Great Expectations By Marva Collins Shapes School Reform Program

A 6/6/2012 article on Oklahoma's popular Great Expectations School Reform Program noted that,
“Since its inception in 1999, more than 40,000 teachers have been trained in the G.E.program.” 
Actually, the Oklahoma program was started in 1990 and although the program was under retired insurance executive, Charlie Hollar’s guidance, the genesis of the program was created and implemented FIRST by Chicago's Marva Collins as early as 1975 in her Westside Preparatory School which operated for 33 years under her direction.
This article leaves the impression that the Oklahoma initiative, from start to finish, was created and developed by Mr. Hollar. No criticism is intended of the program developed for Oklahoma educators. We just believe that if one develops a program about gravity, Sir Isaac Newton’s name should be mentioned.
Dr. Paul R. Lehman, America's Race Problem, "Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due"
http://americasraceproblem.wordpress.com/tag/marva-collins/

As for Marva Collins, why not get to know her directly?
A good beginning book is MARVA COLLINS' WAY - Return to Excellence in Education & Quality in Our Classroom.
Written in 1982 by Marva Collins and Civia Tamarkin, its subtitle continues... One of America's most effective educators demonstrates how parents and teachers can make any child an achiever.  The method has everything to do with conviction and Marva explained it to her co-writer like this:
"There is no secret.  I just deal honestly with children.  They know I don't turn my nose down at them.  They listen to me because I'm not some outsider who comes over here and talks down to them about what it is like to be poor.  I'm right here working with them all the time.  If everyone in the neighborhood treated these children with the same consistent interest, the children would do for them what they do for me."

P.S. Big Guy at the back of Marva's classroom is Kevin Ross a college basketball captain who after 4 years of college was found to be illiterate.  He enrolled in Westside Preparatory where he learned how to read!
See ESPN's Outside the Lines: Unable To Read
http://espn.go.com/page2/tvlistings/show103transcript.html