"Access and opportunity" do matter. So does "knowledge and awareness". That is fine for those of us that know what that means, how to find it, or appreciate it. I work in a predominantly hispanic inner-city school. The opportunities provided, and mandated, for these children are numerous. We, as teachers, knock ourselves out trying to be mediators between the "system", and the community in which we teach. Agreed, some teachers are simply out of touch, maybe even a little prejudiced, but they sometimes become that way after years of trying to reach a population that does NOT respond--and I am talking about the parents/gaurdians, not the kids! I am relativly new to the field of education, but I have seen this issue from all sides (as a child in the New York public school, as a teen in a "minority" dominated community, a parent in my 30s, and a teacher in my 40s), and I can verify that it all begins at home. Students get their world view from their parents, and if they believe "the system" is keeping them down, it's because their family has convinced them it is so. Skin color aside, I have seen this to be true of all races, notably those living in poverty, which IS the larger problem. Granted, the "opportunities" provided by schools and society seem to have skipped over a large portion of multi-cultural citizens, but is this the fault of the educators, "the system", the government, old prejudices that won't die, new prejudices that are growing, the alignment of the stars, the moon, what? How can we point the finger at any one entity? I believe it starts with the individual, and what they choose to believe. We have a right to think and speak freely in this country--not without some consequences, obviously--and perhaps it is time for those individuals to take responsibility for what they do in life, damn what they have been told, forget the skin color, the missed opportunities. They need to look ahead, not back. And I am speaking from experience.

Of course, my parents always believed in me. Ask anyone if that made a difference in their lives, no matter what their color or race...I'll bet they say "yes". Votes: -1

"We" is an interesting word. If a Muslim uses "We" he is marked off as a terrorist. If a white person, pleading, for racial equality, uses "We," he gets marked off as white person. In improving our society, ask not "What we can do for or about them?" but rather "What can we all do about this together?" Votes: +0

Is this about race or is this about poverty, really? People confuse the two and people use one as code for the other. because go to any inner city and look at the white poor kids - and you'll see the same lack of direction and the same lack of drive.

This as about social strata - and what kids see as a possible future and what they see as simply spinning their wheels in vain.

Children with well-funded schools, who have parents who are interacting with the schools and with their kids because they aren't working two-plus jobs, and kids who are in an atmosphere where they can see what higher education can do simply *DO* better, regardless of color.

If you are an educator in a school with predominantly kids of color, and you think their disaffection and anger is about them being "black" and "black culture" rather than how they treated for being black and what they see as their lack of success for being black, you need to wake up. Or find a new job.

YOU, as an educator, can help them see that they can grow up to be anything. YOU. And if you have lost that idealism, it's time to find a new job. Votes: +0

Team - First - I have thick skin so don't hold back. I think Tellin It Like It Is, while wrong on some important points (when I was in high school white kids wanted to grow up to be rock stars, pro-athletes and models so not sure there's really a big difference there) is contributing to this dialogue. Tellin It Like It Is - is on to something when he suggests I ought to take 2 years out and get a job teaching in an urban setting to better appreciate the realities teachers face in these settings. I'm going to weigh that suggestion against the potential for contribution leading HotChalk but stay tuned on that issue. As for the rant on NCLB - I suspect we're in violent agreement about lots of that mess. On this point I'm certain. Regardless of what position you take on the issue of race and what effect, if any it's having on education, its important for us to be talking about it. I know I don't have the answers - but if enough of us ask the questions - the uncomfortable questions - and begin searching for answers - we might find some. I am humbled by your willingness to speak up (even when we disagree) and I deeply appreciate the level of passion that your voices clearly contain - Let's stay at this - together, we will find a way forward. That's what we do. EMF Votes: +0

