“Alise vs. the Mayor: The King’s Gambit” is the second episode in a mini-series exposing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s attempts to curb charter schoolsin his city, though they are some of the best-performing schools in the state and offer a lifeline out of the woefully inadequate public schools for many of the poor.
Directed and produced by TheBlaze’s Will Cain, the series follows 10-year-old Alise Alexander as she finds out the school she loves is being shut down by Mayor de Blasio.
“I think that Mayor de Blasio feels that, as charter schools, we’re denying certain kids opportunities,” Alexander explained. “But that’s actually the opposite of what our school is doing.”
10-year-old Alise Alexander speaks about Success Academy in Harlem, where she is a student. (Photo: TheBlaze TV)
At Success Academy in Harlem, 97% of the students are black or Latino and 77% receive free or reduced-price lunch. Yet despite any disadvantages they may have, the charter school’s fifth graders scored first in the state in math in 2013, beating “the rich kids on the Upper East Side” and “the rich white kids in Westchester,” Cain said.
Alexander said Success Academy is proving stereotypes wrong, demonstrating that no matter “where your your neighborhood is … what your parents do, what you see around you,” you can still succeed.
“Our teachers actually care that we get somewhere in life,” Alexander added. “They actually believe in us.”
And that’s where many believe the controversy lies with Mayor de Blasio. The mayor is a strong supporter of the United Federation of Teachers, and teachers unions are some of the harshest critics of charter schools, since charter schools aren’t required to hire unionized workers.
Directed and produced by TheBlaze’s Will Cain, the series follows 10-year-old Alise Alexander as she finds out the school she loves is being shut down by Mayor de Blasio.
“I think that Mayor de Blasio feels that, as charter schools, we’re denying certain kids opportunities,” Alexander explained. “But that’s actually the opposite of what our school is doing.”
10-year-old Alise Alexander speaks about Success Academy in Harlem, where she is a student. (Photo: TheBlaze TV)
At Success Academy in Harlem, 97% of the students are black or Latino and 77% receive free or reduced-price lunch. Yet despite any disadvantages they may have, the charter school’s fifth graders scored first in the state in math in 2013, beating “the rich kids on the Upper East Side” and “the rich white kids in Westchester,” Cain said.
Alexander said Success Academy is proving stereotypes wrong, demonstrating that no matter “where your your neighborhood is … what your parents do, what you see around you,” you can still succeed.
“Our teachers actually care that we get somewhere in life,” Alexander added. “They actually believe in us.”
And that’s where many believe the controversy lies with Mayor de Blasio. The mayor is a strong supporter of the United Federation of Teachers, and teachers unions are some of the harshest critics of charter schools, since charter schools aren’t required to hire unionized workers.
