☞ MEET: Geoffrey Canada

Our past post on the Harlem Children's Zone mentioned its founder, Geoffrey Canada, and it seems the educational genius keeps racking up the accolades. For one, the New York Times just ran another editorial on how the Harlem Children's Zone model is a proven success in closing the achievement gap in minority neighborhoods. In addition, the former South Bronx native also received, this last week, the prestigious Brock International Prize in Education, which recognizes innovation and effective ideas. Mr. Canada's model focuses on 100 blocks within the most at-risk areas and has various clinics set up for early education, medical needs, social services and educational institutions from elementary to high schools. This sensational and radical plan has been proven to succeed and the President's education committees are now reviewing the Harlem Children's Zone as a national model for inner city schools. Read more in the Times article: LINK or about the Brock International Prize: LINK. Don't take our word for it, check out what our President has to say: LINK. What is all the flack about charter schools if they do succeed? Thoughts anyone?

☞ READ: Geoffrey Canada at the CB10 Meeting

DNAinfo has the follow up on last week's Central Harlem Community Board 10 meeting concerning the new $100 million Harlem Children's Zone charter school that will break ground this year at a housing project on West 129th Street. Geoffrey Canada, HCZ founder and CEO, made an appearance to talk to a group of residents from the St. Nicholas Houses who have opposed the project since its announcement early in the year. Initially, there were reports of resistance against a charter school being set up but residents now understand that the children at the immediate housing project will have a priority in the new school. The lottery process in the past would accept children from other areas and to have priority is something that's hard to contest over.

Now the main complaint lies in opening up a dead end cul-de-sac and restoring the flow of West 129th Street, between ACP/7th Avenue and FDB/8th Avenue. Critics are concerned of lost of open space, increase traffic and private takeover of public land. Mr. Canada mentioned he would consider not having the planned restoration of traffic on 129th street but at the same time, a school this large would probably be required by the city to have the open street for children to enter and leave safely.

NYCHA officials were also on hand to explain that they basically didn't have any funds for the maintenance of public housing and that this was a creative partnership where everyone would benefit. Read more in DNAinfo: LINK

☞ SEE: Geoffrey Canada on 60 Minutes

Sunday, December 6th at 7:00 PM. Watch the Anderson Cooper interview with Harlem Children's Zone founder Geoffrey Canada on Sunday's 60 Minutes. For a quick preview, go to the 60 Minutes website: LINK. Read more about the Harlem Children's Zone in our past post: LINK. Photo by Jeff Reidel for the NY Times.

☞ WALK: Filming at Harlem Children's Zone

Geoffrey Canada's Harlem Children's Zone seems like it will be in a national commercial very soon. A Harlem Bespoke reader took a snap shot of some permits that were up along East 125th Street and Madison Avenue today and Amex is listed for a film shoot with Geoffrey Canada. Read our past post about the man who is challenging the traditional view of education and getting results in Harlem: LINK

☞ READ: Last Month's Most Talked About Posts

Rainbows were seen around West Harlem after the weather broke.
1. Marcus Samuelsson Talks Red Rooster (26)
2. Aloft Harlem to Open Early (22)
3. 129 West 119th Street Brownstone (19)
4. Pharmacy Arriving at Historic Mosque (18)
5. Geoffrey Canada at the CB10 Meeting (14)

☞ REVIVE: HCZ Rises at West 129th Street

The new Harlem's Children Zone building and restoration of West 129th Street appears to be going fully as planned these days.  Walking by the site that is situated in a cul-de-sac within the St. Nicholas Houses, we  noticed the construction crew still actively at work on the new building which appears to have topped off.  This new $100 million 130,000-square-foot HCZ building will serve 1,300 children from K-12 with a priority to those at the surrounding housing project.  Geoffrey Canada's latest addition to his notable charter school system will provide new jobs, health care for students, a Baby College to guide parents and also will restore the full length of 129th Street between ACP/7th Avenue and FDB/8th Avenue.  There has been some local opposition to this development in the past but all seems to be moving forward.  Read more about it in our past post: LINK

☞ INTRODUCING: Sylvia's Scholarship 2011

The Sylvia & Herbert Woods Foundation (SHWF) will mark its 10th anniversary by awarding 10 students with scholarships and recognizing three national leaders in education for their commitment to advancing opportunities for young people in Harlem and beyond during its annual awards ceremony on October 28, 2011 at City College's Great Hall. Harlem Children's Zone Founder and CEO Geoffrey Canada will receive the Herbert Woods Community Service Award and Educator/Author Marcia Young Cantarella, Ph.D., and daughter of noted civil rights activist Whitney M. Young, Jr., will receive the Sylvia's Award.

Established in 2001, by Sylvia Woods, owner of Harlem’s world-renowned Sylvia’s Restaurant, in honor of her late husband Herbert, the Sylvia & Herbert Woods Endowment Scholarship Fund is a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance to college-bound youth, which helps to bring some much needed relief to students and their families. Awarding the first 2 scholarships in 2002, the Fund has provided over $200,000 to 66 students in scholarship funding in the past 9 years. More details on this event at: www.SylviasRestaurant.com

☞ READ: The Harlem Children's Zone

One might notice the presence of the Harlem Children's Zone and Promise Academies in Central Harlem but may not be familiar with their revolutionary stance on fighting poverty. Founder Geoffrey Canada established this non-profit organization to eliminate generational poverty by providing schools that educate a child's development at all stages within at-risk communities. Starting with parenting workshops and then proceeding to preschools, charter schools and child healthcare programs, the Harlem Children's Zone has had proven success as a new model in fighting poverty. The results are so great that the Obama administration is now planning to use the organization's Promise Neighborhood Plan to pioneer government programs in other cities outside of New York. Read more about the Miracle in Harlem based on the most recent New York Times editorial: LINK

☞ SEE: Waiting For Superman

There's a lot of education news going on this week in preparation for the much awaited national release of Waiting for Superman which is directed by Davis Guggenheim. Most might remember that Guggenheim basically started a world movement with his last movie An Inconvenient Truth and the hope is to bring that awareness to the public education crises in America. The film features Geoffrey Canada of the Harlem's Children Zone who is once more a central figure on the topic of education reform and the national government has noticed. Today's Wall Street Journal reports on the 21 communities nationwide that will receive $500,000 grant to create the HCZ model within their own public schools. Locally, the Abyssinian Development Corporation in Central Harlem was amongst the winners and will use the funds to try and duplicate the "promise neighborhood." Read more in the Wall Street Jounal: LINK.