Advocates: Parents must fight to challenge, change a failing public education system
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(FinalCall.com) - Millions of Black students have begun already returning to schools across America while others are still preparing for their first day.
School closures, suspensions, funding shortages and safety are just a few issues to be faced as school bells ring.
But Black parents and advocates must monitor schools, hold political and educational leaders accountable, supplement in-school instruction and refuse to let their children go uneducated, said experts and activists interviewed by The Final Call.
Growing public school closings in major cities is a major challenge in the fight to educate Black children. Despite protests by parents, teachers and activists, a federal judge ruled Aug. 15 that Chicago Public Schools could shutter 49 elementary schools and a high school program. The Chicago Board of Education said the closures were being forced by a near $1 billion budget shortfall.
In a society consumed by racism and capitalism, public education is affected by social and political realities, said activists.
Pushing children out of school
According to Attorney Judith Browne Dianis, co-director of the Advancement Project, a national, civil rights organization, it’s hard to separate the problems Black parents and children face in education. There is a range of issues tied to systemic inequality, she said.
Problems range from how teachers are assigned to over policing of schools, to the lack of challenging, engaging curriculum, she pointed out.
Youth are still being pushed out of schools through suspensions, expulsions, and high stakes testing—all things that disproportionately impact Black children, states Attorney Browne Dianis.
The use of standardized tests to measure achievement and demand greater accountability from schools isn’t working, said advocates.
The testing helps schools push out youth who are not achieving academically, and who could drag down overall test scores—especially those who’ve been suspended, they said