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Earl Closes in on East Coast; Jobless Claims Dip; Students Want Parents Involved in Education; Breaking News: Another Rig Explosion in the Gulf of Mexico; Fixing Chicago's Schools; Education Achievement Gap
Aired September 02, 2010 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Moral imperative. Got to fix the schools.
T. J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Got to fix the schools.
HARRIS: Moral imperative.
Doctor, good to see you.
HOLMES: Good to see you, as always.
HARRIS: Have a great day, T.J.
Good morning, everyone. Live from Studio 7 at CNN world headquarters, the big stories for Thursday, September 2nd.
Hurricane Earl heads for a late-night brush with North Carolina's Outer Banks, but a little wobble could make that brush more like a hard scrape.
Behind every good student you are likely to find empowered parents. Our focus today as we continue to look for ways to fix our schools.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like to get good grades, but sometimes if I'm feeling lazy, I will be lazy. But my mom is the one that really keeps me straight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: No time for lazy.
And a dad builds a playground that stretches a child's imagination. Learning doesn't have to end when recess begins.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How did you build this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we worked together, and first there was only this much. And then we just had to do more. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Oh, that's good stuff.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
Those stories and your comments right here, right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Hurricane Earl closing in on the East Coast this hour, and that's where we find our Rob Marciano. He is in North Carolina.
But Rob, if you would, just hang on for just a second here. The latest advisory just released, and CNN, of course, is your hurricane headquarters.
(WEATHER REPORT)
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Let's see what's happening on the coast in the Carolinas by going directly to our friend, meteorologist Rob Marciano.
Rob, what have you got for us?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the sun is back out, Reynolds. So we've been shrouded in cloud cover from time to time, the high (INAUDIBLE) south flow that you've been depicting with the satellite picture. But clearly the rainfall is pretty far off the coast.
The winds though have picked up, and the waves have picked up as well. It's getting a little bit more rough here, bigger, larger swells rolling in, probably anywhere from 8-to-12-footers at this point.
The difference between here and, say, the Gulf of Mexico during a land-falling hurricane is you get more surge over there, but you get bigger waves here with the run-up. So that's going to be a huge issue going forward through this afternoon and tonight.
We're could see 20-footers, 30-footers washing up. Where there's not protective dunes like there are right here in Kill Devil Hills, those waves will wash out potentially some roadways. If not temporarily, they can cut an entire inlet like Hurricane Isabel did back in 2003.
And it's been a while since they saw a storm of any magnitude. It's been several years, as a matter of fact. And the county commissioner here, well, he's worried that people aren't taking this storm very seriously.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we need to happen now is for the visitors to heed the warning, to evacuate. This is going to be an overnight storm, which always makes it difficult, because it's nighttime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: That's always a scary proposition. Any time a storm comes in at peak intensity during the overnight hours, it's certainly more scary.
What's scary about this, Reynolds, as you know, if it jogs 10, 20, 30, 40 miles to the west, then that changes things dramatically. We go from having a tropical storm or Category 1-force winds here along the coast to potentially Category 3 or even 4-force winds.
So that track is going to be critical as we go forward. I know you have the latest information on that. I'll send it back to you in the studio.
WOLF: OK, Rob. You guys buckle down and be safe.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Good stuff. Terrific work. Thank you guys.
Other big stories we're following for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opened fresh negotiations last hour between the Israelis and Palestinians. The leaders agreed to work toward a final peace deal within one year. Major obstacles? Israeli homebuilding in the West Bank and security for Israel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: You each have taken an important step toward freeing your peoples from the shackles of a history we cannot change and moving toward a future of peace and dignity that only you can create.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The talks are scheduled to run through Saturday.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Afghanistan today from Iraq. He is talking with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and General David Petraeus, who is the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. The coalition is in the process of tripling the size of its force in Afghanistan as it tries to crush the Taliban.
Maryland police detonate explosives after a hostage ordeal outside Washington. Police say James Lee had four homemade bombs strapped to his body when he stormed into the Discovery Channel headquarters. Investigators say Lee, described as an environmental militant, wasn't lucid during the four-hour siege.
It ended when a police sniper shot Lee dead. Three hostages escaped unharmed.
So the holiday weekend is just around the corner, but on Wall Street there is still some very important business to be processed. Namely, data on the employment front.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with more on what we're hearing about jobs.
