Healing Across the Educational Divide: La Historia De Escuela Luz Del Mundo

By Richard S. Kitchen

Light of the World Schoolknown by its Spanish name, Escuela Luz del Mundo (ELM)was initiated in the fall of 2007 with eighteen eager sixth graders in a renovated halfway house. Located on a corner infamous in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for drug dealing and prostitution in the citys most economically and socially challenged neighborhood, ELM was an independent, progressive Christian middle school. There are two primary purposes for the book: (1) to describe unique features of ELM that were grounded in a theoretical framework created from the highly effective school study as a means to highlight how to improve public schools and (2) to draw attention to the need for making education for every student the nations top priority.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 17, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512788150

Richard S. Kitchen

Richard Kitchen is the Kennedy Endowed Chair in Urban Education and Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning Sciences at the University of Denver. He is the lead author of one book, co-editor of two books, initiated and served as a co-editor of the TODOS: Mathematics for All Research Monograph. He has worked nationally and internationally with numerous schools. Dr. Kitchen is passionate about improving education for students and in communities that historically have been neglected, forgotten, and/or oppressed. He is married to his lovely wife Janet and has three children, Olivia, Jordan and Sophia.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-8814-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8816-7 (hc)

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017907622

WestBow Press rev. date: 5/16/2017

CONTENTS

Book Dedication

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introduction    Introducing A School That Served The Poor In Divisive Times

Chapter 1    Getting Started—The Beginnings Of A School For The Poor

Chapter 2    Christ Is Alive! The Students, Parents, Teachers, And Supporters Of Elm

Chapter 3    What Made Elm Different: Academic Excellence And Revealing Christ’s Love

Chapter 4    Caught In The Middle

Chapter 5    Reflections On Public Education And A School That Served The Poor

References

Appendix A    Escuela Luz Del Mundo (Elm) Talking Points For Board Members Spring 2007

Appendix B    Letter By Andy Lee Included In The Spring 2008 Newsletter

Appendix C    Elm’s Behavior Management Policy

Appendix D    Sample Elm Standards-Based Report Card

BOOK DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to the Lord Jesus Christ whose saving grace has transformed my life! Every step of the way, it was possible to see Christ’s fingerprints on everything that was ELM. What a joy it was to have a front row seat to watch you breathe this tiny little school into existence!

I dedicate this book to Janet Lear, my wife and to our kids Olivia, Jordan, and Sophia for supporting the vision that God put on my heart to initiate ELM.

I dedicate this book to John Bulten, teachers, donors, and volunteers who made it possible for seven years to operate a Christ-centered school for the poor in the heart of Albuquerque’s most impoverished and challenged neighborhood.

I dedicate this book to all the families and students who made Escuela Luz del Mundo such a special place in the community.

I dedicate this book to all the teachers who have made and continue to make an actual difference in the lives of students and families who have been historically marginalized and oppressed in U.S. schools.

Finally, this book is dedicated to anyone who is passionate about improving education in the U.S. for vulnerable and historically marginalized and oppressed peoples.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ELM would not have been possible without the many people who were actively involved in the school from the beginning, including teachers, parents, donors, community members, and folks who just wanted to help in any way they could. Starting in August 2006, six planning meetings were held to conceptualize the school and to complete the many tasks that needed to be done to commence a school. This group included people from the neighborhood, my church at the time, City on a Hill, and my church’s pastor, David Bruskas, as well as John Bulten, the executive director of East Central Ministries (ECM). The people who attended these planning meetings and were instrumental in getting the school going were John Bulten, Lily Medrano, Ramon Medrano, Becky Westra, Gregory Elder, Rachel Steele, David Bruskas, Azucena Molinar, Luz Villegas, Amber Abercrombie, Ron Trevino, Jim Doorn, Peggy Kohler and Alan Benham. Thank you all for the amazing contributions you made to launch ELM and to sustain the school as well!

I would also like to acknowledge all the support ELM had from local Albuquerque churches. This support came in different forms, but always seemed to come at opportune times when needed most. Among the churches that supported ELM were Christ United Methodist Church, City on a Hill, Desert Springs Church, Fellowship Christian Reformed Church, Foothills Fellowship, Heights Cumberland Presbyterian Church, New Life City and Trinity United Methodist Church. Thank you to the body of Christ for all you did to make a difference in the lives of ELM’s students!

