Terra Walker
Principal, KIPP Vision Primary
Atlanta Public School System
Terra Walker began her career in education after graduating from the University of Florida, teaching both middle and high school in Orlando, Florida. She also served as an assistant principal with Georgia’s largest school district, Gwinnett County Public Schools, before joining KIPP. Ms. Walker holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and an Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum & Instruction. Ms. Walker is passionately committed to ensuring that all students are successful on their journey to and through college by developing strong hearts and minds.
ProjEct:
WKVP: OUR VISION, OUR VOICE
WKVP: Our Vision, Our Voice is a scholar-run news station that empowers KIPP Vision Primary School scholars to learn about and share their view and understanding of our school and surrounding community through their own eyes. Our students will work together collaboratively to research, write and broadcast school and local news that impact them, from a point of view that is meaningful and inspirational to them. WKVP: Our Vision, Our Voice will empower our students to take control of what and how they share their stories. KVP scholars will ultimately tell their own stories by working together to research, write and broadcast a 100% scholar-run news station that will also keep
WKVP: Our Vision, Our Voice is news reporting by our students, for our students. Through this project, students will take lead on reporting out a plethora of school and community topic and current events that impact them, from their perspective, ensuring that their brilliance and beauty is front and center. Unfortunately, misrepresentation and underrepresentation of minorities continues to exist, even in diverse metropolitan cities like Atlanta. The news and media that our students are typically exposed to is not written for or by individuals that look like them. Furthermore, the news media does not regularly portray minorities in a positive light. A study by the Color of Change found that “although roughly 50 percent of people arrested for violent crime are black, more than 75 percent of the news reports about such arrests highlighted black alleged perpetrators”. Another study suggests that “journalists of color remain a sliver of those producing and reporting” news stories and only “17 percent of newsroom personnel nationally consist of those from minority groups”.
Despite what they may see on TV every day, it is important for our students to know that what they have to say is important and needs to be heard, and that our school and community is a better place when we tune in to their voices. Student-run news stations are common in high school and college, and are present in some middle schools. I believe that it is critically important to let students know from an early age that their voice matters. In order to prepare our students for choice-filled lives, we must empower them to be critical thinkers and self-advocates. Participation in WKVP: Our Vision, Our Voice will provide students with an ongoing stream of ownership, feedback and affirmation while strengthening their ability to self-advocate by speaking about the things that concern and are of interest to them.