Black and brown families face similar challenges with schools.
Our children are mostly educated in schools that aren’t providing them with the support they need.
But what’s new?
These issues date back far before the Brown vs Board of Education.
Classrooms across this country are filled with our Black and Brown children facing similar challenges with schools.
Some will argue that household income and economic development don’t play a major role in how children are educated.
A lot of this comes from the stigma placed on Title I and low performing schools.
I’ve heard in community meetings residents say, “it’s time to move!”, when the school status is announced.
This stigma follows Black and brown children because it’s based on economic status.
School leaders and teachers begin to take on the notion that children from low-income communities can’t succeed.
We start the process of dumbing down children from the bias stereotypes American society places on them.
This impacts Black and brown families in the same ways.
Many of our children are labeled as low performing and immediately placed into remedial settings.
The RTI process has become a barrier for many children.
Too often I hear, I can’t, my accommodations say, I need more help because . . .
Our students lack a sense of self-pride and determination when it comes to learning.
Some will argue that although Title I schools receive additional resources and support, the educational gaps are too deep to fill.
The lack of resources to educate Black and Brown children greatly contributes to this.
We have to find the right teachers and curriculums to educate Black and brown children.
Our families must also be engaged in building academic success.
Changing the way Black and Brown children learn starts at home!
Jason has worked in education for over 15 years as a teacher, blogger and community advocate. He speaks and writes primarily about the need to improve education for Black boys, particularly increasing the number of Black male educators in schools. In addition to blogging here at EdLanta, Jason is also a featured writer at Education Post.