PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A sitcom about a fictional Philadelphia school may bring some laughs, but one of its stars hopes it will also highlight the inequities in education across the country.
Sheryl Lee Ralph plays veteran teacher Barbara Howard on ABC's "Abbott Elementary," a mockumentary about a make-believe Philly school experiencing the same issues of teacher turnover, aging buildings and scarce resources that real-life teachers face.
The show was created by Philadelphia comedian Quinta Brunson, who plays over-eager rookie teacher Janine Teagues. A central conflict of the show is the clash between Teagues' idealism and Howard's pragmatism in the face of those issues.
Ralph spoke to KYW Newsradio Thursday as she and her husband, state Sen. Vincent Hughes, distributed holiday "literacy kits" to students at Samuel Gompers Elementary School in Wynnefield. She said educators have responded with appreciation.
"Teachers have written us telling us, 'Finally we are not the butt of the joke. Finally, we are being seen for the challenges that we face daily,'" Ralph told KYW Newsradio. "'Finally, somebody is understanding that we need proper funding for all of our schools.' And that is important."
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"Abbott Elementary" aims to entertain, Ralph said, with the state of urban education as the backdrop. "What is difficult is the disparities between schools. I thought it was supposed to be equal education for all. I did not realize it could be better education for some and worse education for others," she shared.
Ralph is no stranger to the conditions at real-life Philly schools. For 20 years, she said, she's been visiting schools with her husband. Ralph said the TV show underlines the fact that Brown v. Board of Education's promise of equitable education has yet to be fulfilled for today's students.
"I'm supposed to get educated," she said. "I'm supposed to get a good education. I'm supposed to get as good as education than anybody else in the next community, in the next state, across this country. And we are still trying to make that happen."
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