Alison, good morning.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
You know, it's been really busy here at the stock exchange all week. Investors not really able to relax ahead of the Labor Day weekend. They have got this influx of economic numbers all week.
Now, the biggie we got today was jobless claims. They fell by 6,000 last week to 472,000. And I'll tell you what, it's a move in the right direction, but that number, Tony, still stubbornly high at this point. Economists are saying these claims really need to drop below the 400,000 mark for a rebound in the economy to really take hold.
Now, this number comes ahead of the official government report tomorrow on jobs, and economists are expecting a loss of about 120,000 jobs in August. The unemployment rate is also expected to tick up to 9.6 percent, though it's important to point out, Tony, they're saying that much of the loss in jobs, they'll attribute those to those temporary government Census jobs which have been really dragging down any positive momentum since early this summer -- Tony.
HARRIS: Alison, help me here. By historical standards, is the labor market recovering better from this recession than from past recessions?
KOSIK: You know, it's interesting, because if it you're one of the people who's out of work, it certainly doesn't feel like we're in a recovery mode.
HARRIS: Yes.
KOSIK: And this is really one of the many things that makes this recession that we just had so unique. You know, despite the sheer number of jobs that were lost, growth in the market has been happening much more quickly than in past recessions. I want you to note I say "quickly," because we're talking about the speed of the jobs returning, not the number of jobs that are returning.
You know, it took just six months after what's believed to be the end of the recession that began in December of 2007 to see the sustained job growth to return, and that's compared to this substantially less severe recession that we saw after the Gulf war, when it took a full year for job growth to begin, and then the downturn after the dot-com bust when the job market, it didn't truly grow for almost two years. So, believe it or not, things a bit better here, although it really feels really painful at this point because we're going through this slow recovery -- Tony.
HARRIS: Particularly if you don't have a job right now.
KOSIK: You said it. Exactly.
HARRIS: Yes, appreciate it, Alison. See you a little later in the hour.
KOSIK: A lot of people in pain -- sure.
HARRIS: Yes.
And tomorrow we will get the August unemployment rate. That is a big number heading into the fourth quarter. So we will break it down with financial gurus Diane Swonk and Professor Danny Boston, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Parental involvement in your child's education -- is there such a thing as too much? Students speak out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: "Fix Our Schools." Those three words will drive much of what you see on CNN this week, because as America's children return to school, CNN has a mission. We have sent reporting teams to document the education crisis in America. Most importantly, we will shine a light on success stories that can empower us to offer our children so much more than they are getting right now.
Who better to talk to than students themselves? We have pulled together some young people to talk about what works.
Parents, pay attention to what these young people have to say to CNN's Carl Azuz.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARL AZUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Is there anybody here whose parents are not at all involved in his education?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, mine are not involved, but it's not a bad thing. Because of the language barrier, it's very hard for them to be engaged in my education. So I've had to take a very independent role when it comes to school, but I do have support for them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of the time they're busy. And so, like she said, I have to take responsibility and be independent on my own.
AZUZ: Do you think that makes it harder for you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somewhat.
AZUZ: And for those of you whose folks are involved in PTA, that are involved in your extracurricular activities, how do you think that helps you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, my mom pushes me to do my best, because I like to get good grades. But sometimes if I'm feeling lazy, I will be lazy, but my mom is the one that really keeps me straight. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You need to know what your kid is doing at school. You need to know what kind of environment they're in, who their teachers are, so you can relate to what they're going through.
AZUZ: How much involvement is too much?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mom actually used to go online. She used to go on every single blog of all my teachers. She used to go on the school Web site to see what events were coming up. I felt kind of just invaded a bit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My mother actually worked at my school every year since I was in the seventh grade. She's always been there.
It will be times where I'll be in the classroom and she'll just walk around the hallway. She'll take a little look in and then she'll tell me to "Come here."
(LAUGHTER)
AZUZ: You know, it's bad enough to get in trouble from your school from your teacher. You sure don't want it from mom, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know people whose parents actually work in there, they follow them in the halls, they talk to them. And then, my friends are like, all right, mom needs to give the kid some space.
AZUZ: Do you think it's worse at the middle school level or the high school level?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely high school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I think it's great when parents are involved, but they have to realize that they need to let us spread our wings.
