Camara L. Jackson Of Elite Learners On The 5 Things Parents Can Do To Help Their Children Thrive and Excel In School
An Interview With Jake Frankel
Stay involved and aware: Attend school meetings and events, and communicate with your child’s teacher as a partner in the learning journey.
School is really not easy these days. Many students have been out of school for a long time because of the pandemic, and the continued disruptions and anxieties are still breaking the flow of normal learning. What can parents do to help their children thrive and excel in school, particularly during these challenging and anxiety-provoking times?
To address this, we started a new series called ‘5 Things Parents Can Do To Help Their Children Thrive and Excel In School.” In this interview series, we are talking to teachers, principals, education experts, and successful parents to learn from their insights and experience.
As a part of this interview series, I had the pleasure to interview Camara L. Jackson.
Camara Lashawn Jackson is the founder and CEO of Elite Learners, Inc., a New York City-based nonprofit dedicated to eradicating violence and empowering underserved communities. Established in 2016, Elite Learners provides mentorship, cultural arts, Safe Passage Services, and crisis management programs, having served over 500,000 residents. Camara’s leadership is rooted in resilience — born with Sickle Cell Disease, she has overcome significant challenges to build an organization that fosters community success through teamwork, confidence-building, and anti-violence efforts. Under her guidance, Elite Learners operates 24/7 with four locations across New York City, providing real-time support to those affected by violence. A graduate of Virginia Wesleyan College with a Bachelor of Administration in Criminal Justice and Sociology, Camara has been recognized as a District 45 Woman of Distinction and a Brooklyn Salutes Awardee. Her mission is to create a safer community with her comprehensive suite of offerings that uplift NYC families and drive community healing and empowerment through her tireless advocacy and leadership.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us a bit about your “backstory”?
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York in the Brownsville neighborhood. I witnessed the consequences of community disinvestment and neglect, under-resourced schools, drug abuse, and gang violence.
From an early age, I began pursuing my vision of impacting the world around me. In that process, I became community-oriented and socially aware. I set a goal to obtain a college education, stay connected to Brownsville, and work tirelessly to improve the quality of life in my community and across NYC.
Born with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), I have faced adversity with unwavering faith and mental toughness. National Institute of Health statistics assert that 30% of SCD patients do not graduate from high school as a direct result of health complications, and nearly 70% of working-age adults in a 2022 SCD study reported to be inactive; I graduated with honors in Criminal Justice from Martin Luther King High School and later earned a Bachelor of Administration in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Virginia Wesleyan College. It is a point of pride that molded me, prepared me, and led me to where I am today.
In 2016, I started Elite Learners, Inc., a community-based 501(C) (3) nonprofit compelled by the lack of holistic family enrichment programming.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I was volunteering at my daughter’s elementary school when I was inspired to launch Elite. I observed overworked teachers who lacked supportive services for students and their families; they were grateful for the additional resources they found in parent volunteers.
My lens was widened from just my own obstacles as a former student to all the other contributing factors of community success. I realized that day that student needs could not be met if their families weren’t equipped, and teachers were dealing with more than they were equipped for as well. What was missing was programming that enriched the whole system — the students, the teachers, the families, and the community that they needed to thrive. With so many different profiles and demographics in larger class sizes, I was determined to make a difference.
Heartened by the immediate impact of Elite’s free reading enrichment program on elementary students’ reading scores, the longer-term lesson for me was that there is immense power in targeted, community-focused initiatives.
Elite is now a contract vendor to New York State and the New York City Department of Education and is also on the frontlines in the battle to end gun violence across New York City.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Nelson Mandela said, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
As a Black woman from Brownsville, the odds were against my success. I’ve had to overcome personal hardship in dealing with Sickle Cell Disease, which, at times, sidelined me for extended periods. I’ve also had to overcome professional hurdles, including realizing that I needed the flexibility that most corporate organizations do not provide and made the difficult decision to build an organization from the ground up without always having the financial resources I needed to keep the doors open and staff paid.
