Black History Month: The Crisis in Black Education

February is Black History Month and you may be preparing classroom activities in celebration of this. This annual event was established in 1915 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the founder of the ASALH – the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. The ASALH and other organizations continue the work of Dr. Woodson, an African-American writer and historian who wrote The Mis-Education of the Negro in 1933. One of the first African Americans to receive a doctorate from Harvard, Woodson dedicated his career to the study of African-American history and the recognition of the legacy of black citizens in our country’s culture and development.

Access to Quality Education

The theme for Black History Month 2017 makes a fitting subject for classroom exploration: The Crisis in Black Education. Dr. Woodson worked to help the public understand the issues resulting from educational barriers and inequality between races. The discussion is still very much a hot topic today.

In the days of slavery, it was illegal for slaves to learn to read and write. The disparity in the quality of education was obvious, even in the North, where free blacks were relegated to inferior facilities. After the Civil War, segregation persisted. Today the issue is most prominent in urban areas, where public schools suffer from overcrowding and lack of resources.

Lower Expectations?

A January 2015 U.S. News article states that although the U.S. spends significantly more on education than other OECD countries (39% more per elementary and secondary student in 2010), there are still “gaping differences between white students and students of color.” The article cites many contributing factors to this disparity: lower wealth, lower health, lower parental education levels, more dealings with the justice system, etc. The article also mentions lower expectations for black children, with respect to education, especially from their parents. The article adds, “Lower expectations become self-fulfilling prophecies, contributing to lower expectations from the student, less-positive attitudes toward school, fewer out-of-school learning opportunities and less parent-child communication about school.”

Finding Solutions

The UNCF (United Negro College Fund) has issued a report entitled, “Building Better Narratives in Black Education.” The goal of this report is to provide “tangible approaches to fundamentally shift the narrative concerning black educational reform, in order to better engage communities and reformers around an equitable K-12 education system.” Their four-pronged approach to addressing the crisis is as follows:

• Understand the black community and its needs, through research
• Celebrate successful approaches, programs and scholarship from communities of color
• Promote and invest in high-quality initiatives
• Create a greater sense of urgency in black education reform

Additional Resources

If you are looking for more information to educate your students or yourself about Black History Month, check out the following resources.

Resources regarding the crisis in black education:

• UNCF Report: Building Better Narratives in Black Education
• From the AFL-CIO: 10 Challenges and 8 Solutions to Improving Black Male Educational Attainment (from Teachers)
• From the Harvard Gazette: The costs of inequality: Education’s the one key that rules them all
• From Townhall.com: Solutions to Black Education

Resources for celebrating Black History Month:

• 28 Ways to Celebrate Black History Month, from Scholastic.com
• History, Celebrated Voices, Educational Resources from agencies such as the Library of Congress and the National Archives
• Black History Month Lessons and Resources, from the National Education Association (NEA)