Lack of support for all-male academy for black and Hispanic boys may trigger racial divide in Durham, NC

Photo from Teaching.monster.com

The back and forth bickering between members of Durham’s Board of Education could be the prelude to impassioned racial division.

The board is split, on racial lines, over a proposal to create an all-male academy to target black and Hispanic students. White board members are expressing concerns that the academy is too costly.  Black board members consider the approach essential given the current state of black and Hispanic male students.

The board will vote on June 27, and many feel the proposal will fail given the 4 to 3 white majority.

The concerns of white board members are perceived as further validation that they don’t care about black students.  It’s an old cry that forged a wedge in Durham that landed the city the label black sheep of North Carolina by the Greensboro News & Record.  It was an era of extreme tension that resulted in people being arrested during school board meetings for protesting against an assumed racist agenda.

Things could get worse if the current board refuses to see beyond counting the cost related to the forming of an all-male school.  If white board members want to make this about cost, they will reap the fury of a community disgusted with a lack of response to growing problems among black and brown boys.

White board members can’t hide behind the net of cost restraints.  The perception of racial insensitivity is the subject of a U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights investigation into whether Durham Public Schools disciplines black students and students with disabilities more than others.  The mounting of evidence suggest the need for an alternative approach, and the failure to consider the all-mail academy will send a message that will hamper the board’s ability to function beyond the assumption of racism.

The lawsuit against DPS was filed by the Advocates for Children’s Services, a project of Legal Aid of North Carolina, and the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the Civil Rights Project of UCLA.  The lawsuit alleges that DPS suspends black students at more than four times the rate of white students.  The complaint also claims DPS suspended 17 percent of all students with disabilities, compared with 8.4 percent of students without disabilities.

The lawsuit addresses a 15-year old eighth-grader who started failing classes after being suspended 24 days during the 2011-12 school year due to behavior linked to mental issues.

"At no point did DPS discuss or consider substantive ways to address his problem behaviors without resorting to the punitive measure of out-of-school suspension. The school also failed to provide (him) with any education services while he was suspended, resulting in his falling even farther behind," the complaint states.

An all-male academy could be used to offset some of the concerns stated in the complaint.

“This is a very resource-intensive endeavor that would require more money than what follows a student,” Leigh Bordley, member of the school board, stated at a recent town meeting to discuss the proposal. “To be true to the success of these types of schools, we’ll need that additional funding.”

Bordley went on to claim the R.N. Harris Integrated Arts/Core Knowledge Magnet School serves the same purpose as the proposed all-male academy.

“We are doing it,” Bordley argued. “We’re having success there and we’re not replicating it. I want our resources to go to our neediest children. It takes more than the funds that follow a student to make this successful.”

Bordley’s conjecture is rooted in the type of hyperbole that leaves one wondering if she lives with her head in the sand.  Discussions related to the education of black boys in Durham are held within a context that assumes black boys are playing on an equal playing field.  Something is wrong, and Bordley and her cohorts are making things worse by making assumptions that make it seem they have never taken a step into the world of black male youth.

Eric Becoats, DPS superintendent, stressed the importance of taking extra steps to assure black and brown boys don’t fall through the cracks. Heidi Carter, board chair for DPS, stated she needs more data before moving forward. 

Excuse me.  More data? Suspensions, dropouts and low academic performance aren’t enough data to support pulling your head from the sand to seek a way to rescue these boys.

The school board was handed extensive data that proves the success of all-male schools across the county.  Carter asked for more.  Why do black boys always need more to get a chance to succeed?

 Minnie Forte-Brown, the normally calm and reconciliatory board vice chair, almost busted a fuse when begging board members to think outside the box.

“We know that we have children who are drowning. But what are we going to do to help them?” Forte-Brown said. “I want you to think and stop being scared. You’ve got to step out on faith. We’ve had kitchen table conversations, but we’ve never had the community that’s before you today.”

Amen!

Forte-Brown asked the board to do something. “If it works, it works. If it fails, it fails. But to not do it is unconscionable.”

Board member Omega Curtis Parker asked members not to discount the plan based on cost.

“We can’t stop living or educating these children because times are hard,” she said. “It’s our responsibility to do what we can for our constituency. It’s been presented to us and funds have been identified. But there is a particular segment of our community that needs to be serves, who tend to be minority. Why are we so much against what’s good for our children?”

Becoats continues to emphasize the money is there to support the all-male academy, and that money will not be pulled from existing schools.  He says the school will mirror the Durham School of the Arts and City Medicine Academy in offering small classes with themed instruction.

