Jason King
President, Turning the Page
Verizon SuperPages.com recently had the opportunity to interview Mr. King:
Jason, what does Turning the Page do
Turning the Page seeks to instill a life-long love of learning in D.C. public elementary school children through its three school-based programs: Community Nights at the Library, Community Connections, and Leadership Groups. Community Nights provide parents with specific tools and resources to become effective educators of their children. Community Connections provide opportunities for schools and families to take advantage of the many educational resources and social services offered in D.C. communities. Leadership Groups consist of parents and teachers and provide a mechanism for these stakeholders to collaborate on ensuring parents and additional community resources positively impact student achievement.
Are you the creative force behind the organization
I started Turning the Page as an all-volunteer organization with friends and colleagues in 1998, soon after my law school graduation. Many of our current initiatives were first developed while meeting in the many coffee houses that dot Washington, D.C. We studied what was working and what was not working with our public schools and began to create programs that brought families and books and other learning resources to public school libraries and to the schools in general. In 2000, I left the practice of law to lead Turning the Page full-time.
Where did the idea come from
We were motivated by the visible needs of D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) and decided to create an organization to address the schools' educational challenges. We all had similar memories of the books that we had loved as children, and the people – parents, teachers and librarians – who first made those books come alive for us. Our original goal was modest ‚ raise a few hundred dollars to buy books for an elementary school library. After our first success, we realized that we had an opportunity to do more and started to explore ways in which we could have a positive impact on the schools.
What motivated your involvement in the organization
My passion for urban public education was born during my second year at Georgetown University Law Center. As part of the Georgetown Street Law Clinic, I taught law to a class of D.C. high school students. The entire teaching experience had a tremendous impact on me personally and shaped my goals and aspirations professionally. I began to ask the question why, if students could be so interested in learning, were so many so far behind? Indeed, despite their hard work and thirst for learning, many of my eleventh and twelfth grade students could not complete more than a rudimentary one-page essay. A few students could not do much more than write their name, address and interests on an index card.
Please tell us more about Community Nights at the Library.
Since its inception in 1999, Community Nights at the Library has made low-income D.C. public schools more welcoming for parents and provided hundreds of parents with the skills and resources they need to help their children achieve. When we started Community Nights at the Library, we knew that we wanted to make the evenings fun and educational. I believe that all of our 150 Community Nights have been both fun and educational for children and parents. Our myriad parent educational classes provide parents with basic skills such as how to read aloud, how to select books for their children and how to effectively share family stories with their children. Subsequent classes also use childrenís literature to help parents help their children resolve conflicts peacefully and lead nutritious, healthy lives. These classes have provided participating parents with a network.
Since launching our Author Visit Series in 2001, over 25 children's authors and illustrators have volunteered their time during Community Nights at the Library. Following an all-family reading, visiting authors and illustrators share with parents their creative thought processes, field questions and sign TTP provided copies of their books. These evenings enable parents to further appreciate children's literature and develop a sense of ownership over what they are sharing with their children.
While parents are attending their classes, Turning the Page volunteers read with the children and lead them in a host of educational activities. At the end of the evening, thanks to a partnership with Reading is Fundamental, all children receive books to take home with them. It is especially gratifying to see how much the children enjoy sharing books during Community Nights.
Any new initiatives?
We are very excited about our partnership with the Phillips Collection and our new program Art Links to Literacy. The Phillips Collection, in collaboration with Turning the Page, received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to make the resources of the Phillips Collection more accessible to low-income communities. Currently, we are jointly developing a four session parent workshop series based upon the Museum's existing Art of the City initiative that will enable parents to use the Museum's art, children's literature and their own talents to make learning fun and exciting for their children. The Museum will also train teachers to use Art of the City themes in their classroom and to develop strategies to include family participation in these classroom art projects.
This spring, we've been fortunate to partner with the Childrenís Book Guild of Washington, D.C. The Guild decided to honor one of Turning the Pageís partner schools, Hendley Elementary, as part of their 50th anniversary celebration. Turning the Page and Hendley coordinated numerous Guild member volunteer visits to Hendley during March, in what teachers have dubbed "Children's Book Month". Events included storytelling sessions, a visit from Cat in the Hat, creative writing workshops and author visits. At a ceremony announcing the honor, the Guild also presented the school a basket of 50 hardcover books signed by Guild members, which are now being enjoyed by all in Hendley's school library media center.
Can you share a Turning the Page success?
Turning the Page partners with Wendy Ewald's Literacy Through Photography (LTP). Through this program, children are encouraged to children to use photographs - their own and others' - as essential material for creative writing and visual story telling.
A quiet fifth grade boy, never one of the more popular students used LTP as an outlet for his rather strongly held convictions on what he saw happening with the girls in his neighborhood. He photographed a young neighbor dressed, as he put it "way too old, like she was 30." He then wrote a piece on how kids should dress more appropriately for their age and for school, and further expounded on the importance of enjoying being a child and not rushing ahead with your life. The boy's teacher remarked that he had really come into his own over the course of the LTP project. He enjoyed doing it, had something to say, and was afforded an outlet which he might not otherwise have had. Teachers, parents and students alike crowded around his finished photograph and writing, all favorably remarking on his choice of subject matter.
Do you have any recommendations for others who are concerned about improving the resources available to urban schools with a high percentage of low-income students
Early in our existence, we realized that urban communities and Washington, D.C. in particular, are home to a wide array of institutions dedicated to learning and public service and a vast network of individuals and organizations interested in supporting the education of our youth. Turning the Page believes that these individuals and organizations, consisting of public and private museums, universities, corporations, parents, students and other concerned citizens can support and work together with teachers and administrators to create outstanding public schools.
To meet the challenge of connecting these resources with the schools, Turning the Page is now attempting to foster within schools a spirit of entrepreneurship and collaboration and has begun to provide teachers and parents with skills to become better leaders within their school community.
Do you have wish list for Turning the Page
We look forward to building stronger and more extensive partnerships with community members, teachers and parents.
What is your favorite book to read aloud to kids?
My favorite read aloud book in our program is the True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Schieszka. The story, told by "A Wolf", is always great fun for parents in our Conflict Resolution and Children's Literature classes.
Jason, if someone wants to know more about Turning the page, where can our readers go for that information?
The Turning the Page website is: http://www.turningthepage.org
For more information write or call:
Turning the Page
733 15th Street, NW, Suite 937
Washington, DC 20005
202-343-9997 (ph)
202-628-7858 (fax)
|
 |
|
PTA 
