Jan 07, 2018
There’s plenty of talk about money and test results in education, but how can we tackle critical issues like race and inequality?
Wealth inequality is a major issue when it comes to access to quality education (and tutoring, too).
The problem in U.S. education is compounded by racial inequality, particularly for African-American students. For instance, the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress found that, for eighth graders nationwide, only 13% of African-American students scored proficient or above for reading and math.
Educators are finding ways to reverse students’ fortunes by revolutionizing the academic environment and overturning longstanding biases.
One way is to change who’s heading up the classroom: only 2% of K-12 educators are African-American. Research indicates that African-American high school boys were 39% less likely to drop out if they had one African-American teacher in grades 3-5.
Other schools are tossing out the old U.S. history books, which reformers argue privilege Eurocentric narratives, in favor of curriculum that recognizes and teaches in depth African and African-American histories.
“We have to start telling the truth about our histories,” says Shy-Quon Ely II, a co-principal at an Indiana charter school program, where students also learn about contemporary African issues globally through lessons that connect history, science, and culture.
banner image from https://ny.chalkbeat.org/posts/in/2018/01/05/an-indianapolis-school-looks-to-africa-to-teach-students-the-truth-about-our-histories/
An Indianapolis school looks to Africa to teach students “the truth about our histories” https://ny.chalkbeat.org/posts/in/2018/01/05/an-indianapolis-school-looks-to-africa-to-teach-students-the-truth-about-our-histories/
Seeking a new direction, this Memphis elementary school is turning to young black men for leadership https://ny.chalkbeat.org/posts/tn/2018/01/05/seeking-a-new-direction-this-memphis-elementary-school-is-turning-to-young-black-men-for-leadership/
