Comments on: Marshall Ganz on Narrative and Social Movements http://www.lokman.org/2009/04/01/marshall-ganz-on-narrative-and-social-movements/ new media, global communication, journalism Wed, 18 May 2011 14:33:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Bill Betzen http://www.lokman.org/2009/04/01/marshall-ganz-on-narrative-and-social-movements/comment-page-1/#comment-3272 Bill Betzen Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:30:47 +0000 http://www.lokman.org/?p=167#comment-3272 The power of story is central to any school dropout prevention program. If we can cut the dropout rate in the US in half we will have a social revolution. If student can credibly and hopefully focus onto their own story, and look forward to reporting and celibrating that story in 10 years, the dropout rates will go down. Marshall Ganz is on to something big! In 2005 we bolted a 350-pound to the floor in our Dallas ISD middle school in a poor inner-city area of Oak Cliff. At that time our students, 98% Hispanic, were projected to have a 37% probability for graduating high school. In 2005 the 8th grade class was allowed to write letters to themselves documenting their life history, family history, and plans for the future. This letter was a project in Language Arts Class after the final state testing finished at the end of the year. Well over 90% of student chose to participate. That first class did not get to see the vault installed as that happened during the summer of 2005. However, they knew their letters would be placed into the vault and they would be invited back to a 10 year class reunion in November of 2014 at which they would both get their letters back and be invited to speak with the then current 8th grade classes about their recommendations for success. They were warned to expect questions such as "Would you do anything differently if you were 13 again?" That first 8th grade class of 2005 to write letters for the vault made up the 2009 graduating classes at both Pinkston and Sunset high schools where most or our middle school students attend. Both high schools had the largest graduating class since before 1997! An annual ritual has formed of our 8th grade students posing in front of the vault with their Language Arts class holding their letters that last week of 8th grade. Their photo is taken and then they line up to place their letters, one by one, onto the shelf for their class inside the vault. There are 10 shelves. Then the next day they each get two copies of that photo with project details on the back including the month and year of their 10 year class reunion. They are reminded that they will be invited to speak with the then current students about their recommendations for success, and the type questions they can expect. They project is now spreading to 4 more schools within Dallas ISD this next year. That is the power of story. See project details at www.studentmotivation.org. Marshall Ganz is right! The power of story is central to any school dropout prevention program. If we can cut the dropout rate in the US in half we will have a social revolution. If student can credibly and hopefully focus onto their own story, and look forward to reporting and celibrating that story in 10 years, the dropout rates will go down. Marshall Ganz is on to something big!

In 2005 we bolted a 350-pound to the floor in our Dallas ISD middle school in a poor inner-city area of Oak Cliff. At that time our students, 98% Hispanic, were projected to have a 37% probability for graduating high school. In 2005 the 8th grade class was allowed to write letters to themselves documenting their life history, family history, and plans for the future. This letter was a project in Language Arts Class after the final state testing finished at the end of the year. Well over 90% of student chose to participate.

That first class did not get to see the vault installed as that happened during the summer of 2005. However, they knew their letters would be placed into the vault and they would be invited back to a 10 year class reunion in November of 2014 at which they would both get their letters back and be invited to speak with the then current 8th grade classes about their recommendations for success. They were warned to expect questions such as “Would you do anything differently if you were 13 again?”

That first 8th grade class of 2005 to write letters for the vault made up the 2009 graduating classes at both Pinkston and Sunset high schools where most or our middle school students attend. Both high schools had the largest graduating class since before 1997!

An annual ritual has formed of our 8th grade students posing in front of the vault with their Language Arts class holding their letters that last week of 8th grade. Their photo is taken and then they line up to place their letters, one by one, onto the shelf for their class inside the vault. There are 10 shelves. Then the next day they each get two copies of that photo with project details on the back including the month and year of their 10 year class reunion. They are reminded that they will be invited to speak with the then current students about their recommendations for success, and the type questions they can expect.

They project is now spreading to 4 more schools within Dallas ISD this next year. That is the power of story. See project details at http://www.studentmotivation.org.

Marshall Ganz is right!

]]> By: NYT: Community Organizing Never Looked So Good http://www.lokman.org/2009/04/01/marshall-ganz-on-narrative-and-social-movements/comment-page-1/#comment-711 NYT: Community Organizing Never Looked So Good Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:22:14 +0000 http://www.lokman.org/?p=167#comment-711 [...] is just a snip of a really good Global voices, one world piece that gives concept *and* the methods of Ganz’ approach to building powerful affinty [...] [...] is just a snip of a really good Global voices, one world piece that gives concept *and* the methods of Ganz’ approach to building powerful affinty [...]

]]> By: Rock-n-Go 岩棋志» Blog Archive » Social Network and Social Movement http://www.lokman.org/2009/04/01/marshall-ganz-on-narrative-and-social-movements/comment-page-1/#comment-656 Rock-n-Go 岩棋志» Blog Archive » Social Network and Social Movement Wed, 08 Apr 2009 06:10:44 +0000 http://www.lokman.org/?p=167#comment-656 [...] is the role of narrative in mobilizing people? Marshall Ganz of Harvard’s Kennedy School starts with Alexis de Tocqueville and tells how he was so impressed [...] [...] is the role of narrative in mobilizing people? Marshall Ganz of Harvard’s Kennedy School starts with Alexis de Tocqueville and tells how he was so impressed [...]

]]> By: Marshall Ganz on narratives and social movements at corinna di gennaro http://www.lokman.org/2009/04/01/marshall-ganz-on-narrative-and-social-movements/comment-page-1/#comment-595 Marshall Ganz on narratives and social movements at corinna di gennaro Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:28:27 +0000 http://www.lokman.org/?p=167#comment-595 [...] on this talk by my colleague Lokman Tsui available here. Filed under: All, Social Capital, e-society, political participation, us elections [...] [...] on this talk by my colleague Lokman Tsui available here. Filed under: All, Social Capital, e-society, political participation, us elections [...]

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