Detroit, Michigan has been one of America's premier blue-collar cities since Henry Ford began production of the Model T. However, clouds of record-high rates of unemployment and home foreclosures combined with impending storms of violence and crime have cast gloom over the next generation of Michigan's largest city. Through all the uncertainty of a brighter future for today's youth, Detroit's prodigal son has returned home to shine a ray of hope on his beloved city with the opening of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, a public charter school that is redefining public education in Detroit. Got Game held a phone interview with Jalen Rose, who's dedication to his new endeavour was evident by his presence at the school, in which we discussed his inspiration to start such a daunting project, the next steps for himself and JRLA, and the NBA Lockout. Already one of my favorite athletes for his talent, brash demeanor and candor, Jalen showed that his work in his community is only beginning, thus cementing his legacy in Detroit as not only a great basketball player, but a great humanitarian, leader, and overall human being.
What made you want to open a high school?
Well, education is paramount for today’s youth. If we want to turnaround to many negative things that are happening in our country and our great state of Michigan and the city of Detroit, with the crime rate and poverty, I feel the number one vehicle is through education. Detroit has really suffered, especially with public education, graduating only 30% of its ninth graders and our crime rate has been one of the top in the country, so it was paramount to help on the grassroots level to education. Starting the Jalen Rose foundation approximately 10yrs ago help influence about 40 kids to go to college via scholarship and also an endowment at the Univ. of Michigan that has graduated a couple of kids as well.
I see you’re not following the traditional educational model of public education, what are some of the things you are doing to not only get the kids to come to school, but want to stay in school?
I think the old model of public education where students get out in June and go back to school after Labor Day is just outdated and if people disagree, just look at other countries, like China, like India, etc., where their students sometimes even go to school 6-7 days a week, approximately 240 days a year as opposed to public schools in Detroit where they go 176 days year. Here at JRLA students will attend 211 days including 6 Super Saturdays. Also a longer school day, with an 8am start and a 4:30pm exit, with a 4:30-5:30pm tutoring. Longer school day, longer school year more time for at-risk students also 90min classes.
Can you explain what Count Day is?
Based on the budgets the public school system will need 90% of its students to show up on or around count day, so the state can decide how they will publicly fund public schools each year. That budget has been cut in Detroit over the past few years because the schools has failed to meet the 90% criteria, so it’s important that public schools to not only make sure kids are at school learning, enriching, and getting better every day, but also attending school particularly on Count Day.
What was the basis for instituting Super Saturdays?
Well you’re dealing with students from urban backgrounds and lower income scenarios in a lot of cases, they need more time, they need more energy, they need more class work, they need more time with their teachers, and they need more time to be in a safe environment to learn. An environment you don’t get a lot in this community because the community exposes the youth to a lot of things that takes their innocence at this young high school age with sex, drugs, violence, alcohol, and crime. So the more they are in school the more they are learning and that means the more they are off the street and that helps eliminate the opportunity for them to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I see JRLA started with just a ninth grade student enrollment, what do you envision for JRLA after the 4th year and why take this approach toward a full high school enrollment?
Well you do that because you want to establish a culture and when you’re dealing with the youth that I just described; initially they have a lot of catching up to do. We didn't hand select or segregate our students in any way shape or form. Not socially, not economically, not by gender. Our kids were chosen via lottery. So if you get a lot of kids that have come from scenarios that aren't reading at a ninth grade level, the majority of them aren't able to do math at a ninth grade level. So having longer school days and longer school years, those things are a must. 20:1 teacher to student ratio. Some of the best public schools in Detroit are doing 45:1. We have 20:1 all day, plus 10:1 in English and Math. So students can’t hide, administrators can’t hide, parents can’t hide. If it’s about learning and getting better, the opportunity is there and that’s what we are really about, and that’s really the goal, to establish a culture. So when those ninth graders become sophomores they can’t be big brothers, big sisters and leaders of the school who understand the culture ad help us as we usher in another ninth grade class.
You are a Detroit native, a Univ. of Michigan graduate and an icon in your area, what’s the next step for Jalen Rose?
