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Excerpt: Harlem Children's Zone

December 4, 2009 -- 10:28 AM

Geoffrey Canada explains what he's trying to achieve with his educational project in New York City. CNN's Anderson Cooper reports, Sunday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Harlem's Education Experiment Gone Right
Anderson Cooper Reports on Education Pioneer Geoffrey Canada's Huge Success

(CBS) A remarkable educational experiment in New York City is turning out urban, black, elementary-school kids with reading and math levels on par with their white counterparts.

Geoffrey Canada first appeared on 60 Minutes a few years ago to introduce his Promise Academy charter school in New York City.

Academics, nutrition, health and safety are all part of what Canada offers in his "Harlem Children's Zone" - a neighborhood where he recreates the advantages these black children never had that their white peers usually enjoy.

Four years later, says Harvard's Dr. Roland Fryer, Canada's program has brought his students' scores up to par with those of whites. "He closed the achievement gap in both subjects, math and reading," Fryer tells CNN's Anderson Cooper.

"These are kids that a lot of people had given up on and he showed that it's never too late."

Cooper's story about Canada and his program will be broadcast on 60 Minutes this Sunday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.