VIA NEW YORK TIMES
A new report to be released on Tuesday show that black student’ proficiency in core subjects is worse than people realize. According to the study, only 12 percent of black fourth-grade boys are proficient in reading, compared with 38 percent of white boys, and only 12 percent of black eighth-grade boys are proficient in math, compared with 44 percent of white boys.
The New York Times story says poverty isn’t the sole factor. White boys living in poverty outscore black boys who aren’t poor.
“What this clearly shows is that black males who are not eligible for free and reduced-price lunch are doing no better than white males who are poor,” said Michael Casserly, executive director of the council, to the New York Times.
The data came from the national math and reading tests, known as the National Assessment for Educational Progress, which are given to students in fourth and eighth grades. This report’s data is based on 2009 test scores. The report, “A Call for Change,” is to be released Tuesday by the Council of the Great City Schools, an advocacy group for urban public schools.
Read the entire article here.
The news is disturbing, but the question is what are we as a community going to do about it? Screaming racism at school board meetings isn’t the answer. With the impending closing of CMS schools, it is more important than ever that African American communities and neighborhoods work with their neighborhood schools to improve student performance. It doesn’t take much to attend a couple of meetings and criticize. However, it takes serious commitment to dedicate time to volunteer at our neighborhood schools. Go to our Facebook page and tell us what you think.
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Preparing for CMS school closings means preparing our students.
