Feb. 1, 2023 “Black history is a lifetime. It is not a month. Stop letting other people control the narrative.” – Forum participant Gary Marion Jan. 24, 2023 Perhaps there is no middle way between the stout defenders of Black History Month and Gary Marion's ... Continue Reading →
Retired principal reaches out to CMS
Dec. 6, 2021 In a document apparently aimed at a CMS Board of Education under fire for disarray in its schoolhouses, veteran educator Kenneth Simmons says he can make a difference, if only the school system would allow him to do so: "On many instances in the past, I have attempted to share with ... Continue Reading →
2 pipelines: school-failure-to-prison; and prison-back-into-society
April 24, 2018 Perhaps this is one of the things the Forum does best: bring folks together out of their silos to meet, explain their silos and then, perhaps, go away to contemplate how to knock down the silos. Educator and longtime Mecklenburg resident Ken Simmons said he had never met Henry ... Continue Reading →
Simmons: ‘Bad’ CMS schools can be fixed ‘overnight’
Feb. 23, 2016 ... Continue Reading →
Group proposes new approach for majority-African American schools
Sept. 22, 2015 Ken Simmons led a presentation this morning about "Another option to Improving the Educational Performance of Poor and Inner-city Youth in Mecklenburg County." Video from the presentation and the Q&A that followed is in five pieces below. Below the videos are the slides from ... Continue Reading →
Reflections of Some Who Lived Black History
When the Forum gathered at the Wallace Pruitt Rec Center for the "Highlighting African-American Achievers" exhibit, participants saw reminders of the inventive genius of African-Americans, and saw a riviting skit about the Underground Railroad. When the skit concluded, they met in a room and ... Continue Reading →
Simmons on what it will to see West Charlotte High succeed
Dec. 4, 2012 Ken Simmons, a retired CMS teacher and principal, addressed the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum today, arguing that West Charlotte High School can succeed with its students, but only if African-Americans embrace the school as it is, and don't wait for white people to return, which he ... Continue Reading →
What it will take to end bullying
By Kenneth A. Simmons, M.Ed. Oct. 27, 2012 One of the most horrific behaviors or set of experiences being presented on stage throughout America is bullying. Many experts agree that bullying may take on many different forms; however, bullying can generally be defined as deliberate and hurtful ... Continue Reading →