This is an exciting time to be in Kansas City. As a member of the Education Task Force with MORE², I had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Mark Bedell, Superintendent of KCMO Public Schools. The district has had 40+ superintendents in 50 years. He is leading a district that has some of the highest rates of student homelessness in the country. Twelve students in the district have died as a result of violent crime since January - 5 of those students were murdered. The proliferation of Charter Schools since 1997 has concentrated the most vulnerable students in the public schools.
Dr. Bedell is up against impossible odds - but he's a man with a plan. He is bringing community partners together to pilot a totally new approach to schooling that meets the actual needs of the students. His energy and expertise gives me hope for our children - and he needs our help.
Details are forth-coming about the ways that Broadway can support Dr. Bedell's plans, in concert with MORE². For now, we can help spread the word about the Mentoring program. Through the Success Mentoring and Lunch Buddies programs, children get support from their community, they are shown how much they are cared for, they get to interact with adults who think education is important. For more information about how you or someone you know could become a mentor, click here.