African-American History Month needs a 21st century upgrade. It should not be seen simply as an opportunity to celebrate our achievements, our role models and our legacy. It needs to be viewed as well through the prism of challenges that still exist today, particularly at a time in our history when many people still feel disenfranchised and unable to achieve the equality expected in a democracy.
Sadly, one area where the gap between success and failure is blatantly apparent is in income and, by extension, education. In New York City, it appears that many African-American students are still not receiving the quality education that will help raise their academic performance and their aspirations.
An analysis unveiled recently by the Center for New York City Affairs at the New School displayed a sizable achievement gap, showing how many low-income African-American and Latino students were attending schools with one another, whereas white students from richer families were learning in more diverse settings.
The intersection of race, income and achievement became abundantly clear when noting that the poorer students were, the lower their test scores were. The study noted how students from families with incomes under $30,000 were mostly Black and Hispanic, whereas those from families earning $80,000 or more were mostly white.
Another recent report, issued by the Independent Budget Office in December 2017, found in the 2008-2009 academic year a pattern of achievement gaps based on race and gender in the city’s schools, with white students outperforming African-American students on New York State tests in third grade reading and math, and African-American student performance deteriorating sharply compared with students of other races by eighth grade reading and seventh grade math. That same report also noted that 80 percent of elementary schools had students of one race despite the city’s racial diversity.
These disparities aren’t exclusive to New York City, and my frustration isn’t aimed at any one governing body or elected official. As the IBO said, “Achievement gaps—by race, gender and income—have been one of the most persistent and disquieting facts of K-12 education in the U.S.”
While there has been some progress, it’s time to explore other mechanisms to not just narrow but close this educational disparity gap. I don’t pretend to have all of the answers, but I do have the passion and willpower to take a hard look at what is not working and what is working, and to find ways to help all the children and young adults that I can.
It’s why, for example, at the New York City Mission Society, when we looked back to our history, the common thread among all of our programming is education. Having served hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers over two centuries, we have decided that it’s not just about quantity of education, but quality.
Students from low-income communities should not be trapped in under-resourced classrooms learning rote instruction. Instead, we must identify innovative ways to explore the world through digital resources such as augmented and virtual reality, discover arts and culture with access to instrument libraries and arts instructors, and understand how diversity in our city, our country and the world shapes their lives.
We found, for instance, significant progress in our summer Power Academy program, in which most of our youngsters are Black or Hispanic and from low-income families. We paired excursions to landmarks across the city with lessons, opening up the eyes of these youngsters to corners of our city they’d never seen while tying those experiences to lesson plans.
Now, they’ve learned how diversity has shaped many of our city’s neighborhoods, and made it the melting pot and destination that people from across the country and world seek as a venue for acceptance, a place to achieve their dreams. By the end of the summer, we noted a 60 percent increase in their reading levels.
That’s why our afterschool program is more than a structured drop-in program. I believe that—if we have additional time with students who are performing below grade level—it is our responsibility to continue to educate them and strengthen their literacy and critical thinking skills through engaging hands on activities that support school-day learning.
At this moment in our nation’s history, it’s equally important to learn from the lessons of the past, how advocacy and social justice efforts—such as those imparted by Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama and many others—can better inform their future. We discuss their advocacy, achievements and legacy not only during African-American History Month but also year-round.
Our schools need to have these discussions as well, integrating contemporary social justice content into the curricula and illustrating the power of representation.
As our former first lady, Michelle Obama, once said, “The ability to read, write and analyze; the confidence to stand up and demand justice; the qualifications and connections to get your foot in that door and take your seat at the table—all of that starts with education.”
And it takes a community, or as another first lady once said, a “village,” to improve the quality of education our students receive in our schools, and beyond school walls. The fault lies in all of us who assume it’s solely someone else’s responsibility.
For this reason, I have made sure we focus heavily on building literacy skills in our afterschool and summer programs. About half of our Power Academy students are sadly reading far below grade level, yet being promoted to higher grades without achieving basic literacy skills. We took it on ourselves to develop two proprietary curricula, keyed to Common Core standards, for use in afterschool settings.
This action underscores our efforts to complement school-day learning with engaging hands-on activities devoted to literacy and science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. Because we want our students to receive a well-rounded education, we’ve added the “A” to “STEM,” making sure they have access to arts, in the form of a musical education program, as well. It frustrates me that many walk through our doors having barely—or never—had those opportunities in their most formative years.
Education helps us connect to our history. Our history is steeped in helping lift the dreams and aspirations of generations of youngsters, young adults and families. Despite how far we’ve come, these dreams continued to be watered down by inequality in our schools.
So this month, I celebrate African-American History Month not talking about accomplishments of our African-American brothers and sisters, but recommitting to action. I want our students to grow with the skills, the knowledge and the confidence that will lead them to succeed.
As Ms. Obama once said, “Through my education, I didn’t just develop skills, I didn’t just develop the ability to learn, but I developed confidence.”
Elsie McCabe Thompson is president of the New York City Mission Society.
