We're in this together

It's been 50 years since the U.S. Supreme Court in its historic Brown v. Board of Education decision declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

This landmark ruling in 1954 provided new opportunities for millions of students and teachers and for the generations that followed them. It established public education as a right, not a privilege.

Fifty years ago, the court wrote: "In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he or she is denied the opportunity of education. Such an opportunity ... is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms." The court went on to say, "Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments. It is the very foundation of good citizenship."

These statements still ring true today. In fact, public education is one of the civil rights issues of our generation. However, we continue to face many challenges in making sure that every child has access to the same quality of education.

The achievement gap between white students and students of color has grown wider in the last 50 years. Our schools have become more segregated, with just 14 percent of white students attending multiracial schools. African American, Hispanic and American Indian children are more likely to be placed in special education classes and less likely to enroll in advanced placement classes. Ethnic minority children are more likely to attend overcrowded schools that have been labeled underperforming. And finally, we must do more to recruit and retain teachers of color. Sixty-six percent of all students in California are children of color, while only 25 percent of the teachers are people of color.

I'm proud to say that CTA is actively working to address all of these issues.

For the past three years, CTA has led the fight to bring more resources to our schools of greatest need. We led efforts in the Legislature to put more dollars in these classrooms. We sponsored and passed the High Priority Schools Grant Program that gives help rather than sanctions to schools that have been labeled low-performing.

In addition, last year the CTA Board of Directors reorganized the CTA Institute for Teaching and launched the Schools of Greatest Need Initiative. This effort is designed to build community investment in the improvement of these schools and to create a new vision for lasting change. The program calls for a comprehensive approach that allows teachers, parents, students, administrators and community members to develop real solutions that best fit the needs of that school and its students. There's no one-size-fits-all approach to our program. We have raised more than $500,000 for this program so far, and we are exploring several schools to begin a pilot phase of the program.

CTA is also working to recruit students of color into the teaching profession. We've developed public service announcements featuring artists like Carlos Santana, Rita Coolidge and Lisa Ling that encourage students to become teachers. We created the Club Ed program that establishes future teachers' clubs in local high schools, and we have a strong and growing Student CTA program that brings student teachers into the CTA family and shows them the importance of working together for our students and our schools.

And finally, CTA is working to promote ethnic minority participation in all areas of CTA leadership - local, state and national associations - and to promote affirmative action hiring in CTA.

I remember one of my mentor teachers telling me that her first credential was a "colored" credential. Because of the color of her skin, she received a different teaching credential. I'm glad to say that practice has stopped. In order to build strong public schools, strong local chapters and a strong CTA, we must have all people - and all their diversity - involved in the process. CTA has developed internship and professional development programs to identify and recruit people of color into CTA leadership and staff work.

So, please join me in celebrating 50 years of school integration, diversity and opportunity that were created by the Brown decision, and in continuing to strive to realize the promise of Brown for all our students.

We must vigorously advocate for all the children of California to have equality and equity in public education.