Lean on Me

It seems only in movies like 'Lean on Me' (yes, I am a movie junkie!) do people speak openly about race and education. Most people, especially public figures, tread lightly on the subject. That is, except for California State Superintendent Jack O'Connell.

O'Connell boldly put race at the forefront of the education converstion when he stated that race, not poverty helps to explain the achievement gap. His comments are based on test results that reveal that in math, poor white and Asian students outperform black and Latino students who aren't poor. In English, non-poor black and Latino students barely outperform poor whites. Now the measure of "poor" is, as the article states, crude. It's based on those students who have applied for free or reduced lunch at school. But that data is still in line with other studies that come to the same conclusion. (Although, we also want to acknowledge that there are many differing opinions on this matter. i.e. some studies show that the mother's education level is the greatest determinant of their child's education attainment.)

But what I like most about this article are the questions it raises, because they are the right ones:

Are there cultural reasons why African Americans and Latinos lag? Do they come from families, or communities, that don't value education highly enough? Do they learn differently from white and Asian students? Are they more likely to go to bad schools with less-experienced teachers? Do teachers hold them to lower standards?

In Washington, there are many schools facing these same challenges.

One in particular, I've seen first-hand. Granger High School in Yakima has made incredible strides because they have asked and answered these very questions in their community. Principal Richard Esparza reminds me of Morgan Freeman in 'Lean on Me.' A high-minority, low-income school, Esparza continues to close the achievement gap at Granger through a combination of effective tactics. While he may not chain the school doors so students can't leave and drug dealers can't get in (if you've seen Lean on Me, you know what I'm talking about), like Morgan Freeman, he's implemented strategies that work in his school. He engages parents. He organizes his teachers. He motivates his students and they seem to love him for it.

To NOT talk about race, culture, and the educational issues associated with both is a disservice to our children. Only by addressing these issues will we be able to hopefully find the right solutions to lean on.