Race is the proverbial elephant in the room about which no one wants to talk in hopes that the poor fellow will just go off to the elephant graveyard and die. Since the pesky rascal won't die, we need to talk about him. Yes, parents are the first teachers, but what if they don't teach their kids. What is responsibility educators? Everyone that comes into contact with you has the potential to teach you something. Some students spend more time with a teacher than with their parents. I think that getting an education means teaching kids to think, to examine, and to want to leave the a world much better place. Education is not just teaching facts to students; it is teaching students to not limit themselves or not to let others try to put limits on what they can accomplish. It is about teaching them to resist all teaching that goes contrary to that idea. It is within resistance that all change comes. In that way, educators should help students see that their charge is the same as the one of all generations before and all generations after -- -be good stewards and leave the world a better place than what they found it. Leaving the world a better place means addressing racism. This is an issue that permeates every aspect of life not just education, but education is where the issue could be addressed and change could occur. For the teacher who said that his students aspired to be rapper and were not motivated. The students aspire to do something that they see as successful; it might not be what the teacher considers successful. The students aspire to that image of success and that is motivation. How many successful minorities do they see as doctors, lawyers, or for that matter teachers. Two other questions I would like to pose are: What are the effects of the integration of schools on the black community? Did segregated schools do a better job of educating minorities? Votes: +0

I used the dictionary to rmind myself that "teach" and "educate" are synonyms...they mean the same thing. Parents and teachers can be both. We are both. Race is a construct that has no basis in biology. It is a fact none the less. Facts speak for themselves: we have denied access to housing, education, jobs in the past and we still do. There are consequences to these actions that have a negative effect on us all. Still, if we continue to use fear, ignorance, denial as reasons to deny that we can make a difference, then we will have no positive effect on the current situation. I think we are each responisble, including the students described in the first comment AND the person who wrote the comment. I need not add that I have taught and made policy at inner city schools, colleges and universities in Texas, Washington D.C. and in Massachusetts because even if I had not, I continue to embrace the following idea: IF IT WAS NOT LEARNED, IT WAS NOT TAUGHT, and "it" includes everything from respect for oneself to
the formula for the circumference of a circle to the symbolism in Lord of the Flies to thowing a ceramic pot, to an appretiation for the ragtime music that was popular at the turn of the century here in the U.S. of A, to the position of the coastline of California when the map projection has the North Pole at its center. I think we have to teach ourselves what we do not know once we get past a certain age.

There are many places one can go to learn about the effects and realities of racist practice and what one can do about it. One such place is the Center for the Healing of Racism in Houston, Texas. I encourage anyone who wants to have an effect to be in touch with the Center. From Ayer, Massachustts... Votes: +0

I have been in the classroom and now serve as an administrator. Our school district is not "inner city", but has some of the same problems related to lack of student motivation, behavior problems, lack of parental support of some students, etc. I do not consider myself to be a teacher only. I am an educator. I try to continue my own education as well as educate teachers, parents, students and community members so that we can all continue to grow.

No matter what anyone says, you cannot completely separate life from education. Maslow's hierarchy tells us that certain basic needs must be met before higher pursuits can be relevant in people's lives. Everyone knows that this is the greatest country in the world, with the most opportunities, yet we have people working full-time who cannot support their families and have no health care. While we can brag that unemployment is only 5% nationally, it is much higher in the Black community. There is a major crisis in terms of affordable housing, people losing their homes or living in substandard housing. Children are afraid to go to school because of dangerous neighborhoods. People without hope have difficulty aspiring to higher things. Immediate needs are paramount and it is difficult to show a hopeless child the benefits of education when they can go make more than we do by selling drugs on the streets. As long as they see that some of the wealthiest and most famous people are rap artists and athletes that is what they aspire to be. In our community, which is predominantly White, our Black students are caught between two cultures. They don't want to be perceived as "trying to be White" especially when they perceive that White people are hostile and afraid of them, yet they do not know what "being Black" means so they learn from the images they see on television. You know what that means. Some escape into television and videogames.

As educators we must teach the truth and teach all children the value of their own people in the history and development of our nation. Knowing the value and strength of one's culture builds a sense of pride in children and shows them that they too can accomplish great things. Knowing and teaching about the historical experiences of a people makes our curriculum truthful, shows respect and fairness, but also helps establish an obligation in them toward those who paved the way through their sacrifices.

