“Nowhere is the crossroad
of race and privilege more striking than in education”
– G.P. Collins, 2014
“The day starts in a middle
school. The bell rings. Students scatter from homeroom to get to first period
before the tardy bell. Some missed homeroom and are just leaving the office
checking in. The hall from a distance looks like a rainbow of all shades of
brown, black and white. Students gather
into groups as they walk, some going in one direction, others into classrooms in
the opposite direction. As they gather into groups you begin to see students of
the same ‘shade’ together and all of the ‘white’ students clustering together.
Approaching the small cluster of white students are one or two black students
kind of ‘bringing up the rear’ of the group. As students settle into
classrooms, the shades of black and brown students are seated in large groups
as many as 27-30 per class.. this course is General Math 8 /Algebra I. Many in
the group are new to the school, others went here last year. Of those in the
class, 5 or 6 are already preparing for a boring lesson repeating the same
skills they learned two years ago. Some are attentive nonetheless, others go to
sleep, some socialize, some daydream and wonder what am I here for?
Down the hall, the cluster of white and two black students
settle in. This is the higher level math class. The teacher is assigned to
teach Algebra II, Problem Based Learning with Math, and some PreCalc if the
time allows (the class is called Gifted Math II).
The students are on task, some socializing but they appear to be ready to
engage. Did I tell you that it’s a very small group..only 9 students in the
class. They come and go each day believing themselves to be the only ones ready
for this course so they dig in and start their studies. They feel special,
unique, set apart. The two black students wonder why they are the only ones
‘like us’ in this small group and think about some of their friends who they
know to be just as bright, some even smarter..but somehow, didn’t make the
‘cut’.
So I ask you - what
TIME is it?
Could be 1960 or 1970 when the country’s schools were in the throes of
responding to the 1954 desegregation ruling of Brown v. Board of Education. White
and black students are in school together, large class size is the rule of the
day, limited resources are the norm. Few states responded immediately to Brown,
and those the few who did, still had some of their school districts struggling
with desegregating schools.
But to
make a long story short.. because I know some of you know where I’m going to with
this. It’s not 1960 or 1970, not even 1990, it could
easily be 2012, 2013 or even 2014.
This middle school could be anywhere in the country. Not just the Mid Atlantic
(Maryland or Virginia) or Deep South (South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississsippi),
but could just as well be in a district in the Northeast (New York, New Jersey,
Massachusetts), Midwest (Illinois, Wisconsin), or Southwest (Texas, Arizona,
California). The school could actually be anywhere in our great ‘fair
democracy’. It
could be in your community, actually may be the school your child attends.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Each
day students of color are relegated to some of the nation’s worst schools. They
suffer, we suffer. In particular, each day bright students of color, those from
limited economic backgrounds are relegated to classrooms with limited
resources, schools that don’t offer high level coursework, teachers who are
less qualified, administrators who are watching the clock to retirement. Each
day that these students spend in these segregated, poorly funded environments
is a day lost that can NEVER be REGAINED. A day of high level instruction,
intellectual stimulation, creative engagement, opportunities to work with
practicing professionals that these student lose simply because of the color of
their skin or the holes in the parent’s pockets. These conditions in the 21st
century are UNETHICAL, IMMORAL, AND ABSOLUTELY ABOMINABLE!! Our students
deserve better.
Of
course, there are some schools that have allowed more students of color to
enter, more students of color to be enrolled in gifted and advanced learner
programs. There are some who have said ‘WE HAVE A PROBLEM, AND WE NEED TO
ADDRESS IT’. In these more progressive environments student still suffer.
Entrance into an academically advanced, culturally discriminatory environment
is close to ‘cultural death’ for some of these students. They find themselves having
to give up who they are internally and become someone else to fit the mold and
the expectation of the teachers who rule the classrooms. And in most cases,
there are so few within the school or classroom who share similar cultural
backgrounds, ethnic legacies, that students feel lost, out of place, as if they
don’t belong. Without culturally responsive teachers, support for their
affective needs, mentors and role models- some will not survive the ‘high end’
environment.
In the
past month, seemingly endless streams of articles, blog posting, videos have
emerged speaking to these inequities and to this national embarrassment. I
encourage everyone reading this- whether you are a parent, community leader,
student, scholar, faith leader, policymaker, or concerned citizen to PLEASE DO
SOMETHING WHERE YOU ARE TO CHANGE THESE CONDITIONS!!
All of
our students deserve the best TEACHERS, the best ACCESS to opportunities, a
fair chance to demonstrate THEIR ABILITY TO BE SUCCESSFUL in Gifted and
Advanced learner programs, and a brighter future.
Do
your part to put an end to DISCRIMINATORY IDENTIFICATION PRACTICES, BIASED
TESTING, SELECTIVE COURSE ENROLLMENTS, INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM, SEGREGATED
GIFTED CLASSROOMS WITHIN racially mixed schools in your communities!!
Together,
we can do this!!!
MUST
READ/SEE resources:
High
school student builds ap for black students attending predominately white high
schools
From
PBS’s Rundown page- overview of recent Federal Report on Education Disparities
2010
article from the Village Voice about a segregated ‘school-within-a-school’
model
Next
week for part II: one state’s efforts to bring equity to programming for their
student population, and other programming initiated by compassionate educators
& parents to change conditions for children in their own communities.
