe that joke is in poor taste given the subject, but I just want to know if any of you were thinking the same thing when you saw this on tv?

11 Responses to "Kids at Atlanta’s Ron Clark Academy- Inspiration or Exploitation?"

Anita says:

January 19, 2009 at 10:20 pm

To see children writing about such topics is an inspiration! What a way to learn! I’m very glad they were invited to perform in DC! A learning experience in itself, it is one they will never forget!

BTW, does anyone have their lyrics written down?
I’d love a copy!
dg says:

March 25, 2009 at 8:26 pm

exploitation and an opportunist…the school doesn’t accept students who are in need academically and financially as he says. students are assessed. his limp wristed mannerism and his mimicking black american’s speech is reprehensible.
dg says:

March 25, 2009 at 8:30 pm

has the kids singing and dancing. next will be a book deal, then a movie deal…another story…poor black kids, see it had to take a black person to rescue them. he is an opportunist and exploiting black students.
dg says:

March 25, 2009 at 9:53 pm

he’s an opportunist. the superficial media takes a hold of this and goes with it, further exploiting the black students. when similar school are created by blacks (there are many) they’re not given this kind of attention….but the great white hope…rescues the poor black children…all the times…the same story..over and over again. indirectly subconsciously reminding the populace that (especially blacks) that you’ll always need the white man to bail you out. look they had to come rescue your children from your poor neighborhood. backward parents who don’t do their jobs, relying on the white man to teach their child how to sing and dance, like a puppet show, grinning for the cameras. the statistics will show, that public schools, percentage wise, graduates more academically smarter students, than these so called private schools. Think you can sing and dance everything you need to know in middleschool. He couldn’t bring that nonsence to Alpharetta, or buckhead, or any other white neighborhood school….they would tell him to get the hell outa here with that nonsense. Now it’s not poor black students on the acceptance list, but academically gifted. It’s not for poor students anymore, he has to show results, excluding the lower performing students. ron clark academy will have students sign releases for the videos and music they will record in their studios and “limp wrested, black dialect speaking” ron clark…will be laughing all the way to the bank.
if the morris brown students could only sing and dance…hmmm…
affrodite says:

March 26, 2009 at 1:57 am

@dg- I see this post struck a chord with you. I see your point, but it is buried in some pretty offensive language. Reading my post again (and fixing the You Tube video so it plays), I realize I instigated responses like yours because I remember being put off by seeing Ron Clark giddy with joy over a check from Oprah and posting this wondering how genuine his efforts were and at at least applauding the hustle. He does appear like another great white hope helping the poor black children, but I’m willing to be convinced otherwise.

Is there a parent out there who has a child attending Ron Clark Academy? Even better, a parent of one of these children.

It does make me uncomfortable to see your choice of words in your comments, but I’m going to let it go for now in the name of free speech. I just don’t want this to become a shouting match rooted in racism and homophobia. It really won’t answer the questions at hand which are focused on the quality of education for the black students attending Ron Clark academy. Is this is all smoke and mirrors or is Ron Clark really doing something special?
1. Sam says:
  
  May 8, 2009 at 10:06 am
  
  Anybody in this world should help people regardless of what race, color or creed you are. Ron Clark might be a great American teacher, but he will step on anybody’s toes to get what he wants. The Ron Clark Academy is merely a monument to Ron Clark himself, and his students which are all handpicked make him look good. It is never about team-work or other teachers getting recognition, it is always about him.
  
  He gets financial support from just about every big company in Atlanta and also has the opportunity to choose the students. Off course this is a sure way to have success. His original idea was to show America and the world how he could change the lives of students with learning problems, behavior problems, or even special needs kids. I as a parent know that he has gotten rid of all these students from his school. It is now just the cream of the crop at his school. How do you think those children felt after being accepted at this prestigious school but because their academic performance did not match up the parents were blatantly told to find other schools for their children.
  
  He might seem nice on the outside, but I agree with another writer that he needs to live up to his own 55 rules which he does not practice in the least bit. He seems like the most arrogant human being on earth and he even said that there were no teachers in America like himself and Kim Bearden. I guess every other educator in the world is inferior to the great Ron Clark. The Ron Clark Academy is Ron Clark’s play-pen, if you don’t play along, then you’re out. Parents are afraid to speak out as they know their children will be literally kicked out or not go on trips or get so much of free stuff.
  
  I feel really sorry for Oprah Winfrey, who got duped by Ron Clark for such a large sum of money.
  
  What about the countless number of students in public school education who have dreams and aspirations too but might not even get the opportunity to visit another continent.
  
  A parent friend of mine attended the concert last year, where students of the Ron Clark Academy belittled and demeaned every student in public school education in their plays, saying that they had computers, I-pods, expensive clothes & shoes from Nike and then there was the kid from the public school who held up his pencil and said “this is all we got” Is this what Ron Clark really teaches his students to look down upon everyone else.
  
  The song they did last year – T.I.’s “Whatever You Like” How can you take a song with such filthy lyrics and change the words, every kid who listens to rap music knows exactly what the original lyrics say.
  
  We can pop bottles all night
  Late night sex, so wet and so tight
  I’ll gas up the jet for you tonight and baby you can go wherever you like
  I said you can go wherever you like
  Yeah
  
  I want your body. I need your body.
  Tell them other broke niggas be quiet
  
  [Chorus]
  
  Talking big boy rides & big boy ice
  Let me put this big boy in your life.
  That thing get so wet & get so right
  Let me put this big boy in your life. that’s right.
  
