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Replacing the Corridor of Shame with the Hallway of Hope

Past shame breeds “Hallway of Hope”

The no-holds barred documentary that rocked South Carolina in 2006, Corridor of Shame, was a chilling representation of the failure to adequately prepare our children for success. The documentary went where no one dared—the ugly truth of inequity found in South Carolina’s rural public schools clustered along Interstate 95.

While the documentary has proven to be a necessary catalyst for change as well as a popular stumping destination for national politicians, the time has come to shift our focus away from despair and negativity to a positive message that begets positive action.

The answer is to replace the Corridor of Shame with the Hallway of Hope, thereby establishing a new culture of hope for South Carolina’s students and teachers.

At the South Carolina Council for Economic Education (SCCEE), we have a vision for the Hallway of Hope: clean, safe, beautiful schools; inspired and inspiring teachers; and thriving students.

While it may sound like sugarplums and lollypops, it’s a vision that is attainable. Why do we maintain such an optimistic view? It’s because state lawmakers, the business community, and educational leaders have already created an aggressive framework to make it happen. Let us explain.

The driver of hope in South Carolina’s schools is economic literacy. This may seem like an unlikely fuel for excellence. The reality is that economics is the very basis of our democracy. The spirit of free enterprise drives our success in a global economy. Moreover, children practice economics in their everyday lives. Those who understand and master the concepts of economics have the very tools they need to succeed in life.

Recognizing this, South Carolina has made economics part of the social studies academic standards at every grade level beginning in kindergarten. Students in grades three through eight are tested on economics in the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT). High school students must pass an economic course in order to graduate. Recent legislation calls for personal finance to be taught in every grade level, and in 2005, the passage of the Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA) gave us an action plan for investing in our state’s human capital. Dubbed “Personal Pathways for Success,” it provides students with the resources they need to establish an education plan that supports their career goals.

The South Carolina Council of Economic Education (SCCEE) is one organization that is using this framework to replace shame with hope in our schools including schools in the Hallway of Hope. Specifically, SCCEE provides economics-based training for teachers at all schools—regardless of location or tax base. Hundreds of teachers are taking advantage of these active learning programs because they’re fun, meaningful, and they get kids excited.

One of SCCEE’s most popular programs is the South Carolina Stock Market Game, sponsored by Merrill Lynch. Student teams from across the state compete to develop the most profitable stock portfolio. Last school year the top team in the state, Cheraw Intermediate School, was from the Hallway of Hope. Who needs shame when you can win in the stock market, albeit in a game?

This year, SCCEE has a powerful new partner in the Stock Market Game, the South Carolina Conference of Black Mayors. Already, more than ten African-American mayors, most of whose towns dot the I-95 corridor, are joining us in sponsoring the Mayor’s Blue Chip Investors Program. Underwritten with a grant from the State Budget and Control Board, the program rewards local winners of the Stock Market Game with a celebratory dinner hosted by their mayor.

Leaders like Manning Mayor Kevin Johnson, who’s also president of the Conference of Black Mayors, can’t wait to get started using this as a carrot to motivate students in Clarendon County. “A little thing like dinner with the mayor can change a life,” he says. I couldn’t agree more.

We’ve witnessed other hopeful signs in schools along I-95. Last year’s winner of our Young Entrepreneur Award is from Hampton County. One of the best economics teachers in the state teaches at Marion High School. Our biggest poster child for hope is Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, a graduate of Dillon High School, firmly situated on the I-95 corridor. There is no shame here, only people who have found opportunities to shine in and beyond South Carolina’s schools.

So what is it going to be, Corridor of Shame or Hallway of Hope? We think our leaders, our teachers and our students have already voted. And it’s all about hope.

Helen Meyers is the president of the South Carolina Council on Economic Education, a not-for-profit organization that advances economics education and financial literacy.

John Baker is managing partner of
Baker & Baker, a real estate
development company in Columbia,
South Carolina, and chairman
of the South Carolina Council
on Economic Education.