Student Success in the New Salem Educational Initiative: Melvin Gifford

Melvin Gifford first enrolled in the New Salem Educational Initiative as a Grade 1 student during the 2009-2010 academic year. He enrolled late in that academic year, in March, by which time his teachers were expressing concerns that Melvin was having problems reading material appropriate to his grade level, thinking that a speech impediment was exacerbating his reading difficulties. His teachers also indicated that Melvin’s math skills had not reached full grade level development by that point in the school year. Melvin’s mother (Karla) and male friend (Anson) had just moved to Minneapolis close to the beginning of that academic year, in August 2010. They lived in one of the cheapest rental units in the city, on Newton Avenue North, just south of Glenwood. Karla and Anson were seeking to make a fresh start in Minneapolis, and they both fervently wanted Melvin to get the kind of education that would allow him to break the cycle of poverty that Karla and Anson had witnessed in their own families.

A variety of factors influence poor school performance, most essentially those rooted in environment and familial circumstances, and those rooted in the natural aptitude of the child. I am always braced for those frequently occurring challenges whereby moving a student to grade level performance requires particularly stringent effort over a period of months and, in a few cases, a year or two. But possessed of a keen natural intelligence, Melvin did not as it turned out present problems so grave that they could not be quickly addressed with an aggressive program of skill remediation.

With strong support from Karla and Anson, garnered from the firm relationship that I built with the family, 
Melvin responded with alacrity to the academic program, and he latched onto me as a mentor as well as teacher. By the end of academic year 2010-2011 (in just three months time) he rose quickly to grade level in both reading and math. During academic year 2010-2011 Melvin attained Grade 3 performance levels (one grade level above that of school enrollment) in both math and reading. At the annual banquet he impressed attendees with his knowledge of his multiplication tables, having completely mastered this Grade 3 skill.

Melvin continued his strong academic performance during his Grade 3 academic year 2011-2012. Despite significant familial challenges and a very challenged home economy, Melvin responded to my instruction and mentorship so enthusiastically as to perform above grade level in both math and reading. Melvin's participation in the New Salem Educational Initiative has had a transformative impact on his life, and his ongoing participation gives him prospects for life success that he would not have otherwise.