AZUZ: How do you think too much parental involvement could harm your education?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, I know that there is a level of too much, but personally, I don't think that that could ever harm you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've actually seen some of my friends whose parents are, like, really involved, and they always want to know exactly what's going on. And it kind of just smothers them as an individual learner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it hinders the student's ownership of their own education. It makes them think, oh, if I don't do this, then my parents are going to know. If I make a B or something lower than that, then, oh, no, my parents are going to do something. It's not about, oh, I can learn from my mistakes and move forward.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: I think the moral of the story here in this part of the conversation was they want balance. They respond when their parents are involved. They want their parents to support them. But they don't want them attached at the hip.
HARRIS: Yes. Now, beyond embarrassment -- and I get that -- trust me when I tell you I get that from my kids -- is there another reason why young people wouldn't want their parents heavily involved in their education?
AZUZ: They listed a couple, the big one being college. They felt that when they went off to college and they got into the real world, there were some concerns about not being able to assimilate and kind of take care of themselves.
But one young lady, Maria Flores (ph), we spoke to actually told us that the fact that her parents weren't as involved because of the language barrier helped her to feel better about what she had accomplished on her own, taking responsibility for her own education. So she felt like she had gotten something extra out of that.
HARRIS: OK.
Tomorrow is Friday. How do you plan to wrap this up?
AZUZ: We are going to ask students what one thing they could do to fix their schools would be. They talked about some of the problems they've seen in the school systems, and we'll bring you some of that. But really, we're going to try to sum it up with their advice for fixing American schools.
HARRIS: Man, that is terrific. Good stuff, Carl, all week. See you tomorrow.
AZUZ: Thank you, Tony. Appreciate it.
HARRIS: So what about the parent/teacher relationship? How do you as a parent communicate with your child's teacher effectively?
That's where we come in. Today we're starting a new segment, "Empowered Parents." The goal? Help parents navigate the sometimes tricky education system.
Today's assignment, how to talk to teachers. And if they don't respond, how to take it to the next level.
CNN education contributor Steve Perry provided this roadmap for us.
First, identify the best way to communicate. Ask the teacher if they prefer e-mail, a phone call, or a face-to-face meeting.
Once that's established and you've made contact, e-mailed or called, what should be the time frame for a response? Principal Perry says two days, max. If the teacher does not respond to you, report it to the principal's office. He says if you're not getting what you need, take it to the next level.
And a word of caution here. How am I timing out here with the graphics? OK. I think it's working.
Many parents make the mistake of doing all of their communication with teachers on back-to-school night. Actually, that's the worst time to grab a teacher's attention. They are literally overwhelmed by so many parents, they can't focus on your child's specific problems.
I hope that helps.
And as we continue to focus on fixing our schools, we will take a look at what's working in public education. I will talk with the principal from a charter school located in a Chicago housing project about what he is doing to succeed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Top stories right now.
New stats on Hurricane Earl out this hour. The storm on track to blow by North Carolina's Outer Banks during the overnight hours tonight.
CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf has an in-depth forecast coming up for you.
Dutch police free two United Airlines passengers who arrived in Amsterdam from Chicago on Monday. Authorities say the Yemeni men's luggage contained suspicious items, but after three days investigators say they found no link to a terror plot.
And fresh legal troubles for Grammy-winning rapper T.I. Police arrested him and his new wife, Tiny, at a traffic stop in Los Angeles last after they smelled what they called a strong odor of marijuana.
The pair made bail. Both are due in court tomorrow. T.I., as you may know, is on probation after serving time on a felony weapons conviction.
Getting down to the hard work of peacemaking. Just last hour, the first direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in 20 months started at the State Department. It begs the question, should the U.S. keep pushing for Middle East peace, or is this a waste of time?
A tough question, I know, but that's our focus. A CNN "Quick Vote" shows 67 percent of you are not optimistic at all about the resumption of talks. Twenty-six percent are somewhat optimistic. And only seven percent very optimistic.
But President Obama is convinced Middle East leaders must seize the moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And as I told each of them today, this moment of opportunity may not soon come again. They cannot afford to let it slip away. Now is the time for leaders of courage and vision to deliver the peace that their people deserve.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: All right. Let's bring in our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux.
