I have spent considerable time reading, thinking and researching issues inherent in the achievement gap. I practically lived and breathed the achievement gap, as during my time as a high school English teacher in Washington, DC, I daily encountered the gap and fought to close it by pushing my students towards academic success and college matriculation. Now, as a fledgling academic and teacher-educator, I think critically about the hows and whys of the gap from a more macro level. And given that I've now experienced this gap from numerous perspectives, if I have learned anything, it is that understanding the educational achievement gap between Whites and their non-White counterparts takes a constant consideration of which solutions work, but also (and foremost) the historical factors which have made the gap so wide.
Dozens of critiques have floated around the gap debate and many have been squarely directed at the various stakeholders involved. Teachers blame uninvolved parents for their apparent lack of concern for their child's development; administrative leaders blame unmotivated principals and teachers for student failure; and parents and students blame boring and uninspiring lessons from disconnected teachers for failures.
While there may be some limited merit in elements in each of these critiques, perhaps the most unproductive and most startling accusation I've seen involves those who engage in the useless practice of lobbing the blame for student failure solely toward marginalized families. And many who shoot blame at parents do so because they view parental action (or lack there of) as a result of a "presumed" devaluing of education.
To be perfectly honest, while working as a classroom teacher few things frustrated me more than teaching a full day, coaching after school, then staying two to three extra hours for parent-teacher conference, only to have a chance to speak with the families of four of the ninety students I taught. The lack of parental involvement simply baffled me, and it left me jaded to the prospects of truly engaging with the families of the students I so diligently worked to instruct. At the time, I cared; I cared deeply. But my students' parents didn't seem to care, at all.
At the time, I wasn't thinking about the parents' struggles to arrange nighttime childcare for their other children. I wasn't thinking about the hours' worth of lost wages those parents would have to sacrifice to be present at school functions. I also didn't consider how well, or not, the school advertised for the parent teacher proceedings, nor did I consider the more pragmatic struggle to secure transportation to these events given the complexities of urban public transportation schedules. Furthermore, I assuredly never thought about how separate (be it through language, etc.) some of these parents feel from their child's schools. I didn't consider that some schools undervalue at best, and devalue at worst, the perspectives, expertise, and opinions, of urban families. Unfortunately, it seems the wealth of cultural and parent-based knowledge in high-need schools is only tapped when school practitioners contact parents to fix the bad their child does, rarely to support or augment the good. But, given the numerous societal realities marginalized families encounter, it becomes critical to consider parental involvement in a different light and not assume that they devalue education.
I have argued that to fully understand the achievement gap in the United States, it's important to consider how closely issues of race, poverty, and educational attainment are woven together. Once we accept that these issues have been intricately related since the inception of the United States, we can then honestly begin a discussion on where the gap came from, and how we can even begin to address it. I think a good starting place would be to uncover the history of domination, exploitation, oppression and marginalization, initiated at the settling of the North American continent. If we consider the achievement gap through the lens of the history of exploitation, for people of color, then it becomes quite evident that if anything marginalized families have utilized education as a key tool in securing any semblance of economic, social, or political footing for themselves. Thus, to blame these same victimized families for the achievement gap, and to scorn them for devaluing education, is futile at best, and fallaciously shortsighted at worst.
While Latino and Native American communities have suffered and continue to suffer greatly as a result of their exploitation and domination, the institution of African chattel slavery in the United States can assuredly be viewed as the single most important historical occurrence providing the clearest foundation for the origins of the American educational achievement gap. Slavery's role in initiating the wide economic, social, and educational attainment gap between Whites and Blacks cannot be understated.
Those who accept the historically inaccurate arguments attributing Blacks' seemingly poor educational performance to their lack of desire for educational attainment, need look no further than the pro-education actions of slaves pre- and post- emancipation. Prior to emancipation, slaves could be whipped, mutilated, or even killed for reading or for learning to read. Yet many intrepid slaves still hid books behind wood panels of their quarters, and met with literate Blacks and benevolent White reading teachers at night to learn the foundations of reading.
