The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

If it wasn’t for the fact that I am a California tax payer, I would find some amusement in this story. The high rate of suspensions, failures and drop-outs of Black students is NOT a discriminatory issue. It is an issue that is deeply rooted in the lack of a strong support system that begins at the home. I feel sorry for many of these teachers who are placed in a position to not only teach, but to play “mommy” and “daddy” for many of their students.

Talking around the problem seemed to be the central theme at the recent California teacher’s state conference. From the way it sounds, I’m sure the Advil was in no short supply.

California schools’ hard conversation

11/19/07

LATimes.com

Four thousand educators convened last week on a mission to bridge the achievement gap between African American and Latino students and their white peers. They were called to Sacramento by state Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell not only to learn the strategies used by schools that are successfully narrowing the gap but to determine exactly how — not whether — California schools under-serve students of color.

Hardly had the figurative strains of “Kumbaya” faded when racial fault lines erupted. Before the end of the first day, numerous white educators had stormed out. At workshop after workshop, they had been asked to examine their attitudes toward and expectations for black and Latino students. Only once that was done, they were told, could they initiate change in their schools. Hurt, resentful and angry, the white educators heard this message: Stop being racist.

In turn, some black educators were nearly or literally in tears after Richard Rothstein of the Economic Policy Institute stated that even the best schools cannot close the gap. Rather, he said, the cultural and socioeconomic divides between the races — differences in wealth, health, child-rearing — must be addressed. Deflated, demoralized and anguished, the black educators heard this: It’s not white institutions that require scrutiny, it’s black and Latino homes. (more)

Bottom line: they are clueless and helpless without addressing the parental side of the equation. But they will never do that out of fear of the perception that they are ‘beating up’ parents.

The perception theme continues as the LAUSD recently approved a bunch of measures that seek to eradicate the perception that a school district based in one of the most culturally-diverse cities in the nation with mostly non-White leadership is still racist.

LAUSD approves measure on black student achievement

By GENE C. JOHNSON JR.

wavenewspapers.com

With more than one-fifth of African-American students suspended from L.A. schools last year, wide-ranging initiative seeks to remedy discriminatory practices.

The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education has unanimously approved a resolution to address perceived unequal treatment of African-American students in the school district.

By approving what has been termed the African-American Initiative during its Nov. 13 meeting, the board in effect pledged to take action against what many believe is systemic educational discrimination against black students. The measure was introduced by school board trustee Marguerite LaMotte, who did not return calls for comment on the measure’s passage.

Some of those measures include the incorporation of classroom instruction that will provide “comprehensive and age-appropriate lessons for elementary and secondary students to learn about civil rights, social justice, and appreciation of racial and culture differences.”

Others include development of a plan that identifies “several methods of remediation for the overrepresentation of African-American students in special education, student expulsions, suspensions, and/or Community Day Schools.”

According to the resolution, for more than three decades, African-Americans have been disproportionately represented in the school district’s population of suspended and expelled students. In 2007, of the close to 80,000 black students enrolled in the school district, approximately 21 percent or 16,464 were suspended from school — the highest percentage among all ethnic groups in the district.

The resolution also asks the superintendent to consider reorganizing current divisions and branches within the district, to establish a new Office of Student and Family Support, that would include “divisions that are vital for the effective implementation of this resolution and a deputy superintendent serving as a head of this new office.”

“We welcome that resolution and we will be working very diligently,” said LAUSD Superintendent David Brewer. “All of our initiatives, basically, will increase the academic performance of African-Americans.” According to Brewer, African-American students remain at the lowest levels of academic achievement comparison to other ethnic groups in LAUSD.

As part of the initiative, the school board will also hire an outside firm to audit current district policies and practices, to identify those that may be racially discriminatory. (more…)

I promise you that the next step for the LAUSD will be a total elimination or “moratorium” on all disciplinary action towards Black students.