According to The Columbus Dispatch analysis (September 22, 2013), data from state standardized exams show even if students come from affluent families or attend highly rated schools, black students in Ohio continue to lag far behind their white peers in school.
On more than two-dozen state tests given to students in kindergarten through high school last year, the average passage rate among black students was 64 percent vs 87 percent among white students.
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“There are clearly divisions along ethnic lines within the district,” said Vaughn Bell, a Westerville parent who revived a defunct group for black parents last year. “I do believe that schools are failing our African-American students.”
When did the system fail these children?
“These gaps are traceable back to early-childhood education,” said Shaun Harper, the director of the University of Pennsylvania Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education. “If kids show up in kindergarten not having had high-quality instruction in preschool, they’re already starting behind.”
Are expectations different for minorities?
“We expect less of our low-income students and students of color,” said Natasha Ushomirsky, senior data and policy analyst for Education Trust, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit group that works to close achievement gaps.
What can be done?
“Our school system is set up in a way that makes these gaps worse rather than making them better,” Ushomirsky said.
First of all, we need to stop discriminating and set the same expectations for all children across the board, regardless of their financial status or ethnic background.
Secondly, we need revolutionize the education system and get children excited about learning! Miss Humblebee’s Academy is working to make this change a reality. We will not stop, period. We truly believe it all starts with one choice, one voice and one passion.
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