I have heard it said (& I believe this to be true) that children of color do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. Research by Ron Ferguson (Harvard University) and Jelani Mandara (Northwestern University), as well outstanding examples of teachers who have made tremendous differences in the excellent achievement of minority students (e.g. - Jaime Escalante, Ron Clark, Marva Collins, Roberta Guaspari, and others), make it clear that these children can and will achieve great things when we (teacher/educators) develop caring relationships with them - and with their families, respect them and have high expectations of them.

Schools and teacher/educators cannot solve all of the problems of our society, but our educational institutions can do more than we do. In addition to making sure that we show respect by reflecting the diverse experiences and contributions of our citizenry through social studies, literature, music, art, etc., we can make the curricula relevant for those who realistically cannot or do not want to attend a 4 year college. If our educational system really wanted to cut the drop out rate, it would develop a policy in which high school curricula would include internships and apprenticeships in the trade unions so that students would be prepared for skilled work in which they could support themselves and their families. Not everyone is capable or even wants to go to college. It is expensive, requires that you take (and pay for) classes that are irrelevant to your immediate life, takes too long to complete if you have immediate needs that are not being met. Some have other immediate priorities, but the beauty of the American system is that they can change their minds one day and be able to go to college when and if they so choose. In the meantime, we will never outsource plumbers, electricians, construction workers, etc. who earn decent wages to support their families. Advanced academic students take AP classes, why not have something like that for other students?

Education is complicated, but it is time to think more outside of the box about its overarching purpose. There is so much more to say, but I will not - this time.
Votes: +0

The two instructors are correct in pointing out that student success hinges, in large part, on parent participation. The ad hominim attack in the first comment ignores that confronting a problem involves first identifying it. The problem is low expectations on our part, based on race. My son went through a lower middle class school system that intentionally set the bar low because 'they' (the parents) were too unsophisticated to care.
Instead of attacking Edward, how about some blunt ideas on how to make the students want to pull themselves out of the morass? It worked for my kids. Present some realistic role models of how it can be done and the kids will step up. Remember in Psych 101 learning about mice who performed above expectations because they were challenged? It works folks! Votes: +0

As an educator for the past 35 years I can and will say this. All students can learn and read, will they? That is another matter that as teachers we have to be concerned about. It seems to me that very few parents give a darn about their kids education instead they are focused on whether their child is popular, in sports, and what job they can have in order to make money for their cars, clothes and insurance.
I live in a rural area, surrounded by major universities, but still the concern of higher education escapes most homes.
We can only do so much with the small amount of time we have to work with our students. I love my kids in class, but I don't love their lazy attitudes sometimes.
HELP! Parents need to get the motivation or be forced to take parenting classes. Especially if their children are constantly truant. That would help a great deal. Accountability???? Maybe they need to have some too....Imagine that! Votes: +0

I work in an urban school that is predominantly African-American and Hispanic. Less than 6% of our student population is Caucasion. Our city population is also similar to our school. Several years back, a group of business people, educators, students, and community members came together and formed a Race Relations Coalition to address the needs of our community and our schools. As a result of the work of this committee, great advances have been made in the daily relations of all of our students. We acknowledge the reality of our participation in the horrors of slavery in our past but we focus on the present and insuring that all students recieve equal opportunity. If a particular student chooses not to accept that opportunity, that is his/her choice. However, we know that the opportunity was there. Last year, our graduating seniors recieved over 1.5 million dollars in scholarships. These were all African-American or Hispanic students except for 2 Caucasions.
We haven't even gotten the final tally of scholarships for this years graduates, but our students have already surpassed the 1.5 million mark set last year. Ask our students what they want to do after they graduate and they will tell you they want to be doctors, lawyers, architects, teachers, nurses, musicians, soldiers, athletes like LaDamion. Do we have problem students and drop-outs? You bet. We are still working to find the bridge to reach these kids. There is no quick fix to reach 100% of the student population. However, if a community will come together and work together consistently over the years as we are doing, you can begin finding the bridges to reach those students and community members who currently are slipping through the cracks of our society.
I, for one, admire you, Edward, for standing up and speaking out on this subject even though you aren't a teacher or administrator. Educators, parents, and community members must work together if we are going to make a difference. Votes: +1