Great question! My life is almost like a baseball diamond and I have different bases to fill with things that keep me busy. I guess first base would be, besides family, friends and my personal interests going to movies, love of music, watching football, being involved in sports, various things that make me happy. First base would be ESPN/ABC, being an analyst. I love doing broadcast work. I love covering sports and entertainment. This is my tenth year covering the NBA Finals as well as covering various sporting events. My major in school was Radio/TV/Film so I’m fortunate enough to being working in my field. Second base, Three Tier Entertainment. We have a couple projects that we’re passionate about that we are going to bring to the masses soon. We have a theatrical play, called the Greatest Love Story Ever Told and we also executive produced the Fab Five documentary. Third base, Jalen Rose Leadership Academy *various phone lines ringing in the background* as you can hear the phone is blowing up. I have 120 kids that we want to feel like they’re getting private education at a public school. We want them to get the exact same things kids paying 15-20 thousand dollars at great private schools like Country Day in our area are getting and that’s really the goal at JRLA.
I would be remiss if I didn't ask your take on the looming NBA Lockout?
A couple of things: It will be very disappointing if there isn't a season because that would be a big setback for the NBA, the players and everyone involved because the business has never thrived the way it is right now. The game has never been more popular, we have a lot of stars that are playing at a high level and being good ambassadors for the game. We have a lot of eyeballs of the NBA right now, so for the players and owners not to figure out a way to settle on a labor agreement it will be very disappointing.
What’s the one memory you have from the ’99 Lockout?
Unfortunately we lost to the Knicks in the Conference Finals. Larry Johnson get the inbounds pass from Charlie Ward, I deflect the ball it goes over to LJ, he get a bogus 4-point play from Antonio Davis, Knick fans go crazy. I see that clip all of the time and my stomach just drops.
How does the lockout affect a player’s development and livelihood?
If you’re fortunate enough you work in a field you’re passionate about and that you love. However, it is your job, it’s their career, they’re professionals, they’re adults and the bills don’t stop and they want to get their check. The difference between being a player and an owner is an owner has to be a billionaire to buy a team. So you lockout the players or there’s no basketball, no problem, just rent out the arena with a couple concert tours, have Sesame Street come to town or do whatever you have to do and your building still stays full. For a player, you’re an employee and your window to maximize the ability to not only plays the sport you love, but to have a career and feed your family that window is a lot shorter. So you want to maximize that as much as possible and be ambassadors for the future of the game. That’s what the ’99 lockout was all about; putting players that are in the league now to thrive the way they have been able to and hopefully they will do the same for the players who come along after them.
What’s your take on whether or not college athletes should be paid?
People are going to go back and forth about this for years to come, but this is one thing I know; College sports is a free enterprise to everyone except the students. And when you don’t have to play the talent, the people we turn on the TV to watch perform. So every time you watch a college basketball game, every time you watch a college football game, everybody is making money literally, except the players. Shoe companies, apparel companies, 100,000 seat arenas, television, radio; the list goes on and on and on. And it’s really become a mockery that the players can’t share in one way shape or form. And a lot of people say, well they get paid via scholarship, but the $30,000 that they’re playing a college football player they’re making that off one game off popcorn.
WOW! Really?
They’re making money hand over fist so the scholarship, it becomes a token. Then people say well you’re getting the opportunity to get a free education. True, but they’re not recruiting me to get an education; they’re recruiting me to play a sport. Because if I don’t perform they can take my scholarship. I can be a straight A student but have a bad knee and if I don’t perform well they can take my scholarship. So that makes it business, that makes it enterprise, which makes it entrepreneurship, that what takes it from being something you’re doing for fun, something you do for the love. It makes it business! And you’re a college kid remember, it’s your job to analyze situations and you’re smart enough to see it because you have a backpack on when the day starts and everybody is getting money but you. Coaches getting 5-6 million dollars to coach, TV deals are in the multi-millions and billions now. And if you don’t want to play them while they’re in school or give them some sort of stipend, I’m not saying give them salaries, but give them some sort of stipend. $2000 dollars, $2500 dollars a semester, something to put in their pocket. And if the goal is to graduate, why don’t you set up something so whereas, OK, you stay four years and graduate, you’re able to now have this money we put up for you because all players don’t become Cam Newton. What about the other players on the team? Like those who don’t get drafted? Exactly, they have to go to school with sore shoulders and busted knees and concussions and still have to sit in class. It’s crazy.
Great Article. Very informative.
Thanks!
Jalen Rose is a symbol of hope for the youth of Detroit.
I love it Homie, keep grindin’ on ‘um
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