Last week, the San Diego Unified School District unveiled its plan to bring Black students up to speed. Its course of action — a $3.5 million effort that incorporates college-preparation, parent workshops and centers, and faculty members that will serve as liaisons for families of Black students.
The district’s program is one of many that are springing up around the nation sharpening the focus on bridging the Black student achievement gap in schools.
Programs in Richmond, Boston, Palm Beach, Atlanta, and Cincinnati have made news for their efforts in helping to lessen the crisis.
The disparity is quite evident in San Diego where during the 2009-2010 school year Black students, who make up a mere 12 percent of the district’s students, accounted for 21.5 percent of suspensions compared to white students who accounted for only four percent.
The numbers are rather telling providing insight into similar statistics that we see when evaluating the face of California’s and the nation’s prison population. Blacks, who make up about 7 percent of California’s population, make up 32 percent of its prison inmates. Nationally, Blacks account for about 13 percent of the population and nearly 40 percent of those incarcerated.
Much like prison, achievement gap statistics skew heavily against Black males, who are falling behind even more than their female counterparts.
It is this reality that has educators, community leaders and civil rights advocates up in arms, working to cleanse a stain that is tarnishing the fate of African-American boys and men.
And still, critics of such efforts say these programs are not only ineffective, but that the achievement gap is a myth diverting funds in a racially exclusive way from students who would do better with the same support.
(Cited from : Newsone.com)
