Shaker Heights Student's Education Essay Featured On PBS Web Site

Shaker Heights High senior Ifeolu Claytor has been published on the PBS web site as part of Tavis Smiley's Education Under Arrest series.

The guest blog -- entitled "Taking Responsibility" -- talks about Claytor's experience with the Minority Achievement Committee Scholars (MAC) program at Shaker Heights High School.

Claytor explains that the MAC is "a mentorship program in which thriving 11th- and 12th- grade African American males encourage their younger peers to follow suit."

He writes:

High dropout and incarceration rates and underperforming academic achievement is an unacceptable combination.

To counteract the disturbing trend of underachievement by Black males, our program reaches out to those boys who are underperforming academically and gives them something to aspire to...

As MAC Scholars leaders, we show the students not only the importance of academic achievement, but also the importance of respecting authority both in and out of the school building.

The blog deserves to be read in its entirety and that can be done here.

Education Under Arrest is part of the series of PBS specials Tavis Smiley Reports.

It examines the effect that "Zero Tolerance" policies and the legal system can have on education.