Letter to Tom Joyner and Tavis Smiley.

 

by
Gloria Ladson-Billings

 

Center for Education Research, Analysis, and Innovation
School of Education
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
PO Box 413
Milwaukee WI 53201
414-229-2716

 

November 15, 1999

 

 

CERAI-00-05

November 15, 1999
Mr. Tom Joyner, Host
Tom Joyner Morning Show
Mr. Tavis Smiley, Commentator
c/o The Tom Joyner Foundation
P.O. Box 630495
Irving, TX 75063

Dear Mr. Joyner and Mr.Smiley:

I am writing to enlist yoursupport in an effort of great importance to the African American community—theeducation of our children. I am a professor in the School of Education at theUniversity of Wisconsin (the first African American woman to receive tenure inthe School of Education’s 150-year history) and have devoted myself to researchthat examines successful efforts to educate African American children. My workhas allowed me to travel throughout the U.S. and the world, and I am struck byhow often Black people are left out of the conversations and decision-makingthat relates directly to them and their lives.

Currently, I am workingwith a group of scholars on a project to counter misinformation (the stuffthat’s incorrect) and dis-information (the incorrect stuff that’s deliberatelyput out there) about public schooling. According to a recent poll published inTime Magazine, African American confidence in public school systems is at anall time low—and rightly so. The conditions of our schools are terrible and thekind of education our children are receiving is indefensible. However, thesolution to improving schools for all children cannot be found solely incharter schools and voucher programs. While school choice programs may beworking for the few families that choose, the research indicates that"current choice policies are creating both winners and losers amongchildren" (Education Week, October 27, 1999). A recent report done byresearchers at Michigan State University suggests that students who are nottaking advantage of the new opportunities are being left behind in decliningdistricts that may be ill-equipped to compete in the education marketplace.According to David Plank, a professor at Michigan State, "Choice mayimpose costs on students who don’t choose."

My concern is that thosechildren least likely to "choose" will be poor and black. Ourparents’, guardians’, community members’, and church leaders’ voices are absentfrom the dialogue about school choice. A very telling example of how Blackchildren continue to be left behind is demonstrated in some of the nation’s"best" public schools. In school districts like Chapel Hill, NC, AnnArbor, MI, Evanston Township, IL, Shaker Heights, OH, and Madison, WI you willfind some of the "best" performing students in the nation. Theschools are touted as exemplary and students in these districts often areselected by the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities. Yet, inthe midst of all of this excellence, African American children continue to lagsignificantly behind their white and Asian American counterparts.

School choice also does notaddress the issue of special education. Currently, African American childrenconstitute approximately 16 percent of the public school population. However,they are about 41 percent of the special education population! Private schoolsare not obligated to take any special needs students.

One of the argumentsoffered by school choice/voucher proponents is that competition from privateschools will either make public schools better or cause them to close. First,we must be realistic. Public schools serve some 40 million students. We have noprivate school infrastructure to absorb that many students. The idea ofcompetition leading to improvement is not born out by recent privatization ofpublic goods and services. For example, when Ronald Reagan deregulated theairline industry many smaller carriers went out of business. Some would arguethat was a good thing because those smaller airlines were not competitive.However, we now have a situation in air transportation where some areas of thecountry virtually have no air service. Which areas of the country do you thinkwould be without schools if some public schools had to close because ofcompetition? Whose children will be most adversely affected?

The issues of schoolchoice, vouchers, and charter schools are not simple or cut and dry. They arecomplex, and what works for individuals in one situation may not work forothers. My concern is not that African American parents and community memberswalk lockstep behind any particular position. Rather, my concern is that theytake an active role in defining their own educational issues.

I am appealing to youbecause of the extensive audience you serve and the goodwill and trust you havedeveloped in our communities. My plea is for you to use some portion of yourbroadcasts to urge our communities to stay involved in the school reform andschool choice debates at their local schools and districts. Below I have listedsome of the proactive steps your listeners can take to make sure their voicesare heard.

  1. To find out what type of "choice" or "specialty" schools already exist in your school district ask your local school principal, the district curriculum director, and your local school board members. (When I taught school in Philadelphia, few African American families knew about the Saul Agricultural and Horticultural High School. The few folks who did know about it thought it was a school for farmers. What they did not know what that the emphasis on the life sciences made Saul graduates highly sought after by colleges and universities looking for students to pursue medical and biological sciences careers).
  2. To find out what type of tests your children are required to take and what the various scores on the tests mean, ask school counselors, district test coordinators and local branches of the NAACP, the Urban League, 100 Black Men, the Links, or graduate chapters of Black fraternities and sororities. Too many of our children are sitting in classrooms that are supposed to be 4th grade, but their test results indicate that they are functioning at the 1st grade level.
  3. Go to parent-teacher conferences and be prepared to ask the following questions:
    1. What does my child know and what is s/he able to do?
    2. What should my child know and be able to do at this grade level?
    3. How does my child compare with others in his or her class? School? District?
    4. How can I help my child?
    5. How does the curriculum compare with XXX school in a white or upper middle class neighborhood. For example, if you live in Cleveland, ask about Shaker Heights. If you live in Chicago, ask about New Trier Schools.
  1. Don’t accept remarks from teachers solely about our children’s behavior or deportment. We don’t need to hear, "Oh, Ms. Smith, DeAndre is so nice!" We know whether or not we have nice children. We need to know what our children know and are able to do.
  2. Work in coalition with other parents. Call a meeting at your home or church. "Where two or three are gathered together…" can make a big difference. One of the ways that schools keep us ignorant is by keeping us apart. White middle class parents develop networks in their communities. They know who the best teachers are and where the best programs are. They use these networks to advocate for their children.
  3. Don’t accept what the school says as gospel. Far too many parents have allowed teachers and other school personnel to assign their children to special education without understanding what their rights are. If your child is being recommended for special education, be sure to take another trusted adult with you. Two sets of ears often are better than one. Don’t be afraid to say, "I don’t think I’ll sign this just yet. I want to take it home so I can read it more carefully."
  4. Pay close attention to the education policies being promoted by political candidates at all levels (national, state, and local). Politicians are trained to tell the people what they want to hear. If they don’t hear our voices, we will never hear policies and platforms that articulate our concerns.

I appreciate yourwillingness to read and respond to this letter and I hope that it offersinformation that you will find useful for your work. I also urge you to log onto a dynamic new Internet web site that focuses on a research initiative beingdeveloped by some distinguished African American scholars to look at what ishappening in Black education. That web site address is: www.tekafrika.net/CORIBE.org

The web site is the work ofthe newly formed Commission on the Research In Black Education, which issponsored by the American Educational Research Association (AERA). I am veryproud to have been able to leverage my role at AERA to get its governingcouncil to invest in this initiative to the tune of approximately $175,000. Weare still searching for people who are willing to serve as members of the Commission’sNational Advisory Board. I ask that we might be able to place both of yournames in as possible Advisory Board Members.

We must take theadmonitions of Carter G. Woodson seriously and do all we can to fight againstthe mis-education of our people.

Sincerely,

Gloria Ladson-Billings,Ph.D.

Professor and Senior Fellowof the Annenberg Institute for School Reform

(608) 263-1006

Email: gjladson@facstaff.wisc.edu

 

Cc: Dr. Joyce King,Associate Provost CUNY-Medgar Evers College- The City University of New York,Chair, Commission on Research In Black Education

Alex Molnar, Director,CERAI – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

 

CERAI-00-05