Since Brown v. Board of Education outlawed segregation 50 years ago, progress has been made towards equality. The question is, is it enough?
On one hand, there are some encouraging statistics:
- Seventy-eight percent of African Americans completed high school in 2002, compared with 20 percent in 1960.
- As many Latinos and African Americans will graduate from California public high schools this spring as will whites, according to a new study of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
- The overall dropout rate for Latino students in California fell from 25 percent in 1990 to 18 percent in 2000, according to a study from the Pew Hispanic Center. Among the state's native-born Latino students, the dropout rate was an even lower 10 percent.
On the other hand, there exists evidence of a large achievement gap between ethnic minorities and white students
- In 1990, there was a 33-point gap between the scores of black and white students on the National Assessment of Educational Programs (NEAP) mathematics test at the eighth-grade level. By 2000, the gap had grown to 39 points. Latino students were 28 points behind white students in 1990 and 33 points behind a decade later.
- Last year, in California, fourth- and eighth-grade African American and Latino students were found to perform, on average, three years behind their white counterparts in math and reading.
Some of the widening achievement gap can be attributed to economics. Schools with the lowest test scores in California are mostly filled with minority students living in poverty. The problem is compounded by the fact that schools with minority students tend to have a greater percentage of teachers on emergency permits and high teacher turnover.
"We have an extremely high turnover rate in Compton because of low pay," says Lois Hale, former president of the Compton Education Association and now a member of the NEA Board of Directors. "People who are just entering the teaching profession go to Compton and get training, and then leave when they receive their credential."
Schools with predominantly minority students tend to have few minority teachers they can relate to and view as role models. And, say many in the teaching profession, white teachers in urban schools may not have enough training in poverty and race issues to work effectively with these students.
Some teachers believe that federal legislation has made things worse instead of better by diverting precious money from other school priorities to testing.
Brown v. Board of Education paved the way for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which was a good thing because it attempted to level the playing field, says Hacienda-La Puente Teachers Association President Sergio Martinez.
"However, the president's latest reauthorization of the ESEA - No Child Left Behind - has set up urban schools for failure. It's pointing the way to vouchers, which Bush wants. And if vouchers happen, where schools can pick and choose students, there will be even more discrimination and segregation - as well as less money for public schools."
Many believe the emphasis on testing - and less funding for education - has created a "new segregation" because schools with poor and minority children are having to cut art, music and other enrichment programs. Schools in more affluent areas often find a way to replace the programs with the help of nonprofit foundations, bond measures or parcel taxes. The result is that white children get hands-on learning, enrichment programs and field trips while minority children end up with pullout programs, remediation and test preparation.
Without the help of the enrichment programs that motivate students and make learning fun, some students just do as little as necessary to get by, if that.
When it comes to college, African American, Latino and American Indian students remain underrepresented in California's universities and colleges according to a report published last year by the Senate Select Committee on College and University Admissions and Outreach. Only 25 percent of African American students, 22 percent of Latinos and 23 percent of American Indians complete course requirements for admission to the University of California and California State University systems.
Committee members attributed the disparity to:
- The growing achievement gap between low-income schools and those in wealthier communities during the 1990s.
- Too many high schools in poor communities failing to offer advanced placement courses.
Proposition 209 in 1997, which outlawed affirmative action programs for college admissions in California, may also be playing a role.
The achievement gap may continue to get even wider with the state's dire budget situation if K-12 programs are cut, college tuition increases and financial aid disappears. "When kids don't have money to pay for college, tuition goes up and state and federal grants are cut back, we are going to see more kids drop out or go straight to work," predicts Hale.
As for how to close the achievement gap, members of CTA's Brown v. Board of Education Commemoration Committee have some suggestions:
- Focus resources, including improved teacher compensation, on the neediest schools.
- Include race and poverty issues in teacher education programs.
- Devise strategies to attract teachers of color to the classroom.
- Make the teaching entrance exam less biased and intimidating, and make new credential requirements more clear.
- Remove the pressure to raise test scores at any cost, and don't let bureaucrats dictate how teachers should teach.
- Reallocate resources at the school site and give teachers a voice in how funds are spent.
- Strengthen school site councils and educate parents about their obligations as representatives of the community.
- Show parents how to get involved in their child's education.
- Make schools more inviting and accessible for parents of color.
- Provide appropriate compensation for teachers and parents for after-school training.
- Fight for full funding of ESEA and IDEA.
The committee, which will be staging a commemorative event at the June meeting of CTA's State Council of Education, believes the lesson of the last 50 years is that teachers can and must vigorously advocate for all children to receive equality and equity in public education.