As soon as the Emancipation Proclamation was signed (and Juneteenth for others), freed Africans ran to start schools. Thus, beginning in the mid-to-late 1800s Blacks and White allies founded vocational schools, grammar schools, normal schools, and colleges across the Northeast and Southeast regions of the United States. Schools were built in fledgling Black communities with tremendous zeal, as even freed, illiterate slaves knew that education - the ability to read and write, in particular -- was not only the bridge to them achieving not only their independence as members of society, but also it was their key to achieving humanity at its most basic level.
While there were benevolent White sympathizers during this time who contributed greatly in the efforts to educate freed slaves, schools were started by concerned Blacks and were mostly built with the limited resources they could secure during a devastatingly vitriolic period of resistance. In fact, my great-grandfather, William James was one such concerned Black educator.
In rural Statesboro, Georgia during the early 1900s William James started schools for rural Blacks during a time of ravage racial discrimination. And even when some of the school buildings were destroyed in fires, they eventually were re-built because of the assiduous efforts of not only Professor James (as he was called), but also because of the efforts of students, the community members, and most importantly, the parents of schoolchildren.
And just like the parents of the Statesboro schools, what is important to realize is that contemporary parents can and should be a crucial element in the re-building of failing schools in the United States. We rely too heavily on schools and outreach groups to do the work that parents can and, many times, are willing to do. And we do so because we do not believe in the power, relevance or in the worth of urban Black families. We incorrectly assume that lower income parents do not value their child's education and would not be interested in serving in a more involved capacity in their child's schooling. We incorrectly assume that Black families are simply not involved in the educational and organizational planning needed to stimulate better outcomes for themselves and their families. To the contrary, according to 2008 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employed Blacks spend more time working and more time engaged in organizational, civic, and religious activities than the overall average of employed persons, aged 18 years and older.
Parents bring a tremendous wealth of knowledge regarding the academic and social performance of their child. They also are experts in the workings and cultures of the neighborhoods within which these schools are situated. Since urban school practitioners rarely live anywhere near their school sites, brokering the knowledge of parents and localized community members becomes an even more paramount endeavor.
In sum, we need to re-think how we approach parental involvement in schools, and a good starting place would be to consider historically how much these communities have valued, supported, and been involved in the school experiences of their children. In urban schools today, parents are ready, able and more importantly, willing to assist school practitioners in providing optimal learning experiences for kids. While parents need to do their part in reaching out to the schools, educators can help by building essential bridges to parents, shake free previous notions that parents devalue education, and then empower parents to assume important roles in school decision-making for the most optimal outcomes for students.
This article was very interesting. However, the title does not suit the piece.
Those oppressive situations that brought the original immigrants to this day, should serve as a constant reminder of where we do not ever want to return. Every good thing must be carefully maintained. Our ancestors had to use ingenuity to survive. Creating something from absolutely nothing is our legacy. But hands off parenting, complete buy in to big business engineered consumerism, and governmental legislation that imposes ineffective rearing regulations on American families-has stripped familial authority particularly within marginalized households.
To know that there was a time in our very short American history when people of color were categorically denied the right to read, should be enough motivation for all in question to find as many books as possible for purposes of regularly flexing literacy. For the life of me, it is absolutely deplorable that the illiteracy rates worldwide are projected to be approximately 130 million school aged children (UNICEF), most of which are female children.
As an educator on many different academic levels, rethinking how educational systems approach parental involvement in and out of schools is absolutely critical to the academic sustainability of marginalized children and youth.
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Just imagine if we treated families as valuable resources for school reform, closing the gap, supporting student learning outcomes, rather than as problems we have to "deal with"?
Schools can help students by establishing partnerships with businesses and corporations that provide students with life changing experiences they cannot access within their community or kinship groups. Schools can partner with businesses, community organizations, nonprofits, and others to help build powerful connections for students --improving their social capitial--their opportunities to learn, excel and access resources.
Schools can help by identifying community organizations that provide resources for families living in poverty that affects their ability to learn.
It is almost impossible to have an island of academic excellence in a sea of community indifference. And playing the blame wastes valuable time & energy that could be better spent finding solutions and developing good citizens. I have seen all of these things done at low income schools--1 in 6 families now live in poverty. It is time to stop the blame game and work together. It isn't about working harder--it is about working smarter. It is about developing powerful and positive reciprocal relationships on behalf of children
Schools can help parents know how to effectively support their children at home as more powerful learners, readers, writers, scientists, mathematicians. They can host FUN and interactive Math Safari Nights or Literacy Luaus for families, or Literacy Survival Nights for parents and teens.