And Suzanne, Secretary Clinton mentioned that the fact that they were veterans to the process coming to the table again should help the process. Well, Suzanne, you're a veteran yourself, having covered the Middle East process under Presidents Clinton and Bush. Here's the question: Can Secretary Clinton and President Obama break through where so many other U.S. leaders have failed, frankly?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, Tony, it's a very good question. I mean, it was interesting that she acknowledged veterans around the table.
I remember covering the Wye summit back in 1998 when President Clinton had at the table with him Benjamin Netanyahu and, of course, Yasser Arafat. Fast forward to President Bush when he was at the White House. He was trying to get Ehud Olmert at the time to shake hands with, of course, Mahmoud Abbas. Now you've got these players who are once again face to face, faced with a lot of questions here and negotiations, some real sticking points.
What could possibly make this any different? There are a couple of things that we're looking at.
First, the Obama administration is starting this process early on, less than two years into the administration. He's taking it very seriously in bringing these leaders together. Perhaps if he has got eight years, another term, maybe they will see this to the end of that and you'll see Middle East peace. That's one thing that President Bush didn't give himself so much time.
The second thing is we actually have seen recently some stability in the West Bank when it comes to some security, and as well as economically things getting better there. That is somewhat different than we've seen in the last couple years or so.
And then finally, think about it, Tony, they have got a mutual interest here when it comes to the threat of a nuclear Iran. The Israelis don't want to see it, the Palestinians are threatened by it as well.
It looks like Iran is getting closer to establishing a nuclear program. That would threaten both sides. That's mutual interest there, so that's something they can agree on, and that perhaps will help them move forward when it comes to the Middle East peace process.
But, Tony, who knows? We've been here before. There are a lot of veterans around. We're going to have to see if any of this shakes out in the months and perhaps even years to come.
HARRIS: Yes, we've been here before, and it's been disappointing. At the White House, Suzanne Malveaux for us.
Suzanne, great to see you. Thank you.
You know, next hour we will look at the core obstacles to a peace deal. One of them, settlements.
This was Prime Minister Netanyahu just five months ago --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Everyone knows -- everyone -- Americans, Europeans, Israelis, certainly, Palestinians -- everyone knows that these neighborhoods will be part of Israel in any peace settlement. And therefore, building in them in no way precludes the possibility of a two-state solution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Just last hour, the Israeli prime minister was talking painful concessions from both sides.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NETANYAHU: President Abbas, I am fully aware and I respect your people's desire for sovereignty. I'm convinced that it's possible to reconcile that desire with Israel's need for security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Reynolds, come on over here for a second.
WOLF: You bet.
HARRIS: We just have got a bit of some breaking news here.
Vermilion Bay -- you spent so much time in the New Orleans area with the Gulf oil spill -- that's clearly in the New Orleans area, correct?
WOLF: Yes, that's correct.
HARRIS: OK, because we're just getting word, breaking news just into CNN, of a rig explosion that took place 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay. And let's see here -- the rig in question is the Vermilion Oil Rig owned by Mariner Energy. 13 people onboard, 12 are in the water right now. I don't know how quickly you can pull up something there you go. There's Vermilion Bay.
WOLF: Not far at all from Marsh Island. The area of concern would be right here. A little target on there for you. Yes, this is an area where you've have so many people that work -- obviously they work on the water.
HARRIS: In oil and gas.
WOLF: Right. It's an awful thing to see. Certainly as we get more details it's going to be very interesting to find out just the exact particulars of what happened. Again, this is your area right here in this particular spot just north of Marsh Island.
HARRIS: And so we've got 13 people reportedly onboard, 12 are in the water, one reported missing at this point. You've got a couple of helicopters in the air right now and the Coast Guard is responding of course. Unknown injuries and no known status on the workers. We don't know if they hit the water with flotation devices. We just don't know. So that's what we know right now.
Let's see the area again one more time here, Reynolds.
WOLF: Just to get your bearings, let me back out a little bit, give people at home a better idea where this is taking place. Let's clear this then let's expand this one more time.
Just to give you bearings again, you've got Baton Rouge here, here's New Orleans. It's really the southern half of the state. You've got Vermilion Bay right here and then, of course, Marsh Island is just due to the north. You've got so many back water areas back there so you have this brackish body of water, a little bit of river water mixed in with some of the Gulf water and that's where it occurred right in that spot right there.
