Are Black Students Better Off with Black Teachers?
Jada Wiiliams of Rochester N.Y., never imagined when she wrote an essay comparing the racist oppression faced by Frederick Douglas to her current lived experiences as a Black student, that it would end with her teacher claiming offense or in Jada having to leave the school. “Most White teachers that I have come into contact with over the last several years of my life, have failed to instruct us – even today,” she wrote. Her parents were forced to pull her out of school when they noticed that her grades suddenly began to drop in several of her classes. In tears, she told ABC News, “I did feel overwhelmed because I didn’t know that it would become this huge.”
The fact that her grades declined after handing in this essay adds validity to the charges of racism that Williams bravely made in her essay. RCSD Interim Superintendent Bolgen Vargas, who is clearly on the defensive, stated that, “Teachers, regardless of their color, are able to teach us.” Most of the teachers in the Rochester district are white. Although teachers are forced to take sensitivity classes, regardless of their intent, the fact remains that they have been raised in a culture steeped in white supremacy.
This incident will serve as a very harsh teaching lesson to young Jada. Though Whiteness has attempted to claim that we are post-racial, or that we have at least reached the point where the kind of virulent racism experienced by Blacks during slavery and Jim Crow has so severely declined as to make it negligible, ongoing attacks against racial minorities continue to be pervasive in almost every social institution – the exception, of course, being inside (some) Black families. This means that charges of racism are often reduced to the minority in question being too sensitive or playing the so-called “race card” to invoke sympathy.
The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research reported in 2006 that the graduation rate for the year 2003 was seventy percent. When the numbers are divided by race and gender however, the success rate drops drastically.
- Nationally, the graduation rate for white students was 78 percent, compared with 72 percent for Asian students, 55 percent for African-American students, and 53 percent for Hispanic students.
- The gender gap in graduation rates is particularly large for minority students. Nationally, about 5 percentage points fewer white male students and 3 percentage points fewer Asian male students graduate than their respective female students. While 59 percent of African-American females graduated, only 48 percent of African-American males earned a diploma (a difference of 11 percentage points). Further, the graduation rate was 58 percent for Hispanic females, compared with 49 percent for Hispanic males (a difference of 9 percentage points).
This suggests that though Jada’s paper was completely experiential, clearly some sort of race bias must be in place. Black children arrive at school as eager to learn as their White counterparts, and yet by the third grade, many have either fallen behind, or else they are routinely labeled as “problem children.” The only true universal subjects are math and science because they are not open to interpretation; the answers are either right or the wrong. All other subjects are graded based on the teachers’ evaluation of performance, which leaves much room for racism.
A teacher need not evaluate unfairly to added racial bias to the classroom. All he or she has to do is to spend less time instructing minority students in their class or fail to encourage them to excel in the same manner as they do white students. In The Biography of Malcolm X, one of the most memorable scenes for me was that of the white teacher telling Malcolm to seek a manual labor job, even though he was clearly intelligent and desired to go to law school.
The Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision brought an end to segregation in schools, and for the first time, Black students were exposed to White teachers. This has not necessarily been positive for Black children. The history that is taught in schools is framed through a lens of White supremacy, with additives like Black History Month being thrown to mask enormous inequalities in education. Today’s students are forced to learn the oppressor’s truth by a white supremacist educational system that presents heavy-handed biases into history, language, and even the arts.
Jada’s teacher was only able to personalize her essay because it has become the common belief that living with racism is less harmful then being accused of being a racist. The teacher’s reaction, while not surprising, is disappointing. Instead of leading to persecution, Jada’s essay should have been an impetus to create change that ensures all students are performing to their best abilities and receiving equal treatment.
Though Jada faced persecution for speaking her truth, The Frederick Douglas Foundation of New York presented her with the first Spirit of Freedom award. It is my hope that this award will serve to encourage her to keep speaking her truth in the face of resistance and empower her to continue to seek excellence.
I do not know how to answer really if Black students are better off with Black teachers.
There is a significantly higher number of non-Black professionals teaching academics to begin with. I don’t have any facts to back that up besides my own experiences of having probably no more than a handful of Black teachers in my school days.
a few things:
math and science — very open to interpretation and answers aren’t always either right or wrong. the outcomes in these classes are very much affected by usually non-malicious forms of racism such as differential expectations, low collective self efficacy, stereotype threat, etc.