Through it all, I’ve refused to allow challenges, obstacles, and failures to defeat me and now my business and is thriving.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
- Resilience: Overcoming the challenges of Sickle Cell Disease has made me resilient.
- Vision: Starting Elite Learners, Inc. to fill a community need shows my ability to envision and create impactful programs.
- Empathy: Understanding the struggles of the families we serve helps me connect and provide meaningful support.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main focus of our interview. Can you help articulate the main challenges that students face today that make it difficult to succeed in school?
Unfortunately, the challenges students face today are numerous, especially in underserved districts. One of the biggest hurdles is the need for wraparound services that support basic needs beyond the classroom — things like food banks, transportation, and mental health counseling. Chronic absenteeism and lack of parental involvement are also major barriers, and the digital divide only makes things worse, with many students lacking reliable internet or technology at home. COVID-19 amplified these issues, as students without internet access were cut off from essential lessons.
For many children, success in school is difficult when they’re hungry, lack supplies, have witnessed trauma, can’t get to school safely, or struggle to complete assignments without Wi-Fi. Health disparities, like being underinsured, only add to the challenges. For the students we serve through Elite Learners, these issues go far beyond the typical schoolyard problems.
When you add in post-COVID challenges, the prevalence of school shootings in the U.S., and a global mental health crisis, the obstacles to success can feel overwhelming.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Elite is expanding its support of community and school-based mental health needs. We recently introduced the Elite RV, our dedicated mental health support mobile unit. With this spacious vehicle, our team offers on-site therapy, crisis intervention, and support after traumatic events like shootings. The worldwide Mental Health Crisis is exacerbated in underserved communities. While NYC ranks 7th in the nation for mental health resources, services are dramatically reduced and less accessible for underinsured residents in non-affluent areas.
For the benefit of our readers, can you tell us a bit about why you are an authority on how to help children succeed in school?
If you’ve ever heard the adage “Become the person you needed when you were younger,” made famous by Ayesha Siddiqi, that was the foundation of my expertise — lived experience. I was fortunate enough that my circumstances did not render me unable to graduate high school and college, but without strong community resources to supplement the unique needs of scholars in underserved communities, more students will fall through the cracks than not.
My experience with Elite Learners, Inc. has given me deep insights into the educational and emotional needs of children. Over the years, I’ve learned how to develop and implement effective education-based mentorship programs that consistently improve student outcomes. Elite also works with a team of outstanding educators, many of them retired public school teachers, who are passionate about helping our students succeed.
Can you suggest a few reforms that you think schools should make to help students to thrive and excel?
- Enhanced mental health support: Providing more counselors and mental health resources.
- Community engagement: Involving families and communities in the educational process.
- Personalized learning: Tailoring education to meet individual student needs.
Here is our primary question. Can you please share your “5 Things Parents Can Do To Help Their Children Thrive and Excel In School?” Please share a story or example for each.
- Encourage reading: Create a reading-friendly environment at home.
- Stay involved and aware: Attend school meetings and events, and communicate with your child’s teacher as a partner in the learning journey.
- Provide a routine: Establish a consistent homework, and study schedule. Prepare for changes in routine.
- Support mental health: Be attentive to your child’s emotional needs and take care of your own.
- Promote extracurricular activities: Encourage participation in sports, activities, and arts.
As you know, teachers play such a huge role in shaping young lives. What would you suggest needs to be done to attract top talent to the education field?
To attract top talent to education, we need to offer competitive pay, provide opportunities for growth, and create a supportive environment where teachers feel valued and respected. When teachers are given the tools and respect they deserve, they’re more likely to stay and make a real impact.
We are blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I’d love to have a private breakfast with Michelle Obama. Her dedication to education, community development, and empowering the next generation is incredibly inspiring. I admire how she uses her platform to make a real difference, and I think a conversation with her would be both insightful and motivating.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Visit Elite’s website (www.EliteLearners.org) to learn more about our services, and please follow us on Instagram, Facebook and X/Twitter.
Thank you so much for these insights! This was so inspiring!
Camara L. Jackson Of Elite Learners On The 5 Things Parents Can Do To Help Their Children Thrive… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.