This is not that hard. It does take thinking about what might be appealing to your audience and marketing it properly. But it is easier than sitting back and pointing the finger at others.
Schools can reach out and engage more fathers because male involvement sends a powerful message the education has masculine value. They can start Dads Clubs which include fathers, step fathers, foster fathers, grandfathers, older brothers, uncles, and male family friends and role models, stand in men such as firefighters and military service men. Boys without fathers in their lives can see these male role models and understand their impact. When fathers are involved, children do better in school--especially boys. They get more A's and get suspended or expelled a lot less and participate in more healthy behaviors. Schools can demystify how learning takes place in schools and invite parents to participate, contribute, and engage in the educational lives of their children at school and at home. All families have strengths. Imagine capitalizing on those strengths as resources for learning instead of ignoring them or believing certain families have nothing to offer? . See next post to finish up!
This is where schools and communities can step in and help. Blaming people doesn't change anything. It is wasted effort. So what? Once you have figured out whose fault it is, what then? . The problem still exists. And usually there is plenty of blame to go around. Instead, let's discuss how to come out of our silos and work together to support kids.
Schools can help by providing effective discipline and parenting classes for parents (they can identify others in the community to provide this). There are also wonderful programs like Guiding Good Choices or Active Parenting that can be purchased with Title 1 funds or other monies that come in multiple languages and address different grade levels.
Please see next 2 posts to continue to discuss what we can do. . .
That to blame the parents of children in low income neighborhoods for not taking an active role in their children's education and absolving the state in its historical role of creating this situation is wrongheaded.
The place really to start for any educational analysis of the crisis in education in the black community can be found in Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision.
That decision DOCUMENTS the historical role the government has played in the country's education process and black communities problems in education from A to Z.
That decision has yet to be fully implemented.
What pap!
Other than black Americans, there has been no group in the history of the world to make more progress and be offered more additional opportunities in 50 years.
What they have done with it is another question.
Or have you not read Brown?
If anything, Mr. Carey's post is understated.
I don't care what race, ethnic group, or religion (etc) parents are from. Parents are responsible for educating their children. They have to start out by appropriate rearing of their infants, playing and reading to their toddlers, preparing their young children for school, supporting their kids in school (making sure they take the right courses, do all their homework, etc.), and driving them to work hard and achieve. If the schools are bad, the parents are responsible for covering the gaps - or driving home schooling if the schools are bad enough. Along the way, the parents will have to organize their lives around their children (which means filtering their own behavior, entertainment, and home life).
My wife did not work for ~ 10 years to be there for our kids. Her life would have been a lot easier if she had worked and put the kids in daycare or parked them in front of the boob tube.
While there is a role for parents in the children's education process, there is also a role for neighbors, communities, local government, state government, federal government, civic associations, educators, colleges and universities, sororities and fraternities, churches, etc.
To focus solely on the parents, while important, misses the mark by a wide margin.
In this society, the parents have to assume the responsibility because the other institutions / organizations have shown themselves to be too limited. There are lots of roles, but too many of them have nobody filling them or too many needy to serve.
When my wife grew up in the Soviet Union there was reasonable day care available for all children, even in the smaller towns (where my wife grew up). This was important because women were the mainstays of society due to the damage of Vodka to their men. The schools were reasonably good and advancement by academic merit was available to competent children of the poor, including the poor cowgirl my wife was. More importantly, academic merit was respected in the popular culture.
The popular culture here does not support or respect academic accomplishment. To the extent that other organizations are able to support discipline, personal development, and academic accomplishment - good. Look to the LDS Church for organizational guidelines and social engineering approaches - they are very good at it.
"Although public school children we assessed were performing at or above expected levels for their ages, children who received structured homeschooling had superior test results compared to their peers: From a half-grade advantage in math to 2.2 grade levels in reading,"
Sandra Martin-Chang, Odette N. Gould, Reanne E. Meuse. The impact of schooling on academic achievement: Evidence from homeschooled and traditionally schooled students.. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, 2011; 43 (3): 195 DOI: 10.1037/a0022697
On-line classes definitely become available by middle school - my daughter has taken them. She is doing on-line AP Biology this year.
So if others drop the ball, parents can pick it up. But it requires lots of time and work.