Brown v. Board of Education didn’t bring an end to segregation (they are still largely segregated) and white teachers had been teaching black students since the 19th century. Segregation of the schools didn’t necessarily limit the employment opportunities for white teachers.
White supremacy impacts all content areas, even physical education and math.
A black teacher isn’t going to be better for black students per se. Many black teachers that I have come across are just as oblivious to the issues at the root of the achievement gap as their white counterparts. I would say a conscious, well-informed black teacher is better for black students than their white counterparts. I would also argue that black teachers have a greater potential for higher levels of impact with black students but this potential is largely unrealized. Many of the dropouts mentioned are at segregated schools with black teachers. It’s a rare teacher of any race that has been able to make sustained inroads in the academic achievement gap. If all black students in the country had only black teachers, I would wager that the outcomes wouldn’t change much. in the face of societal inequalities and oppression, teachers are a relatively small factor in student outcomes.
@ Ravi: Your last paragraph summed up my thoughts. Thank you!
actually Math and Science (especially Math) typically aren’t open to interpretation . Their are universal truths and the failure of black students in these areas often defeat the racism claim and usually point to the students’ individual failures. It’s one of the reasons Asian students often lead everyone in these two subjects. If it was truly based on race then whites would have the advantage, but they don’t, which supports the notion that Math and Science and generally universal and not open to interpretation.
History is often open to interpretation. Literature is usually open to interpretation.
Yes, Black students are better with black teacher as long as those black teachers:
1) Don’t try to sleep with their students and aren’t pedophiles
2) Don’t have colorism and classism biases
3) Are actually qualified the subjects the school assigns them to teach, because some white run schools will let any BLACK TEACHER teach African-American related studies (eg. African-American history)
Not surprising coming from Rochester, NY. One of the worst school systems in NY state. Their high school graduation rate is 33% and its obvious that many don’t care about those students or change would’ve been happened. There are 5 colleges in that area and only a sliver of Rochester students actually go to them. Sad.
As much as I wanna say that that’s a lie… It’s true. I was raised in a suburb outside of Rochester, and I attend the Rochester Institute of Technology. A lot of people that I encounter from the Rochester area at my school attended suburban schools and not the Rochester city schools. However RIT has started a Rochester City Scholars program that provides free tuition for all Rochester City School students. It’s only one solution and I hope that this isn’t the end…. The Rochester has been undergoing “restructuring” for what I feel like has been years. They need a LOT of help.
No black students are not better off with black teachers. The problem here is not one based on the race of the studets. The pblem is black folks operate under the delusion that all black kids are intelligent and capable….well that simply is not true for any race. I have met many black kids who are simply dumb as hell. They hate school. They hate learning and they see it as pointless….wait let me finish….
Separate and unequal will contine because all black children are not intelligent and capable. These individuals need some extra work beyond those who are intelligent and understand their school work right away. It is up to the “slow” kids to take their work home and learn it with their parents. Teachers cannot make students learn. They have to be willing to go home and work on it instead of watching tv etc. From observation black girls are far more willing to do this even without a parent present than black boys.
As for the gender gap in education by race…once again everyone is not intelligent and capable. I really do think the black community needs to take all the studies that have pointed to a lower IQ amongst black students….especially black boys seriously….instead of screaming racism all the time. The writing appears to be on the wall and if you do not see it just go to any black male dominated website. There is an educational gap between the races and sexes and it is very obvious.
I think anyone looking at the great things black men have given the world in the last 40 years amounts to sports, entertainment, and the supersoaker. They were creating and inventing far more things when Jim Crow was alive and well than they do today. Something happened to bring about regression and I do not think it has anything to do with the race of teachers. I think the main culprit is a lack of motivation on their part to get educated.
Now bring on the comments blaming black women and girls for why black men and boys do not seek education….while the rest of us with minds of our own have no issues seeking what we truly desire and value.
*Second sentence should read race of teachers.
“”Nigerian immigrants have the highest education attainment level in the United States, surpassing every other ethnic groups in the country, according to U.S Bureau Census data”" Even more so than Asians and the last time I checked Nigeria is 99.9% Black with instructors alike. Oh I know they are a different black huh?
@Pianki
educational attainment as measured by what? is that graduation rates or some sort of test scores?
