Prof lends a hand in Haiti

One year after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti, much of the nation remains in disrepair.

Sharon Ravitch, a lecturer at the Graduate School of Education, is prepared to help Haiti bounce back from the natural disaster.

In December, Ravitch and Haitian Ministry of Education Senior Leader Creutzer Mathurin formalized an agreement in which she was named senior international advisor to the Ministry. Ravitch will help enact the Ministry’s Educational Reconstruction Plan, designed to restructure Haiti’s educational system.

This past July, Ravitch led a trip to Haiti to conduct a needs assessment and also visited with various residents in Haiti, including school administrators, teachers, students and Ministry officials.

Two of the members on Ravitch’s Applied Research team were born in Haiti — Ralph Bouquet and Wagner Marseille. Bouquet is a student in GSE’s Teach for America Urban Teacher Master’s Program and teaches at Frankford High School in Philadelphia. Marseille, a graduate of GSE’s Mid-Career Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership, is an assistant principal at Lower Merion High School. Laura Colket, a doctoral candidate in GSE’s Educational Leadership Program, also traveled with the team.

According to Ravitch, her new position involves a minimum time commitment of five years. Among other tasks, Ravitch will aid the Ministry of Education in the development of an institute on educational study and research.

“I really see myself contributing to the development of this institute that will drive the operational plan for the reconstruction,” Ravitch said. “And I see myself working to develop a good relationship between the University of Pennsylvania and the Haitian Ministry of Education.”

Ravitch will also work to reconstruct the school system by improving professional development. She explained that she will work with the Ministry to revise school curriculum and reform Haiti’s higher education system.

Of Ravitch’s appointment, Colket said, “It’s really, really exciting … She’s incredible. It’s been an amazing opportunity working with her and seeing her engage in this kind of work.”

“I think she’s well positioned within Penn to take on this role, and I think she’s also very dedicated to making sure this is a long-term relationship,” said Yve-Car Momperousse, assistant director of Classes and Reunions at Penn Alumni Relations and member of the Haitian Professionals of Philadelphia.

“I love the approach that she’s taken to make sure that those who need to be involved, are involved,” Momperousse added. “The fact that she’s open to having all the schools [at the University] be a part of helping the Haitian Ministry makes her more than qualified to take on this position.”

Although Ravitch is eager to embrace her new role, she is also aware that the nation’s current circumstances could affect her work. The results of Haiti’s Nov. 28 presidential election are largely disputed and according to The Associated Press, the Organization of American States has decided that the election should go to a runoff between former Haitian first lady Mirland Manigat and singer Michel Martelly.

Of the election’s impact on educational reform, Ravitch said, “It’s a challenge with the election, but it’s not an insurmountable challenge. We really just don’t have the opportunity [to wait] because it’s too critical to too many people’s lives.”

“This Wednesday marks the anniversary of the earthquake. And yet, a year later, in terms of the educational sector, is where our work really begins, and I think people really need to understand that,” she added.

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