New Report: African American Youth’s Perceptions of Education Landscape|UNCF

New Report: African American Youth’s Perceptions of Education Landscape|UNCF:

New Report: African American Youth’s Perceptions of Education Landscape

UNCF releases its third installment of African American perceptions research on key issues in K-12 education

Nearly 70 percent of low-income African American youth surveyed indicate success in school is a top priority, and 89 percent agree it is important to obtain a post-secondary education, according to a new report issued by UNCF’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute (FDPRI).

A Seat at the Table: African American Youth’s Perception of K-12 Education is the third report in UNCF’s three-part series[1] on African American communities’ views of K-12 education. This newest research, which is a call to action around pre-kindergarten through post-secondary education, was released during an annual education summit hosted April 26 by UNCF. The summit serves as a platform for engagement and exploration of the role of African American students, leaders and voices–specifically the role of HBCUs–in education reform efforts, as UNCF seeks to ensure that these perspectives are truly amplified in both research and engagement efforts. View the summit here on Facebook Live.

THE KEY FINDINGS OF THE REPORT HIGHLIGHT PERCEPTIONS OF SUCCESS, EDUCATION AND FUTURE ASPIRATIONS HELD BY LOW-INCOME AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUTH

Read the report here

“Contrary to a pervasive narrative that racial disparities in education are the sole result of disengaged students, African American youth indicated that success in school was their most important priority among other competing factors,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF. “This is important because research suggests that students who are more engaged and more optimistic about education are more likely to aspire to attend college.”  >> Read More

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Did you know?

66 percent of low-income African American youth indicated that success in school was the priority most significant to them.

Click here for a one-page summary of the report, A Seat at the Table

New Report: African American Youth’s Perceptions of Education Landscape|UNCF:

Arizona teacher strike: it’s not just about a raise. It’s about defending public education. - Vox

Arizona teacher strike: it’s not just about a raise. It’s about defending public education. - Vox:

Arizona teacher walkout: how 3 decades of tax cuts suffocated public schools
In seven charts.

Just in: Arizona teachers union: We don't 'trust' governor's announced deal | TheHill - http://thehill.com/node/385294

Arizona teachers are walking out Thursday in protest, after the governor and state legislature failed to meet their demands.

Republican Gov. Doug Ducey tried to avert the strike by promising a 20 percent raise over the next three years — a promise that some say is tied to overly optimistic growth projections.

But it’s important to understand why Arizona teachers aren’t just happy with a raise, and why their demands include restoring education funding to where it was a decade ago and a promise from the state lawmakers not to implement more tax cuts.

The state has some of the most poorly funded public schools in the nation — and over the past several decades, state lawmakers have systematically divested from public education. This has been the case in each of the states roiled by teacher unrest, from West Virginia to Oklahoma to Kentucky — and now Arizona.

The root of these education cuts started decades ago, when state legislators gave tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations during times of economic prosperity. The hope was that it would spur economic growth — but that growth never came. When the economy turned south, states needed to raise more revenue.

But conservative lawmakers refused to raise taxes; they just cut spending. And because education often takes up the largest portion of state budgets, schools were hit especially hard.

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Lather, rinse, repeat.

This trend has been a threat to public education. More affluent families can find their way to a well-funded school — but that leaves everyone else with a second-class education. It’s a betrayal of the ideal of public education.

And in Arizona, this divestment project has been decades in the making.

“An ideological aversion to taxes”

It’s been nearly 30 years since Arizona’s state legislature approved a tax increase.

The individual tax rates have tumbled downward, and exemptions have increased:

In more recent years, continue reading: Arizona teacher strike: it’s not just about a raise. It’s about defending public education. - Vox: