Valuable instructors: black men

Nearly 200 boys will get reading and math tutoring from African-American men on Saturdays starting in November.

The 100 Academy program, sponsored by 100 Black Men of Omaha, targets third- and fourth-grade boys who need academic or social help.

“We wanted to be on the front end,” said Tim Clark, president of 100 Black Men of Omaha, an organization focused on education, health and economic empowerment. He said the two grades were targeted because research shows “the slow decline really starts at that level.”

Clark announced the program today at a press conference at Franklin Elementary in northeast Omaha.

Boys of all ethnicities and income levels who live in the Omaha school district are invited to participate. There is no cost, but families must provide transportation for the 27 Saturdays between November and May.

The boys will gather at Franklin, Miller Park and Kellom Elementary Schools as well as Nathan Hale Middle School from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays starting Nov. 7. In addition, the boys can attend weekdays in June.

The schools were selected because most of the boys probably will come from surrounding neighborhoods.

Last year, 22 boys attended a pilot version of the program at Nathan Hale. Half those third-graders attended every session, and many increased attendance during the school week and improved on district proficiency tests.

Omaha Superintendent John Mackiel said the focus on third- and fourth-graders addresses a crucial transition in schooling and borrows from the philosophy of early childhood education. He considers the 100 Academy a dropout prevention effort.

“Rather than waiting until high school to instill the importance of academic achievement,” he said, the message will be “communicated by men who are reinforcing the lessons of the classroom that week.”

OPS teachers will lead the program. Members of 100 Black Men of Omaha will tutor and mentor the boys.

Aurietha Hoesing, a retired OPS teacher, is the lead instructor who developed the curriculum. The Saturday lessons will match what the students are learning in school and cover reading, math and social skills such as conflict resolution.

The boys will move a lot and work with their hands, Hoesing said. For example, they’ll do jumping jacks while they work subtraction facts and play games with balls that have math facts printed on them.

A portion of the district’s federal stimulus money — $281,481 — will fund the program this year.

Dr. John Franklin, whose fourth-grade son participated in the trial program, said the 100 Academy has helped his son blossom into a child who loves to go to school.

“There’s a quality of love you get from a dad,” he said of the program’s mentors. “It’s amazing what’s become of my son in just one year.”