I will always be grateful to all the individual donors who gave to ELM. I would love to acknowledge each of you by name, but won’t because you gave to support Kingdom work rather than to glorify yourselves. I hope all of you know how much I appreciate your gifts and that your gifts were used to glorify Jesus Christ, to spread the Gospel in the International District, and to give kids some amazing educational opportunities.

I would also like to thank all the organizations that helped the school. At some point or points during its history, ELM received financial support from the following organizations: Albertson’s Community Partners program, Albuquerque Community Foundation, East Central Ministries, Educate New Mexico, Kappa Upsilon Chi Fraternity at UNM, Larry H. Miller Charities, McCune Foundation, Rotary Club of Albuquerque, Rotary Club of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua Mexico, Sam’s Club, Texas Instruments, Inc., and the United Way of Central New Mexico (my apologies to any organization that gave to ELM that is not listed here). For several years, Schlenker & Cantwell, Certified Public Accountants provided financial oversight for the school and never charged us a dime. Thank you, Schlenker & Cantwell! I am also grateful for funds received from proceeds generated by East Central Ministry’s Common Good Thrift store. Thanks to all those who donated a used car to ELM that we sold to generate funds for the school.

I’d like to thank John Bulten, Executive Director of East Central Ministries (ECM) of Albuquerque for taking the time to write the Foreword for the book. John and ECM played a pivotal role in making ELM happen. ECM was already well established by 2006 and the school’s affiliation with John’s ministry gave ELM instant cred in the International District. I met many of the school’s original mothers through ECM. Starting more than a year before ELM even opened its doors, John walked with and mentored me as someone new to Christian ministry. John’s advice was invaluable. I can’t thank you enough John for what you did to support ELM’s ministry and the teachers who made such a huge difference in the lives of their students.

I would like to acknowledge all the students, teachers, and volunteers who contributed a message, story, or reflection for inclusion in this book. You and the entire ELM community continue to inspire me with the amazing things that you’re doing to share the love of Jesus Christ with family members, friends, neighbors and the larger community. So many incredible people supported ELM with your time and resources over the years. You continue to encourage me in these divisive times and remind me that in Christ, all things truly are possible—You have also quietly changed people’s lives, all for God’s glory and to your absolute joy!

I would also like to thank Rose Landon, Bob DeGroff, and their colleagues at WestBow Press who have done such a great job putting the book together for publication. May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ continue to richly bless you, your families and WestBow Press!

Finally, I want to acknowledge here that any revenues derived from the publication of this book will be dedicated to Christian ministry focused on serving poor, marginalized and oppressed peoples.

FOREWORD

My son, Caleb, was timid that first day of middle school. As so many pre-teens are, he was awkward and shy around all of his new classmates and teachers. Though Caleb knew some of the other kids from the neighborhood, he was uncertain and out of his element as he realized there was only one other white student in his new school. That was his first day at Escuela Luz del Mundo. Three years later, a full foot taller than any of his friends, Caleb stood smiling in line at his eighth grade graduation. He was confident and happy, and I was very proud of him and this little school that was helping shape him.

Those three years my son spent with ELM’s dedicated teachers and staff had such an important impact on his life and on the lives of all the students who attended. Not only did the students grow academically, but they developed values of compassion and empathy for the poor and the most vulnerable in society. These students were taught to follow the radical call of Jesus: to follow him into the abandoned places of our society, bringing with them peace, joy, and love for everyone.

In today’s world, community revitalization is measured in terms of economic success. Job creation, business expansion, and upward mobility for professionals are all measurements used to assess progress. Unfortunately, these measurements do not account for the health of the community, and the individual holistic well-being of the people within. This is why Christian Community Development is so important. The health of the community is prioritized, and success comes through each interaction with each individual community member. Christian Community Development is not about gentrification. It is about meeting the community in its current state, coming up alongside, and walking together in faith.