  America needs to wake up, we act when it’s too late, 2 boys have already killed themselves because of bullying in our schools, Ted haggard has lied his way about being gay and is in total denial and probably led thousands of church goers. And now Ron Clark milks the land using innocent children so that he can live in a penthouse suite, and get humanity to think he is a saint. The bible says that the devil would come in sheep’s clothing.
The Real Ron Clark says:

April 17, 2009 at 3:25 am

I know personally that Ron Clark is all hype and just exploiting the children of Atlanta. Soon there will be evidence posted to the internet on the real scores and the actual performance that Ron brings to the classroom and it is not very pretty. He is a con artist at the highest level and the kids are the ones who will suffer in the end. It is always surprising to me that people with the financial resources to investigate these typer of situations never do. Instead we still at this day and age in our societal growth what to believe in the “Great-White” Hope when it come to African-American children. He lies at a drop of a hat and overstates events that actually happened. Oprah donation story sounds familiar? I admire Oprah Winfrey immensely but her team of professionals need to do a better job of investigation or the next show she will see the Ron Clark Story will be on TMZ.

Although his sexual orientation may be a concern to some in my opinion if you can deliver the goods it is mute point, He just can’t deliver the goods but he can sell spoiled milk to a priest. Ever wonder what happens to the kids that do not cut it for his program? So do I. Approximately 20 out of 90 have been dismissed in less than a year and a half. Mind you that he does hand-picks all of his students. We complain about the public school system but I do not know of any school system that could call itself good with this kind of dismissal rate. If the public school system could pick and choose who attended their schools I bet you would see unbelievable test scores. At least if the students are removed from his academy, if they live in Fulton county, they will go to a superintendent that was voted the best in the nation and each of them desires that.

Lastly he is one of the most cruel people I have ever met. He lies at a drop of a hat and overstates events that actually happened. Oprah Sounds familiar? His on-stage image is very different from his actual personality. Some would say that most people are, but most teachers I know have personalities that reflect how they teach and treat people. He needs to follow his own 55 rules because he breaks most of them on a daily basis. With all that TI did for his academy he still could not get his name right when TI, came to the Academy, after TI correcected him. Now he bad-mouths him to the students. Without TI song he never would have been invited to the inauguration. Once he got what he needed from TI he taught the students to despise the person that they most look up to. In other words use people and they toss them away once you believe you have gotten all you can. This is a very dangerous practice for any community much less the one you live in. Also, stop buying the lie that the students wrote all these songs becasue they were inspired. Any inspiration to compile any of these songs came from the whip of Ron Clark and I thought slavery was over. Who knew?
affrodite says:

April 17, 2009 at 10:57 am

@ “The Real Ron Clark” – impressive commentary! very well thought out and it’s clear you read my posts and the comments so far.

I would just like to put my personal appeal out to Oprah and her people that I will GLADLY accept any donation from you and a spot on your show. I don’t have a song and dance, just straight up knowledge and passion!
Gary says:

May 6, 2009 at 12:08 pm

It has come to my attention that EVERY TIME he is in the news he tells the same story of what he did in NY years ago (his initial story that brought him to fame)as well as students mainly talking about “why Mr. Clark is such a great teacher”. The spotlight is never shed on all of the “anonymous” hard working teachers or the co-founder that work at the institution. More importantly the focus isn’t really on the students – just praise to Ron Clark. Mr. Clark may want to consider updating his book and adding a few more rules such as humbleness and modesty. I was saddened to learn the first year the school opened of Mr. Clark “laughingly” having the students chanting boasts about public school students not having their own computers and not being able to go on trips abroad. I certainly that kind of behavior isn’t included in his 55 rules. It would be interesting to see the comparison between the Ron Clark Academy and a public school IF public schools were able to cherry pick students, had only 80 students to contend with, and were on a level playing field with private schools in all aspects including discepline issues, teacher – student ratio, private contributions, standardized testing, etc. The outcome would probably surprise many people. Also, as one poster suggested, I too hope Operah and other contributors will look at where their money is going. Computers, books, etc. are one thing but I know for a fact one example of wasting money can be found every Halloween when the entire school is PROFESSIONALLY decorated (by outside decoraters)into various themes (a haunted house, etc.)only to be dismantled the next day. Maybe it should stay up year round. It fits the smoke and mirrors “Funhouse” world Mr. Clark has built for himself right down to his slide.
Josh says:

January 24, 2010 at 5:43 pm

Ron Clark strikes me as a liar. Can anyone comment on his ‘story’ that he once streaked naked across a football field and a clip of it appeared on SportsCenter for quite a while? It sounds to me like a lie. Can nayone comment on his claim that he got caught inside a Dunkin Donuts oven and had his eyebrows burned off? Again, his ‘story’ sounds like a lie.

I think that news organizations should be investigating his claims rather than accepting his unlikely stories as fact.
Sean says:

June 16, 2010 at 10:51 pm

This is very funny. I live in atlanta. Ron Paul is very arrogant, and as everyone has pointed out, he doesn’t really care about the kids. Still…

What makes you feel Oprah actually cares about them? How do you know she isn’t doing it for the media attention?

Also, as a white person and knowing this term “white hope” exists is really discouraging. Damned if I do, danmed if I don’t.

If I don’t help black people I will be labeled a racist that doesn’t care about africans or african americans.

If I do help then I will be labeled a perpetuater of the myth that black people need whites to accomplish anything big. I will be accused of perpetuating the myth of the “white savior”.

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