HARRIS: Yes. And we're talking about a rig explosion 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay. We will continue to follow the story. 13 people reported on the rig, 12 in the water. Now one reported missing. We will get additional information and update the story in just a moment.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: It is almost unbelievable. We've got another oil rig explosion in the Gulf region. The Vermilion Oil Rig owned by Mariner Energy has exploded 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay. We've got some mapping of the general area. We don't have the specific location, 80 miles south of Vermillion Bay. Reports of 13 people on board the rig, 12 in the water right now, one person reported missing. We've got helicopters in the air from the Houston area, helicopters in the air from New Orleans. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Decisive on its way.
Unknown injuries at this point. No known status of the workers. It is not known whether the workers hit the water with flotation devices. Can you believe it?
It at the Vermilion Oil Rig owned by Mariner Energy, in an explosion on that rig, 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay. We are hustling, as you can imagine, to get additional information, to get folks on the phone so that we can learn as much as we can learn. Do we have anyone on the phone? Who do we have on the phone? Bill, you're on the line with us from the Coast Guard, correct?
PETTY OFC. BILL COLCLOUGH, U.S. COAST GUARD (via telephone): This is Petty Officer Bill Colclough with Coast Guard public affairs in New Orleans.
HARRIS: Bill, tell me what you know.
COLCLOUGH: We received a report at approximately 10:30 a.m. that an oil rig approximately 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay in the Terrebonne Bay region of Louisiana, that an oil rig owned by Mariner Energy exploded. The 13 crew members aboard the platform, they abandoned the rig. 12 have been accounted for -- they all have been accounted for. One is injured. The 12 are in immersion suits. Four Coast Guard rescue helicopters from Air Station New Orleans and four Coast Guard helicopters from Air Station Houston are en route, as well as the Coast Guard Cutters Decisive, Manta, Skipjack, and four civilian vessels, as well.
HARRIS: Wow. Bill, let me check these numbers with you. So, 12 accounted for. Were there 13 on the rig? My reporting in front of me now says 13 people were onboard the rig.
COLCLOUGH: Yes, we have -- we did - yes. There are 1 3 reported to be aboard the rig and all have been accounted for. 12 are in immersion suits and one is injured.
HARRIS: OK.
COLCLOUGH: And they will be taken to Terrebonne General Medical Center.
HARRIS: Do we know anything about the circumstances? I know it's very early. What might have happened here?
COLCLOUGH: We don't know what caused the rig to catch on fire but the incident is under investigation.
HARRIS: And we are talking an explosion and fire?
COLCLOUGH: Yes. There are reports - there are reports that the rig is still on fire and that will be -- the cause of the incident will be under investigation and is under investigation, as well.
HARRIS: And since we are talking about an oil rig, I have to ask the question, are we aware of any leak from this rig?
COLCLOUGH: There are reports the rig was not actively producing any product so we do not know if there's any additional concerns of pollution even though it was not producing product.
HARRIS: So, Bill, just sort of to recap here. We've got an explosion and a fire on this rig about 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay, Terrebonne Bay region?
COLCLOUGH: Yes, that's correct. It's Vermilion -- it's 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay.
HARRIS: All right. And 13 people were onboard this rig. Everyone has been accounted for at this point?
COLCLOUGH: Yes, that is correct. Coast Guard helicopters and Coast Guard cutters are en route to rescue these people as soon as possible.
HARRIS: And, Bill, no word yet as to whether or not there is a leak, an oil leak associated with this explosion and fire?
COLCLOUGH: That has not been determined. That will be under investigation.
HARRIS: All right, Bill. Terrific. Thank you.
All right. We will continue to update this story. Let's take a break here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You cannot believe it. Another oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. It was April 20th when BP's Deepwater Horizon rig exploded. 11 workers were killed and the Gulf region devastated by the oil spill, the leak, the gusher.
And here we are the 2nd day of September, and we have another oil rig explosion in the Gulf. Just 90 miles south of the Vermilion Bay in the Terrebonne Bay region, a rig has exploded owned by Mariner Energy.
Here is the great news -- 13 workers on that rig, they all hit the water, all have been accounted for. One of the 13 suffered injuries but they have all been accounted for. What we don't know yet is whether we have a leak of any kind, of any consequence, associated with the explosion and fire on this rig. Vermilion Oil Rig 380 owned by Mariner Energy.