This has been the mission of East Central Ministries in Albuquerque since its inception. I founded ECM in 1999 in Albuquerque’s International District – a beautifully diverse yet under-resourced area – with the goal of promoting the spiritual, social, emotional, economic, and educational wellness of the community. We engage with the community by living in and being a part of day-to-day life. Placing ourselves within the community, we all can share in our passion for Christ. Together, we witness the redemptive powers of the Holy Spirit every day, through food and housing co-ops, through medical service projects, and just by being present as community members.

I had known Rick for about a year, through his volunteer service teaching English at ECM, when he approached me about starting Escuela Luz del Mundo. I knew it was a natural extension of ECM’s work in the neighborhood, and an opportunity we could not pass up. Here was a faith-based school, within the community, aimed at providing equal access to high quality education for the most vulnerable. This was an opportunity for true community engagement. As Christians, ELM provided a place of safety and nurturing in an utterly broken world. In an area rife with violence, deportation, family trauma, and poverty, ELM was a beacon for the families in the area. This was a space to grow and learn, fully engaging the youth of the school all day long.

It was at ELM that our next indigenous community leaders were being nurtured. Healthy community development is always looking 15 years down the road to the development of young people, who will be our leaders to carry on the work. Ten years since ELM opened its door to 18 energetic sixth graders, these first kids are graduating from college, and several are now helping lead East Central Ministries’ youth programs.

At the first open house we had a building, and that was about it. Renovations were still in progress, with loose wires hanging about and walls ripped open, but people came. God was present as the vision of ELM was shared. In spite of the appearance, we all left with high hopes that something special was being born. This radical idea that, according to common logic, should never have gotten off the ground was going to come into the world.

Though ELM had to close after seven years, it had a profound impact and legacy that lives on today. The mission is one that is still worth pursuing, and as a father of an alum, I can speak to the true success of community schools like ELM. Remembering the opening prayers at the school each day gives me hope for the future. Hearing the children speak with such honesty and passion in the midst of turmoil shows the true work of the Holy Spirit within our communities. ELM will always be a profound part of the story for many individuals and our whole community. It will always be the story of God’s mysterious ways of using seemingly unimportant people and unimpressive situations for profound impact. I am honored to have been part of the ELM story.

John Bulten, Executive Director

East Central Ministries

Albuquerque, New Mexico

INTRODUCTION

Introducing a School that Served the Poor in Divisive Times

I invited the Bultens to lunch at the little Chinese restaurant with the Panda Bear out front to share with them the idea of launching a middle school for the poor. Like so many people in education, I dreamt about starting a school, but that dream had subsided over the years. But now, many years later after working in higher education, teaching high school, middle school, and even elementary school (I gained so much respect for primary school teachers from that experience), I felt a tug on my heart to actually attempt to start a middle school from scratch. This school would have a unique mission, to glorify God¹ by providing a culturally relevant and affirming, college-preparatory education for the children of poor Mexican immigrants. As it would turn out, this mission statement would not only prove to be provocative, but down right radical.

A little over a year later on Monday, August 13, 2007, Escuela Luz del Mundo (ELM) or Light of the World School was initiated with 18 eager 6th graders in a renovated halfway house located on a corner infamous in Albuquerque, New Mexico for drug dealing and prostitution in the city’s most challenged neighborhood. This is a book about this little middle school for the poor and what can be learned from it. This is also a book about how the time has come to make educating all the nation’s top priority in the United States (U.S.). For too long, public education has generally failed to serve many of the most vulnerable among us, ethnic and racial minorities, the poor, and the disenfranchised. Making education our nation’s most pressing concern is not only a moral imperative, it is an economic necessity that quality schooling be available in every neighborhood throughout the U.S., not just in communities populated by the richest and most privileged among us.

ELM was designed based on research findings from a national study that I led that examined highly effective schools that serve the poor.² We did not have many resources, our facilities were minimal or non-existent, and our staff was generally inexperienced. ELM also did not have a viable fundraising strategy, nor was the school sustainable; it closed in the fall of 2014. However, what it did have going for it was the backing of Jesus Christ. In these pages, I plan to show how this made all the difference. I also hope to demonstrate that we cannot continue to tolerate bad schools in any part of the U.S. Frankly, it is inexcusable and a national disgrace that quality schools exist only in some communities, and not in others. The historical legacy of educating a few, while neglecting to educate the vast majority of Americans, must cease now. The time has come for healing across the many educational divides that exist in the U.S. that constrain us from making quality education for everyone our most urgent national responsibility.

