Anderson Cooper on Oprah's Schools in Africa:
Frankly, I was surprised the media ignored Oprah's comments about why she has chosen to build schools in Africa, rather than in the inner cities of the United States. She stated that kids in the U.S. are more interested in iPods and tennis shoes than in getting a good education. Oprah became frustrated with inner city schools and the kids in them because she didn't sense they appreciated the need to learn. (If a conservative made this comment, there would have been press conferences with Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson et al charging racism...)

As Oprah opens her second school in South Africa, there have been reports that some parents of girls at her boarding school are concerned. The school limits family visits to once per month and limits the number of visitors to 4 per child.

Anderson Cooper did a story on the concerns and could only find one mother to go on camera. That mom said she accepts the limitations because she appreciates the opportunity Oprah is giving her daughter. The other parents apparently accept the decision they have made to turn their daughter(s) over to Oprah in the hopes that they will have better, healthier lives.

It is an interesting issue- Oprah has obviously built a magnificent building for these girls. She also seems to believe that it is necessary to separate these children from their parents to ensure they have the best opportunity for success. Boarding schools in America offer a similar opportunity for children of very wealthy people and the token scholarship kids but I have never heard of parents being denied access to their children. In America, parents also have ready access to their kids via phone.

It is difficult to get a lot of detailed information about these children in Africa and their schedule. Are these children being taught western philosophy or is their curriculum rooted in African culture and studies? Are these children allowed to have phone contact with their parents?

In America we have a growing debate about the implications of charter schools pulling the smart kids out of struggling schools. Our country has long struggled with the practice of pulling kids out of their community to help them learn to be successful. I just went to the Colorado History Museum and viewed a display about what happened when Native American children were pulled into boarding schools in order to offer them a better education and to help them learn the skills necessary for them to more successfully assimilate into the greater society. In these cases, religion was also an important aspect of the teachings. These schools were shut down.

How easy and likely will it be that these children feel comfortable returning to their home communities to improve conditions and help others? How likely is it they will be met with animosity, much like those people of color in America who have pursued education outside of their communities? Will those they left behind be jealous and angry?

I can not imagine sending my children away or agreeing to see my children once per month. I am fortunate that my children have access to opportunity and that I don't have to consider such an option.

Only time will tell if Oprah's experiment was well planned. I hope that these kids are receiving a strong education. I hope for the students' sakes that the rules aren't too extreme and that these kids really do take seriously this opportunity to learn. I hope these kids all succeed and someday help improve the quality of life for people across Africa.

I also hope that the children of the inner cities in America wake up to the fact that they are in control of their own individual futures. If these lost American children would spend as much time reading as they do reminiscing about Tupac and listening to vulgar Hip Hop music, they would have opportunities galore.

Thanks to Oprah for doing something to help children succeed. Maybe she will find a way to get through to the children of the inner cities. Maybe she could set up foreign studies programs that take kids from our cities and place them in her African schools. I don't know if our kids could tolerate the struggles faced by those in the world who truly are disadvantaged, but it would be an interesting experiment.