I am an educator,yes educator in an urban system in Georgia. Race is an issue, how do I know? I see it everyday. Did you ever consider that you did not see doctor,lawyer or teacher because they do not see lawyers, doctors or teachers in their neighborhoods. How can you aspire to be something you are not familiar with. They feel that is for other people, when your role models are hustlers and your mother works two jobs just to make ends meet you experience a sense of hopelessness. It is my responsibility to teach social studies but also prepare them for life. I understand that their home life impacts much of what they think and believe. It is hard to dream beyond your reality when reality is hard and at times depressing. Many parents are young and are ill prepared to be parents, but that does not excuse me from doing what I can do to make sure that child knows that there are two America's and they have to know how to function in both if they plan on being successful.
I have spoken to teachers who don't expect much out of these students and therefore they get just what they expect, very little. I tell them I expect the same thing I expect of myself, one hundred percent. Guess what, I usually get their best everytime. Are there some who are determined to be in the "streets" yes and I keep talking to them and speaking words of encouragement because they are capable of so much more.
One thing that I feel should also be addressed is the problem of poverty which affects both races. I have had white students with similar socioeconomic backgrounds as my black students come into my class with a self-defeating attitude and work my butt off to reach them as well. Some you reach some you don't. It is what it is. If you feel you can't make a difference and that your job is only to teach your subject matter then maybe you need to consider a career change because life is too short to spend it doing something you no longer believe in, a child does not care how much you know until they know how much you care. Votes: -1

I don't know why we are focusing on just students. There are historically black colleges who are turning out teachers who are not qualified. Many have NEVER written an essay. But everyone is just afraid to say the truth. Votes: +0

"Nah - You're wrong - Opportunity and access matter. Knowledge and awareness matter." -Edward

People come to America because it is the land of opportunity. We would not have an immigration problem (millions of people risking their life to get here illegally) if America was not the place for opportunity. One of America's great opportunities is the access to a free education for every American reguardless their skin color or gender. It is what each individual decides to do with the opportunity that is the problem. I teach in a predomitaly white rual community where I may have 5 or less minorty students per year. I have NEVER witnessed any minory student not given the same opportunity as their white counterpart. Votes: +0

Who educated Lincoln? Votes: +0

My fifth grade classroom is fifty percent Hispanic, fifty percent Caucasian. The only racial issues we have in our school are brought from the outside. The prejudices of society, taught by people outside the education system is the main issue.

The school is not the most appropriate or the most effective way to teach children about many issues: sex, drugs, and prejudice. Unfortunately, too many "parents" have abdicated this responsibility.

What is the solution to these problems? If left to our schools, these problems will not be solved. Yes, they can be addressed, but how much influence do educators have with children that come to us already living this way? Votes: +0

As Dr. Pilgrim wrote "I'm not afraid to talk about race. I am afraid not to."

Your comments were very topical as I just finished a three week unit on Jim Crow in preparation for my 8th Grade students reading "To Kill A Mockingbird".

As someone is sure to ask I will mention that our school is approximately 13% black, I teach in a small suburb on the edge of Detroit and I am a white female in my 40's.

However, I would teach this unit regardless of the ethniticity of my classroom or school, as I feel it is vital to understand the history of both a novel's setting and the time period of the author, if the reader is to fully comprehend the text.

I would highly recommend Ferris University's Jim Crow Museum website, which allowed me to take my students on a virtual tour of their huge collection of items pertaining to this period in our history. I called this unit "Does this offend you?" and I am happy to say that every student reported that it did.

The items in the collection and Dr. Pilgrims fine essays on race, the word "nigger" and Jim Crow history provided us with fodder for incredably rich and attitude changing discussions. My children were honest and enthusiastically engaged throughout. Parents were incredably supportive and I recieved many compliments during my conferences last week.

The most notiable side bar to this unit was my students new appreciation for how far we have come (not that we don't have further to go) and how vital it truly is that we know our own history so that we can appreciate our own progress. Many of them have persued outside readings to continue their own education on race issues.

Race is a scary topic, but that is even more reason to address it. Our children deserve a safe, supportive environment in which to discuss ideas and to try on attitudes that are different than those they find at home.