My hope is that this book will inspire many, but it may challenge folks who reject religious education as well as those who have strong beliefs regarding what a Christian education should look like. I believe this is a unique book that explores intersections between progressive education and religion, in this case, Christianity. From the outset, I want to be clear that my intent in this book is not to promote a conservative educational agenda. For instance, I do not support privatizing schools, nor is the intent of this book to argue for educational vouchers.³ I am a Christian with progressive political beliefs. I am also a white male who understands that simply being white in the richest country in the world has granted me innumerable privileges and given me access to countless opportunities.⁴ I am an educator, a scholar and activist who wants to candidly share what I learned from ELM. For instance, I learned about God’s sovereignty and how principles propagated in the non-profit sector like development and sustainability are not what is necessarily important to God in His ministries. I also learned that the poor, immigrant students we served at the school were more than capable of rising to the challenges associated with studying a rigorous college preparatory academic program and were excited to engage and learn at high levels.

As someone who has worked in secular institutions my entire life, I came to realize that a progressive Christian school for the poor may not find much support among those who identify as secular. On the other hand, some Christians did not always appreciate features of the school either.⁵ For instance, evolution was taught in our science classes⁶ and we worked to model and advance social justice for the poor since it is a biblical mandate to do so (Micah 6:8, New International Version). Some progressive Christian churches⁷ did not support ELM as well; they identified us as fundamentalist evangelicals and did not want to be associated with a group that is rightfully seen as anti-gay, anti-feminist, anti-diversity, anti-intellectual, anti-[you fill in the blank]. Unfortunately, we live in a time when it is all-too-easy to judge and place someone into a pre-determined category, rather than to move beyond dualistic thinking that defines everything as polar opposites (e.g., pro-school choice or pro-traditional public education, Democrat or Republican, believer or non-believer). I do not consider dualistic thinking to necessarily be a bad thing; it just does not always serve us well.⁸ I want to work toward nuanced descriptions and understandings in this book. My goal is not to offend, but hopefully to inspire by sharing the story of an unusual little school for the poor. I pray that your heart, the heart of the reader, will be open when you read this book.

As someone who has spent significant time in the public schools as a teacher and researcher, I have engaged in numerous conversations with educators and administrators over the years. These conversations have informed my views and practices, as has my work as a researcher and scholar of education. My experiences and ways of viewing the world of education also provide me with points of comparison and contrast to the work we engaged in at ELM. I plan to describe some of these perceptions in the chapters to come, particularly with regards to some of the big issues affecting the public education of those who have historically been marginalized and oppressed in the U.S., such as racial and ethnic minorities⁹ and students who have grown up in poverty. As an academic, I will use rhetorical tools generally used in higher education in my writing (e.g., I’ll be citing research literature that is pertinent to my discussion), but my goal is to avoid academic jargon and to make the discussion accessible to a general audience. Much of this discussion is motivated by my belief that in the U.S. a tragic educational legacy continues to play out because of legislation such as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB)¹⁰ Act of 2001 that limits many students, particularly low-income students of color, to have access to rigorous educational opportunities.¹¹

This book is dedicated to glorifying Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of the world. For agnostics and atheists, please recognize that this statement is not intended in any manner to alienate you. In fact, I would be honored to have you engage in, and respond to, this text. I recognize that some of you may be wondering why Jesus, why not another god, or gods, or no god at all. My goal in this book is not to evangelize. I want to share, though, how many miraculous things happened at ELM that simply could not have occurred by happenstance. My hope is that this book will be a fragrant offering to God. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I simply cannot help but speak of how my life has been transformed through my relationship with God. Through the stories offered herein, I hope every reader will find inspiration in the notion that each of us is specially and uniquely made (Psalm 139:13-14; Ephesians 2:10).¹² To be clear, I accept as true that God loves all of creation since God made all of creation. I also believe we are all seeking spiritual truths, whether we know it or not.

I want to believe that you and I can agree to disagree about lots of things, even spiritual issues, but still engage in discourse in which each of us is heard, respected, and loved, even in disagreement. I know