Renewing the Call for Equity in Education

Crisis, The, May/Jun 2004 by Jackson, John H

In 1909, the New York Evening Post published a document calling for all those who believed in democracy to join in a national conference. It was Feb. 12, the 100th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's birth. The article, titled "The Call," summoned interested persons for "the discussion of present evils, the voicing of protest, and the renewal of the struggle for civil and political liberty." The end result was the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Two years later, the NAACP adopted a nine-point implementation program in which the lead recommendation was to begin immediately "a scientific study of Negro Schools." The minutes of the Jan. 3, 1911, NAACP National Board Executive Committee meeting reveal that the association believed this was a critical issue, not only for the welfare of the uneducated Negro child, but the welfare of the nation. The development and implementation of this first point in the nine-point plan would start a chain of events that would eventually lead to the Supreme Court's May 17, 1954, decision in Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, finding the segregation of public school students on the basis of race unconstitutional.

Fifty years later, as we commemorate the anniversary of the Brown decision, we must also recognize that the nation's public schools are becoming increasingly resegregated by race. In addition, Black and Latino students' academic performance still lags behind their White counterparts. Resource disparities among predominately White and predominately Black and Latino schools are still prevalent. And Black and Latino students are more likely than White students to be taught by teachers who are not certified.

In 2001, Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) to address racial disparities in education. Though an admirable goal, NCLB is severely under- funded, and many states continue to grap- ple with the need for federal assistance to reach the legislation's equity goal. These dynamics create the need for communitybased organizations and state educational agencies to form partnerships to meet the requirements of the federal legislation.

In November 2001, before NCLB was passed, the NAACP National Education Department issued a national "call" reminiscent of the one made by NAACP founders in 1909. "The Call for Action in Education" was distributed to governors across the nation. The document requested an educational equity plan to reduce the identified racial disparities in their states by 50 percent during a five-year period (2005-2010). This "call" challenges states to address the achievement gap by examining a number of K-12 issues, including: resource equity; teacher quality; class size and the racial disparities in achievement tests, special education, suspension, expulsion and testing. The document also requests states to examine disparities in higher education by focusing on college preparation, admissions, financial aid, faculty diversity and college retention.

To date, 48 states have agreed to engage in the "Call for Action" program. Colorado and Nevada, however, have refused to participate.

Many states participating have already established strategies and have enlisted parents, teachers, members of the faith community and organizations to help address the critical educational disparities that prevent students from having access to a quality education.

For example, in May 2002, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush failed to respond substantively to the NAACP Florida State Conferences' "Call for Action" request to reduce the number of students in the state's classrooms. In response, the Florida State Conference joined forces with the Coalition to Reduce Class Size, People For the American Way and the Florida Education Association to place the issue on a ballot initiative. In November 2002, about 53 percent of voters supported the measure. As a result, by 2010, Florida's classrooms will have no more than 18 students in grades pre-K through three; 22 in grades four through eight; and 25 in grades nine through 12.

NAACP units and state conferences across the nation have launched similar strategic education and advocacy campaigns to address the issues outlined in the "Call for Action." The NAACP Connecticut State Conference, for instance, has formed a partnership with the Connecticut Department of Education to improve family involvement in schools. The Arkansas State Conference of Branches joined forces with the Arkansas Education Association to address racial disparities in the Arkansas Public School System. And the Ohio State Conference is partnering with the Ohio legislature's Black Caucus and the Ohio Education Association to examine issues of teacher quality as a means for closing the achievement gap.

Last year, the NAACP held equity hearings in several of the participating states, including Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana and Virginia, to collect testimony for the final NAACP Brown v. Board Equity Commission's national report that will be released on May 14, 2004. The Brown Equity Commission consists of representatives from more than 50 national civil rights, social, professional and philanthropic organizations. The commission's report will examine the nation's progress and promise of Brown's goal of equity in education. It will also outline methods by which community-based organizations can assist states in their efforts to reduce racial disparities in education.