Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Back to School with Jesse Jackson

Aired August 12, 2002 - 06:46   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The Reverend Jesse Jackson has pushed for many things, now his Rainbow Push Coalition is pushing a seven-point plan to help parents and children have a more successful school year.
Reverend Jackson is with me this morning to discuss the plan.

Thank you for waking up so early.

JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW PUSH COALITION: It's the middle of the day for working people.

COSTELLO: It's true, sadly enough.

JACKSON: Yes.

COSTELLO: So you've come up with a seven-point plan that sounds very simple.

JACKSON: Well it's an attitudinal predisposition toward education. And this month when football practice starts and band practice starts, practicing three hours a day, going through brent riggers (ph) getting in shape, but if (ph) they're meaning to perform well as musicians and as athletes. I want 20,000 parents in the top 50 markets to do at least seven things.

One, starting today in Atlanta with the Dr. King's High School, Booker Washington Schools are there at 9:00 and then Riverdale (ph), one, take your child to school. It means that in your house education matters.

Meet your child's teachers. Teachers teach children differently when they know their parents and children behave differently when parents and teachers know each other.

No. 3, exchange home numbers. If a child gets in trouble, you tend to call the parent not the police because you know the parent.

Four, turn the TV off without -- at least three hours a night. Without radio, without TV because learning involves some reflection, some cogitation, some memorization. Turn that TV off as indeed you do in football practice or you do in band practice.

Every nine weeks pick up your child's report card. Do that check.

No. 6, read to your child one hour a night or have that child read to you.

And lastly, take your child to church or some religious institution on Sunday because that sets a moral, ethical guidance and challenge makes a difference.

So the Bible says raise or train a child as you would have him or her to go and then they will not depart. That's where the ethical religious dimension kind of brings it all together.

COSTELLO: These things sound so simple and it's -- they sound like things that parents should already be doing.

JACKSON: And they're not. And when they do it, it works. And when they -- when they don't do it, the results are obvious. Of those in jails, 90 percent are high school dropouts -- high school dropouts. I mean those who can neither read nor write, well, it's -- to them it's midnight at midday. Eighty percent of nonviolent drug users, 75 recetivous (ph) they go right back again. And so there's something fundamental this week about parents showing that you care enough to joint venture with teachers.

Now those who are interested may call us today in Chicago at 773- 373-3366 or may hit us on our Web site...

COSTELLO: But it's going to take more than talking to parents to get them really involved, because isn't that one of the hardest things to do to tell parents how to raise their children, first of all, and to get parents really involved in education when they're -- when they're so busy these days?

JACKSON: If you don't have time to visit the schools today, you have the time to make a plea bargain with the judge a little later on. And so I argue the case that prenatal care, Head Start in day care on the front side makes more sense than jail care and welfare on the back side. So I would ask parents get your boss to give you two hours of liberal leave and take your child to school. You're going to spend far less time at that school with that teacher than plea bargaining before some judge because of adverse social behavior.

COSTELLO: So what you're basically asking is for parents to take more responsibility for the success of their children in school instead of depending on perhaps the government?

JACKSON: No, no, it's a combination. You must have equal and adequate funding, you must have qualified teachers when you get to school, you must have adequate nutrition, you must have eye and ears exams, you can be physically able. But in addition to all that, and maybe even more fundamental than all of that, is the will to learn. There's something strong minds break strong chains.

When we go to football practice this month or go to band practice this month, it'll be three hours without a radio, TV, telephone, and results will show it. We'll see our bands perform at the bowl games. We'll see our football teams perform because we get out of it what we put into it. And so I want parents to -- I want 20,000 as a minimum in 50 markets to joint venture with teachers that we might increase the literacy levels, reduce dropout levels...

COSTELLO: So you're saying you know instead of paying so much attention to taking your kid to soccer practice, take them to school?

JACKSON: Well you might take them to both. I submit to you that in the end reading, writing, counting and thinking matters.

COSTELLO: Is your Rainbow Coalition going to concentrate on certain areas of the country, certain school systems within cities?

JACKSON: Really want to put the focus on what they call the underachieving schools because the schools that they say that are underachieving academically are the state champions athletically. That suggests something because it's harder to be an athletic champion where (ph) your cognitive and motor skills must be synchronized even then to study academically.

I went to a school not very long ago, and not call the school -- name the school today, but the state champions. And I asked them to stand; everybody cheered. So how many hours do you practice a day? They say four hours a day. What time? Five thirty to 9:30. Four hours a day. How many days? Six days a week. They're the best in the state.

I said now do you study three hours a night? They said no. I said what about two hours? They said no. One hour, and everybody uuh (ph). So studying became the joke. So the minute these youth -- it is a study deficit disorder. There must be a commitment to learning. And of course we can learn, will learn, must learn. We often say in these schools it's not your aptitude but your attitude that determines your altitude.

COSTELLO: Well we hope you're very successful at pushing learning because you know everybody thinks...

JACKSON: Together we can make it happen.

COSTELLO: Yes. Thank you, Jesse Jackson, for stopping by this morning.

JACKSON: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Hopefully we'll see you again.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com