We will continue to update this story. We will turn around our interview just a moment ago with the Chief Petty Officer from the Coast Guard and play that for you in its entirety right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Fix our schools. Those three words are driving much of what you see on CNN this week because as America's children return to school, CNN has a mission.
We've sent reporting teams across the country to document the education crisis in America. Most importantly, we will shine a light on success stories that can empower us to offer our children so much more than they are getting right now.
You might not expect to find a success story, a successful school next to a Chicago housing project, but the Chicago International School's Llyod Bond campus is determined to succeed against the odds. It is a charter school backed by Edison Learning and Principal Michael Campbell, who I think is a real star in education, is with us from Chicago.
Michael, good to see you again, sir.
MICHAEL CAMPBELL, EDISON LEARNING SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: Good morning, Tony.
HARRIS: All right. Let's talk this through here. Set the scene for us, if you would. What were your challenges - the challenges at the Chicago International School's Lloyd Bond campus before you and Edison took over.
CAMPBELL: Well, the challenges are always great when you're in an area such as ours where the demographics of the students you're serving are mostly low income students.
One of the things that obviously helped us overcome those challenges are having great parents and a great staff around us. Also, you have to overcome the idea of whether or not the expectations that the parents have for students as well as expectations that the students, as well as the expectations that the students even have for themselves are the same, or at least similar to those that we have for them.
So, getting everyone on board and getting everyone thinking in the same mind frame, the mindset and knowing the challenges that are ahead and then understanding that we have to build a self-efficacy of children in n order for them to really believe and hold on to their successes, that was always a great challenge for us in the first year.
HARRIS: Belief on the part of the children and the parents and a belief in philosophy, it seems to me. Did you walk through the doors of that school with a basic philosophy or approach?
CAMPBELL: Well, our basic philosophy, obviously, is kind of an old school approach, I like to believe, and that is where we have the value systems within the very curriculum that we're facilitating for children.
Also, in this millennium, Tony, we're looking at children who need more than a handheld calculator in their hand than we did growing up. Now we have to have clickers in their hands where students are going to be able to give you an instantaneous response to what they're thinking and be able to graphically show that information on the board for them; to infuse technology throughout the school, put laptops in the hands of children on a three-to-one operation. Those are the approaches that we use to really engage the learner.
HARRIS: Yes. How do you make the home front -- the home front -- an extension of the school front? How are you structuring your parental interaction?
CAMPBELL: Well, we've got great parents and the one thing about having a school in our guild (ph), the school can actually become the hub of a community. So we can have different events at night or in the evening time that just really attracts the neighborhood since there aren't a lot of opportunities out there for the parents and the families of our guild (ph).
So we want to make sure, first of all, that we're listening to our parents and that any of their concerns or any of the dreams that they have for their children's education we can help them manifest those dreams into a reality.
And then, welcoming the parents into the building to assist. I remember last year in our first week, we actually had three or four parents who were working in classrooms volunteering, helping set up centers, helping to read to students. I think that's the type of thing that's really going to allow us to be a great school and to help our community make that turn.
HARRIS: OK. One last one for you, and I need an answer to this, I need you to help me look to a future where we have closed the achievement gap in this country where black and Latino and white kids are all achieving at least more evenly. What would that mean? What would that mean, Michael, for our country?
CAMPBELL: Well, that's going to create some extraordinary measures for America. The NCLB has created standards that we all can look at now and say that these are the basic standards that allow everyone to have the civil rights to education actually being lived.
And one of the things I believe is the standards that were set by that NCLB really is the floor, Tony. That's not the ceiling. If America is not careful, we'll be blindsided and realize that we haven't closed the global achievement gap that allows our children to compete against the children in Singapore or that our students are trying to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology here in Chicago but the India Institute of Technology, those students who don't get in are looking at MIT as a fallback.
So we have to make certain that the standards we're teaching and the expectations we're setting forth for our children are far greater than even the government has established for us.
HARRIS: Yes. Michael, have a great school year.
CAMPBELL: And once we're all -- once we're all on a level playing field, Tony, with that, then we can compete globally. That's what I see for America.
HARRIS: Have a great school year and we'll be in touch with you throughout the year. Michael, great to see you.
CAMPBELL: Thanks, Tony. Great to see you and hear you again.
