Brooklyn School Has Partnered With the Department of Education, the City University of New York and IBM to Empower Young Students

By Charles Fisher and Randy Fisher @HHSYC

October 25, 2013

President Obama spoke at the Pathways in Technology School in Brooklyn known as P-Tech early today, a school he mentioned during his State of the Union speech earlier this year.  Senator Schumer greeted the president, and they both rode to the high school.  This is the first time the President has visited a public school in NYC.

The school is a joint venture between the Department of Education, the City University of New York and IBM.  The 6-year project has a heavy emphasis on math and computer science.  Students from grades 9-14 will have a chance to graduate with a High School Diploma and an Associate Degree in computers or engineering.

They will also be first in line for employment opportunities at IBM once they graduate. The private-public partnership has created a school that the President said is the “Wave of the Future.”

“What’s going on here at P-Tech is outstanding, and I’m excited to see it for myself,” he said.  “P-Tech is proof of what can be accomplished.”

“We need to give every American student opportunities like this,” stated Obama during his State of the Union address.  It was a reference to an innovative P-Tech initiative.

“This country should be doing everything in our power to give more kids the chance to go to schools just like this one,” he also mentioned that the school was a ticket to the middle class.

Mr. Obama zeroed in on Congress, imploring it to “do something” on the educational front.  One way to start, he said, “is by passing a budget that reflects the need to invest in young people.”

At the school students are assigned a mentor and many start taking college courses in the 10th grade, said Stan Litow, one of the architects for the idea for the school.  After they graduate, many students have an inside track to a job at IBM.

“You guys have opportunities here that you don’t find in most high schools yet,” Obama said.

This unique project will afford poor performing schools an alternative to education and prepare students for the world of work and higher education.  Another unique quality about the project is that the Associate Degree is free saving parents and student thousands of dollars and reducing student debt, which is out of control.

Obama stated “pre-school has to be provided for every child in America so they can have a head-start on life.”

Obama also asked Congress to pass a budget that would reflect the needs for education, especially in poor and disadvantaged districts.  He told the students “If you think education is expensive, just wait ‘til you see what the cost of ignorance is.”

He wanted America to know that since he took office the deficit has been cut in half.  He wanted Congress to focus on not what can be cut, but what can be invested to create jobs and opportunities for young citizens.

He said that we could afford to shut down the country, which cost billions of dollars, but not invest in education.  He quoted one student as saying that “we see a lot of crazy things in the streets of Brooklyn, but we also know we have a shot at P-Tech to make our lives better.”

Obama said we need an America where you don’t have to be rich or famous to make it, we can’t play any more games and need to create opportunities for citizens to get ahead in life.

The Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council will be working with the new Brooklyn Borough President Elect Eric Adams to bridge the digital divide and help “Silicon Alley” become an economic force on the east coast.  For information on the initiative contact us at: hiphopsyc@aol.com.