@Pianki
You are a fine example of the gender gap in intelligence.
I did not say black people were incapable of learning or intelligence. I said we are not all intelligent and capable. That is the truth whether anyone wants to admit it or not. Those who find themselves less capable need to put in more work than those who are capable.
Next time read and comprehend.
I just want to add that I know black people who have completed high school and trade school but cannot read or write a complete sentence. While the school system may have failed them they also failed themselves.
I can’t say it better than you did, Toppin.
Yes, when did stupid become a four letter word? When did we stop acknowledging that some people are less intelligent than others? It’s a basic fact. All of our bodies operate differently. That includes our brains. You can have the best and brightest teachers in every classroom. But there will always be an immutable percentage who will do poorly because they seemly don’t have the innate intelligence. What’s the old quote? “The world will always need dtich diggers”.
But I do agree that having excellent teachers who connect to the students would help immensely those kids who aren’t stupid, but are just lost in the shuffle somehow.
*simply don’t have the innate intelligence.
while some students may have learning or emotional impairments that interfere with normal cognitive functioning, the vast majority of students are very capable of learning. Being smart does not equate to academic success. Moreover, unless you are suggesting that black people are disproportionately less intelligent than other groups, then some students being relatively more cognitively capable really doesn’t have much to do with the academic achievement gap. The gap is a social phenomenon and has nothing to do with innate ability.
Bad students typically are not stupid. They are often apathetic or socialized to believe in their own inferiority, but not stupid. Our education system gives preference to certain types of intelligence and ways of learning. Just because many students are disadvantaged by the backwards way education is delivered in this country does not mean that the unsuccessful students are stupid.
Good points, Ravi.
What I’m saying is that even with great teachers, you’re not going to have a school full of a+ students. And yes, some types of intelligence are favored in school. But that’s because you need a certain type of intelligence to do well in school. Mainly memory and the abilitiy to replicate steps. Furthermore, having the best teachers will have little effect if the child’s home life is crap. We have kids starting kindergarten who can’t even write their own name. Right there, that kid will be playing catch up for years.
Conclusion, you can have great teachers and good schools, but if the child isn’t coming prepared to begin with, then it’s a constant uphill battle. So much of how a child learns is formed in their first couple years. Do the parents talk to the child, do they teach them colors, shapes, and letters early? All of these things do wonders for a child’s brain, which is so much like a sponge at that young age. A child who has been challenged to learn from day 1 will do much better in school than one who wasn’t.
I just think we’re asking an awful lot of our teachers, who are already over-worked and underpaid, when so much of a child’s success depends on their own innate intelligence and how much support and help their getting from home.
*they’re getting from home.
“It is up to the “slow” kids to take their work home and learn it with their parents. ”
Your reasoning is very simple and a bit ableist. The word “slow” is often a coded word for a person with a developmental disability, which is different than a person who can learn, but can get better with help from their parents. Some people cannot rise to the educational top and it is through no fault of their own, especially if they have a developmental disability. Also, not every student has the advantage of caring parents that would be willing to teach them or the advantage of having parents that have enough time to teach their children. While it would be great if all children had parents that care, are smart, and have enough time to teach their kids, the truth is that there are many parents that do not care, are not smart enough, or have to work all the time in order to provide for their family.
How ridiculous to attribute human tendencies to a large proportion of a race of people based on personal assessment! Being like minded as yourself: these are the attributes to describe the group of people (such as yourself) that think so small minded:
STUPID:
stu·pid[stoo-pid, adjective
1.lacking ordinary quickness and keenness of mind; dull.
2.characterized by or proceeding from mental dullness; foolish; senseless: a stupid question.
3.tediously dull, especially due to lack of meaning or sense; inane; pointless: a stupid party.
4.annoying or irritating; troublesome: Turn off that stupid radio.
5.in a state of stupor; stupefied: stupid from fatigue.
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IDIOCRACY
Id`i*oc"ra*cy\, n.;
1.Peculiarity of constitution; that temperament, or state of constitution, which is peculiar of a person; idiosyncrasy.
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LUDICROUS
[loo-di-kruhs] adj.
1: amusing or laughable through obvious absurdity, incongruity, exaggeration, or eccentricity
2 : meriting derisive laughter or scorn as absurdly inept, false, or foolish