Report: California education system forsaking Black students
Advocates say California’s Black students face systemic disparities and inequalities; suspensions, remedial education, lack of college prep access cited
By MANNY OTIKO and CHARLENE MUHAMMAD, Contributing Writers
SACRAMENTO (CBM) – The California Legislative Black Caucus is preparing strategies for accountability after a new report revealed Black students are disproportionately suffering from disparities and inequalities in access, opportunity, and achievement in education.
State lawmakers held a briefing to examine findings of “Black Minds Matter: Supporting the Educational Success of Black Children in California,” which studied the plight of California’s Black school children.
“Our goal is to demonstrate that there are replicable program models that the state and local districts should consider as they contemplate ways to close the achievement gap,” saidAssemblymember Shirley Weber, D-San Diego. She chaired the Feb. 10 hearing in partnership with The Education Trust-West, the Oakland-based organization that advocates for educational justice and high academic achievement of California students, particularly those of color and impoverished.
The report found that the California education system is failing Black students in various ways. For instance, Black students are more likely to be suspended, more likely to be placed in remedial or special education programs, less likely to graduate from high school, and have less access to college preparatory programs.
The briefing on the study comes in the wake of the two-year-old “Black Lives Matter” movement against police violence, which has drawn national attention.
Now “Black Minds Matter” is gaining momentum as another movement which aims to raise awareness about problems in California’s educational system.
The ‘Black Minds Matter” movement grew out of a partnership between The Education Trust-West and the San Jose-based California Alliance of African American Educators (CAAAE), which provides culturally-informed services to students, families, and teachers.
Ryan Smith, executive director of The Education Trust-West, said when people think about Report: California education system forsaking Black students | Compton Herald: