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John Legend on America's Education Crisis

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    Grammy winner on 'Fox & Friends'

  • Duration 5:22
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She's a nine time Grammy Award winning recording artists but music is not.

John legend's only -- For years the singer has dedicated himself to giving back specifically to public education and John Legend.

Joins us this morning on the -- -- John great to have good morning how are you were doing well great to see.

It's good to be back hot today in Springfield is a hot day in New York got -- in spring -- -- hot and pretty much everywhere but you know it you know what's so good about school.

What's so good luck -- so good about trying to get the kids are -- right now.

Thanks yeah -- always -- air conditioning were be were again on overtime which concerns his -- dropping out and he just got one every nine seconds one every nine seconds and now about a third of our kids don't graduate on time.

And so I'm working with P&G in communities in schools to do an initiative to raise awareness about what communities in schools does to help stem the drop -- rate.

And we're excited about that.

And when you talk to these kids -- make eye contact you get the sense that you can make a difference.

As opposed to somebody was -- made which -- done.

I think as small differences maybe like -- -- me coming and that the major difference is made by the teachers that are in front of them every day.

Those people are working hard every day to make sure these kids learn what they need to learn and stay in school and accomplish -- -- -- an accomplishment something we've been talking about ever since particularly that movie waiting for -- -- and I know you've seen it you'd like double I was out of the part of -- I mean that's a song for.

Absolutely and that's terrific.

But one of the things you know they've talked about we gotta get rid of the bad teachers -- got to reward the good teachers there's Bennett a study and I know you look at the research that showed that they looked at a couple hundred.

Schools here in New York City where they looked at.

Paying the good teachers.

America then as it turns out according this Rand study it has little to do with student scores I mean you can pay well a teacher more money but the scores don't go up.

Well I I think what's happening is those teachers are highly effective teachers anyway that in need you to give them an actual bonus to make them highly effective they were already doing that and so that extra bonus didn't make them work -- they were already working hard.

So what I'm thinking is that bonus in itself doesn't make the teachers better.

But what we do need to make sure is that we have a quality teacher in every classroom because that is.

Consistently been proven as the most important in school factor to making sure students achieve or whatever means we need to get to that and which is high student achievement which is driven by teacher quality and and -- we need to do.

You know obviously there -- so much outrage in waiting for -- and other cities where it turns out that there are bad teachers struck some of them in these rubber rooms in New York some of them were not.

Darius.

Infractions and they're still collecting their salaries what -- we do about that.

Our and -- that that's part of the problem so if if -- key driver for the student achievement is making sure quality teachers in every classroom.

That means if we don't have quality teachers and there they kids are suffering.

We need to make sure those teachers -- in front of kids every day if they're not effective.

And so fired and we need to get it so it's easy I think is doing an interesting thing right now they have just fired a luncheon they have a new evaluation system where they're saying if you're an effective for a couple years in a -- -- when you think about moving your out of the system because you're not doing a good job for the kids.

And then all the -- teachers they make sure they.

-- continue to improve and continue to develop and than they even reward.

Teachers who are doing very well and so I don't think rewarding those teachers that are doing -- was gonna make them teach better but.

If you're DC chancellor is probably gonna make them -- -- -- in your district and if you if you are in the talent business where you're trying to acquire.

And keep and develop as many talented teachers as possible.

And you pay them better than the next district and you probably go into a better job of keeping them there.

And and that we'll have a positive effect on on.

You can -- the crew was noticed is that we need you seem to get along -- and didn't he already having I -- -- That's probably yeah probably the reason is is because I started music in fourth grade time.

Idaho junior high I knew this segment of the some.

-- opponent causes you can get involved with -- -- -- -- -- of John legend of establishing music you like get involved in education.

Well you know I started off caring about poverty and thinking about you know why so many folks suffering in poverty I started working in Africa and -- are looking at what was going on here in America if you think about why some people are stuck in poverty.

A lot of it has to do with the fact that -- education is not providing them pathway out of poverty is not providing them an opportunity to help themselves because really the American dream is to be able to learn to grow and develop and then -- often do something great but if you're not given that start at the beginning to make sure you have a good education in his heart for you to break out of that cycle and so I decided I wanna get involved and education reform because I wanna make sure all of our kids have an opportunity to get a good education is something that drives -- -- the -- inspires me.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Applauded -- and apparently you play guitars so we're gonna I played out after talking -- -- -- right.

My problem with my aunt didn't have a ground that pop out of the pool without with wet with -- -- on electric myself I eventually would stop that -- -- if you survived it that I.

Have some damage hasn't -- got -- me.

John thanks -- thank you.

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