The educational approaches and racial equity plans implemented in many Jefferson County public schools are failing most of our children
We have defended educators as they were threatened and verbally assaulted for fighting for their own rights amid a backdrop of low scores and low performance in Jefferson County Public Schools.
We have stood with parents and other community organizations to defend the district and its opportunity to create solutions, and we have met with district leaders to hear their proposals. Now, we need to see the deployment of the additional resources we expected educators to be provided to help them adequately meet and address the needs of JCPS students.
According to recent K-PREP scores, less than half of students tested were “proficient” (i.e. knew what they should know at their respective grade levels) in reading, math, writing and social studies. Only 24.9% (1 in 4 students tested) scored as proficient in science. Only 30% of black youth scored at grade level in reading across grade levels.
The proficiency rates are even more alarming for black students’ scores in math (e.g., 21%, 19% and 13% in elementary, middle, and high, respectively). In other words, an estimated 70% to 80% of black youth tested in Louisville were not at grade level in core subject areas — enough to fill every seat at the Louisville Slugger Field.
JCPS’ two-star ranking is proof that the system is failing its black students and students living in poverty. This is made even more complicated by the fact that these are generally children from families that every other system is failing too.
When the problem has deep roots, our tendency is to talk about the issue and present surface-level solutions instead of having deep and vulnerable discussions that lead to considerate strategies with measurable outcomes.
We know there are those who believed these students to be incapable of learning, so we advocated for the creation of W.E.B Dubois Academy to prove that with the right leadership, care and expectations our children could thrive. It turns out we were right. Our children can learn, and they can thrive, and we have created a system within the system to prove it.
To be clear, it is not about resegregating our schools, but about recognizing that we are trying to educate children in a system not designed to teach them and one that heretofore has been unwilling to adapt to their needs. So, DuBois Academy was an exercise in testing our own theories. Over and over we hear the resegregation criticism, but generally it comes from people who have little to no evidence of ever really caring for our children.
Systemic racism and poverty
Let’s be honest. It is impossible to talk about the achievement gap without dialogue on systemic racism and poverty. It was racism that caused black communities across the country, including Louisville, to be redlined out of wealth-building opportunities, and now years later we can overlay a map of redlined areas and match them almost perfectly with the housing occupied by children who are on the lowest end of the achievement gap. In other words, children forced by biased and broken systems to be raised in poverty also have the poorest educational outcomes. And here’s how you know it’s systemic: They also have the poorest health outcomes, poorest quality of life and the least amount of access to quality grocery stores and healthcare.
Let’s pull back the layers of our “racial equity speak” and address our educational woes as if all of our children are the ones showing up in the bottom 5% of schools across Kentucky. This is not a black problem. It is a societal problem and one that school leaders, parents, community organizations and policy makers must swiftly address.
Also: Black students in JCPS are still on the losing end of academic disparities
Supporting our teachers means supporting all of our students. That means funding for additional human resources in the schools. We know teachers are buying Kleenex, but what are we willing to pay for success when we realize the old models aren’t working? Addressing equity gaps as a priority will be evident when the district’s budget reflects it.
How much are we willing to invest to offer attractive stipends for more seasoned teachers to go into low-performing schools? Turnover is an issue. Are we willing to invest in retention? If we don’t want police in schools, are we willing to bring in culturally competent and caring adults who are willing to serve as another set of eyes and hands? Many students act out because they are distracting teachers from larger, harder issues. If we had time for heart engagement, we would need fewer handcuffs. For clarification, culturally competent doesn’t always mean any particular race or ethnicity; we know there are good educators in every group.
Black and brown suspension rates
Last year, 77% of suspensions in JCPS were attributed to the suspension of black and Brown youth. These gaps in suspension rates exist even when black students and white students commit the same infractions. Are we ready to admit that some of those within the educational system view the actions of students of color through the lens of intentionality and criminality, while excusing similar behaviors of their white counterparts? Can we love our children enough to admit that we have biases we don’t leave at the front door when we walk into our jobs?
Despite being in a city deemed as compassionate, many students of color are not being educated with the same compassion and consideration that their white peers receive even within the same classrooms. Think crack-epidemic among black people spurred the “war on drugs,” which led to higher incarceration rates. While the opioid addiction, currently primarily being experienced by whites, is resulting in take-back programs and officers armed with life-saving drugs. These responses are compassion in action examples that black people have never been afforded.
We also recognize that the insidious criminalization of students of color has occurred even in the face of heavy circulation of buzzwords such as “adverse childhood experiences,” “trauma-informed approaches,” and “racial equity plans.”
This is not check-the-box work. This cannot be the responsibility of one department, but the work of a district, or dare we say, a community. While we see widespread data-sharing and professional development trainings, the current educational approaches and racial equity plans implemented in many of our schools are failing most of our childrenbecause there is no standardization, and therefore, no true ability to scale or replicate. Can we open the doors of the University of Louisville, Simmons College and Bellarmine University and bring all of our teachers in for live simultaneous, continuing education? Inconsistent training leads to inconsistent application, which affects the authenticity of the model.
Certainly, the district’s decision to increase mental health professionals across schools is a step in the right direction, and there remains a pressing need to have enough compassionate educators and leaders in every learning environment. What is JCPS’ plan to recruit them? We need to see it in writing and modeled in a strategic plan that our local institutions of higher education sign off on and buy into. Do we plan to appeal to retired educators to return, even on a part-time basis?
Ill-equipped teachers, parents
We understand the district is offering a faster path to certification, and we are excited about it, but how much will be invested in supporting new educators when they walk into these overwhelming situations? We want to see the plan with identified community support.
Parents need to realize that most teachers care about our children and want to successfully manage their classrooms but may feel ill-equipped. What if parents and administrators took the time to understand that most teachers feel stressed? According to a recent survey, approximately 70% of JCPS teachers surveyed reported that they did not have adequate training in restorative practices. That is stressful. How do you implement something you don’t understand? How quickly does JCPS intend to address this?
Educators and administrators must be willing to acknowledge that parents love their children and want what is best for them, but many parents are stressed and may feel ill-equipped as well. We see them showing up in community settings emotional and exhausted. They don’t deserve to be demonized any more than teachers do.
And what if our legislators focused on how actions like stripping education budgets and shaming teachers negatively impact school performance, teacher creativity and innovation? Consider funding solutions that include educators — not only, but especially, black educators and educators of color working alongside caring adults who prioritize education for students.
Research supports that children are most successful when they have at least one caring adult in their lives. Sometimes that is the parent, and sometimes that caring adult is in the school. Let’s just deal with that reality.
We want JCPS to provide a written plan for the 35 schools identified as needing Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI). Let’s include viable strategies coupled with intentional execution to produce measurable outcomes of success. Truancy reduction plans and volunteer recruitment efforts are a great start. After all, the problems within our education system demand the attention and resolve of a compassionate community, a supportive state legislature and a deliberate district. Our children’s lives and Louisville’s economy depend on it.
Kish Cumi-Price is director of Education Policy & Programming for the Louisville Urban League, and Sadiqa N. Reynolds is president & CEO of the Louisville Urban League.
Source: JCPS must fix failing schools now, help black and low-income students