You can't understand the inner city, nor the struggles of minorities in this country if you haven't lived it . . .but you can't empathize and offer meaningful change if you don't have conversations and experiences that will help you at least to begin to understand. In this case, as in many, we would be best served to let our children be our teachers . . .their open hearts and continued belief in a better future should guide us all. Votes: +0

Yes, opportunity and access matter, but the thing is that we are KNOCKING OURSELVES OUT giving them opportunity and access, and still not succeeding because there is way more to it than what teachers can do. The big thing that needs to change is these kids' expectations of themselves, and that largely comes from the PARENTS, not teachers, not the community. We all hear stories of how a teacher who won't give up inspires a kid to become more than he thought he could be, but those are largely for the movies. It doesn't happens like that for most teachers or most students. I am what I am because it's what my parents taught me to expect of myself, and although I had good teachers, I don't think they affected my life choices all that much. It was my parents. And for our kids today, it is the parents as well, whether they realize it or not.

And are we really failing half of our kids? Let's see. If a patient goes to the doctor needing medicine, and the doctor prescribes the medicine, but the patient doesn't take it, and then the patient dies or ends up sicker, then did the medicine fail? Did the doctor fail? Or did the patient fail? Votes: +0

I work as the (white as it happens) volunteer local manager of a small school in Belize teaching exclusively black children with black teacher in a black community, in a country which is very multi racial - with Creole, Garinagu, Mayan, Hispanic, Chinese, East Indian and white people all mixed in together and on the whole getting on retty well.

In our community we don't have 24/7 electricity, let alone tv, yet I see all the lack of ambition, disrespect for themselves and others, and complete disinterest in education that seem to be the case in the US and the UK amongst black children. I simply cannot explain why this should be, and children from other ethnic groups in the same kind of circumstance (poor rural school) in this country do seem to do better.

I've only been doing this work since November, so I am still on a learning curve, but my plan to address the problem is this:

Recruit a highly talented principal with strong comitment to the task (thank God I found someone great!)

Address behaviour by training the teachers in what you could loosly call the "Bill Rogers" method. (Google him and check out his books on Amazon.co.uk)

Teach Thinking Skills

Improve creative work

Strengthen parent/school relationships

Well, those are my main ideas, I don't know if they will work or not, but I am in the fortunate position of being in a small school with a great deal of autonomy. It will be interesting to see if we can do the hardest thing of all - change attitudes.


Votes: +0

I'm tired of schools being the perpetual whipping boy of our societies problems. We must make significant improvements in our society if we are to see significant improvement in our schools. The lack of access to educational opportunities is due to lack of access to capital, plain and simple. I'm not talking about college scholarships and grants. I'm talking about lifelong access to capital to fund the dinner table, to keep the child safe, healthy, and to provide the tools (including computers) needed for a 21st century education. Children also need opportunities to play, socialize, and form bonds with each other and their community. They need neighborhoods that embrace them and show them the way. They need parents who understand the difference between wants and needs, who understand that putting their child's needs ahead of their (and teir child's) wants is tantamount.

Solutions? Change in the way we view our society. Change in the way we view our teachers and schools. Change in the way the media represents our schools and teachers. Let's start hearing about the successes, focus on the positive things going on in our communities so children can draw inspiration from the good things that are happening. Let's provide good examples of successful schools, teachers that make a difference, students that are doing amazing things.

Will the media step up to the plate? Will they end the piranna-like investigative reporting? Will they at least balance it with positive reporting? C'mon guys, let's "Accentuate the Positive!" Votes: +0

I have to concur, on some level, with the first comment. I teach 8th grade in a very racially diverse school. I see no difference in the students by color of their skin. What I do see a difference in is the students' attitudes about school. The students who actually care about their schoolwork, regardless of their skin color, are the students who succeed. The students who care about their schoolwork are the students who have parents who care about their child's schoolwork. Our school has extremely successful students who are black, Latino, Indian, middle eastern, European, and white American. We also have at-risk students from all the same races and cultures. Are they at-risk because the teachers have not done their job, or are they at-risk because the parents are not putting a priority on their child's education or making their child accountable? It's very difficult to teach a child who doesn't want to be taught. Pop culture and peer pressure are greater influences today than parents, in many cases, at the middle school level. Votes: +0