This post originally appeared on the The Dallas Morning News.
Coach John Carter has devoted years to developing the Turner 12 program at Lincoln High School in South Dallas.
The program gets parents involved in their children’s education and pushes youths to transform their lives inside and outside the classroom. Carter works to instill discipline, good study habits and parental oversight — with a strong emphasis on volunteerism to help uplift the surrounding community.
Twelve students commit to the program in seventh grade, and if they stay with it through graduation, Carter promises them a shot at college.
Saturday, another Turner 12 class graduates at Lincoln, including the high school’s top two students, valedictorian Veronica Jacquez and salutatorian Ivory Alexis (both pictured above). Both plan to attend law school.
Carter’s work represents exactly the approach we advocate to boost student performance and produce amazing success stories — all the more amazing when it happens in one of southern Dallas’ most challenged neighborhoods.