HARRIS: Yes, my pleasure, man.
We posed that last question about closing the achievement gap and what it would mean to two superintendents we interviewed this week. Here is what they said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NANCY GRASMICK, MARYLAND STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS: It would mean everything for our country because we are becoming more diverse every single day. And that is the lens through which we wrote our Race to the Top application to eliminate the achievement gap while accelerating the performance of every single group. It would be huge for this country.
JACK O'CONNELL, CALIFORNIA SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS: What that really means for us, Tony, is it's no longer simply a moral imperative, no long a social imperative, it really is an economic imperative.
I know many, many of our viewers and listeners are familiar with the McKinsey report that came out recently that talked about the literally trillions of dollars in economic productivity could be attributed to this great country if we could eliminate that achievement gap. I mean, I believe if we can eliminate the achievement gap, every state budget would be balanced.
So closing the achievement gap is no long a moral imperative. Today, it really is an economic imperative and must be part of our overall strategy for economic recovery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And let's give you a quick update on the oil rig explosion.
Yes, another oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. This one taking place about 90 miles, 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay. And we can give you a frame of reference on a map here that we've pulled together for you. Let's take a look at that, in the Terre Bonne Bay region, and there you can see it. We're talking about the Vermilion Oil Rig 380, and that is owned by Mariner Energy.
Just a couple of minutes ago we talked about this explosion with the U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Colclough.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETTY OFC. BILL COLCLOUGH, U.S. COAST GUARD (via telephone): -- a report at approximately 10:30 a.m. that an oil rig approximately 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay in the Terre Bonne Bay region of Louisiana, that an oil rig owned by Mariner Energy exploded.
The 13 crew members aboard the platform, they abandoned the rig. Twelve have been accounted -- they've all been accounted for; one is injured, the 12 are in emergence suits.
Four Coast Guard rescue helicopters from Air Station New Orleans and four Coast Guard rescue helicopters from Air Station Houston are en route. As well as the Coast Guard cutters Decisive, Manta, Skipjack and four civilian vessels as well.
HARRIS: Wow. Bill, let me sort of check these numbers with you. So 12 accounted for, were there 13 on the rig? My reporting in front of me now says 13 people were on board the rig.
COLCLOUGH: Yes, we have -- yes, there are 13 that were reported to be aboard that rig and all, all have been accounted for; 12 are in emergence suits and one is injured.
HARRIS: OK.
COLCLOUGH: And they will be taken to Terre Bonne General Medical Center.
HARRIS: Do we know anything about the circumstances, I know it's very early, of what might have happened here?
COLCLOUGH: We don't know what caused the rig to catch on fire, but the incident is under investigation.
HARRIS: And we are talking about an explosion and fire?
COLCLOUGH: Yes, this is -- the rig -- there are reports that the rig is still on fire, and that will be -- the cause of the incident will be under investigation and is under investigation as well.
HARRIS: And since we were talking about an oil rig, I have to ask the question, are we aware of any leak from this rig?
COLCLOUGH: There are reports that the rig was not actively producing any product. So we do not know if there's any additional concerns of pollution, even though it was not producing product.
HARRIS: So, Bill, just sort of to recap here, we've got an explosion and a fire on this rug, about 90 miles sort of Vermilion Bay, Terre Bonne Bay region?
COLCLOUGH: Yes, that's correct. It's in, it's 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay.
HARRIS: All right. And 13 people were on board this rig, everyone has been accounted for at this point?
COLCLOUGH: Yes, that is correct. And Coast Guard helicopters and Coast Guard cutters are en route to rescue these people as soon as possible.
HARRIS: And, Bill, no word yet as to whether or not there is a leak, an oil leak associated with this explosion and fire?
COLCLOUGH: That has not been determined. That will be under investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: We're following breaking news in the Gulf of Mexico. An oil rig exploded. Yes, you heard me correctly, an oil rig explosion in the Gulf.
All 13 workers on the rig -- and here's the great news -- are accounted for; at least one worker was injured.
The rig is located in the Gulf of Mexico, 80 miles -- actually, about 90 miles sort of Vermilion Bay. It is owned by Mariner Energy.
Let's take a break, we'll update the story in a couple of minutes. And some new breaking news coming to us as well. We'll pull all of this together for you.
Back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
