Work with kids drives home the need for a community's support
by Michaela Saunders, Omaha World Herald
June 02, 2007
it all began as a big idea: to change the world as it is known to metropolitan Omaha's low-income children and families.
Michael Yanney says he doesn't remember the day, or even if it was just one meeting. But nearly two years ago, he and Richard Holland started talking about a different Omaha.
Yanney had devoted much of his time for several years to his All Our Kids Inc. mentoring and scholarship program. Holland was involved with that program and other organizations, including the Winners Circle program that is focused on elementary schools.
Despite those and other efforts to provide mentoring, scholorships and other services, Yanney said "we (were) losing kids like you can't believe."
"We can't keep putting Band-Aids on this."
What if Omaha could help all of its children living in poverty to reach their potential? To do it, Yanney said, they knew they would need to get everyone on board.
Getting the business community engaged would be easy enough. But, Yanney said, "unless we get a total buy-in from the mayor and from the superintendent of schools, we ought to keep our powder dry because we can't get it done."
So, Yanney picked up the phone.
Education was mired in politics at that time. The Omaha Public Schools was in the midst of its "one city, one school district" push. The district said it needed the middle-class, white families - and their taxes - from suburban districts to help its predominately poor and minority students succeed.
Yanney and Holland saw the achievement gap every day as they worked with individual children. That's what drove them, Yanney said.
Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey was brought in to the talks. The circle grew to include OPS Superintendent John Makiel and people interested in education - Susie Buffet, Walley and Barbara Weitz, Jerry and Cookie Hoberman and Dianne Lozier.
Ideas turned to action last August, Yanney said, as the group commissioned a comprehensive study about the state of education in Omaha from SRI International. The research and development firm had a successful track record in Omaha, including research behind the city's riverfront development.
Former U.S. Rep. John Cavanaugh was hired in November to serve as the research firm's guide to Omaha. he said SRI was asked to take "a comprehensive look at both the strengths and weaknesses of education in the metropolitan area."
Fahey says now that those strengths and weaknesses are better understood, the entire community has a roll in the effort.
"What can we as a community do to try to encourage kids to stay in school? The end result will be better achievement for kids."
Work with kids drives home the need for a community's support
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