It hasn’t been enough to sway white board members to consider what the black community has been feeling for years.  From Bill Bell, the mayor, to countless black community leaders – something has to be done before it is too late.

It may not be racist for the white board members to vote against this proposal, but, if they do, it will be virtually impossible for the black community to ever support their right to speak on the behalf of black children.

Look for the turning back of the clock.

 

Superintendent Eric Becoats proposes all-boys academy

I’m sick of looking at the numbers.

3,002 black males were handed short term suspensions during the 2011-12 academic year.  That’s compared to 560 Hispanic and 259 white males.  Of the 363 students who dropped out of Durham Public Schools that year, 233 were black.

There are enough statistics to make you upchuck. The worst part is the continuing widening of the gap between white and black academic achievement.  Even more frustrating is how the hard work and dedication of countless people seems futile in crushing the trends.  There have been successes, but not enough.

The cries from the community boom the ache of the nation.  No, Durham is not alone, but Durham is entrusted with addressing the dismal state of black and brown males. The rise in incarceration, crime and poor academic performance combine in a way that forces a deeper dialogue related to a more active response.

This mess has to stop.  Not later, but as soon as possible.

Durham should be grateful for the leadership of Superintendent Eric Becoats.  Becoats has forced a conversation that may be viewed as counter to the agenda of an integrated public school system.  Becoats is pressing the creation of an all-boys academy. Becoats plans to open the academy during the 2014-15 academic year.

Due to state laws, DPS will open an all-girls academy to counter the argument of discrimination based on gender.  It’s certain that many parents will opt to send their daughter to that school, but the real need is for black and Hispanic boys in need of the type of attention and structure that an all-boys school provides.

Critics of the all-boys academy assert it segregates students.  It’s the same claim by those disputing the expansion of charter schools.  Many contend the charter system is a suitable endorsement of schools separated by class and race.  Those fighting for an all-boys academy contest the impression of enforcing a similar agenda.

On surface, it is difficult to dispute that assertion. Most people are invested in the notion of a public school system filled with students from every demographic.  Parents are also concerned that their children aren’t compromised by their endorsement of that agenda.  Selecting schools becomes a tussle between their vision for the community and concern for their own children.

Most parents have been granted options. Parents with resources are able to select from a long list of education options – from private, charter and home schooling.  The academic performance of their children is often measured by the force of their resources – be it knowledge of options, economics or the time to commit to offering the support their children require.

The cry for integration is relegated to talk regarding ways to encourage white parents not to walk away.  Integration is no longer about satisfying the needs of all children, but it has become more about conciliating the interest of white parents.

Thus, public schools have been rich in efforts to formulate strategies to segregate white students within the existing public school system. Magnet schools are designed to lure white students after countless threats to select among the numerous education options.  These magnets are packed with an overwhelming majority of white students while black and brown students continue to grapple within a system designed to maintain the status quo.

The claim of re-segregation is disingenuous when understood within the context of Durham’s ongoing labor to contend with the myriad of consequences regarding race, gender, class and cultural disparity.  We are credulous in thinking all systems mend all needs.  The history of Durham’s public education system since merger proves a willingness to adapt and concoct new ways to address the needs of those in danger of walking away.

Why not do the same for those being suspended and who dropout?  Why not strategize for those students most at risk of being lost due to poor academic performance and disciplinary problems?  Why not grant the same energy and support for those most troubled rather than to hide behind rhetoric that counters the work done to protect a few?

Becoats proposal was included in the strategic plan approved by the board of education in 2010.  “DPS will explore the feasibility of opening a college-preparatory/public boarding school to serve minority males in partnership with the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color (COSEBOC),” the plan reads in goal 12.6. It’s time for the school board to honor its commitment to the strategic plan.

The original plan has been modified due to cost.  Becoats isn’t proposing a boarding school.  That would be nice, but the system can’t afford that option.  Although we can’t afford a boarding school, we can’t afford not to make minority boys a priority.

Let’s show them we care.

The Business of Public Educaton

The plan to overhaul Durham Public School’s magnet program has been stalled by Superintendent Eric Becoats. The decision came after a groundswell of criticism at public meetings. The attack exposes a deeper issue that members of the school board may find hard to hear. People simply want more emphasis on improving all the schools.

“Don’t roll the dice, make all our schools nice,” was the message on balloons distributed at the meeting held on December 5. More than 70 people signed up to speak. The tension in the room exposed angst among students and parents regarding the state of Durham’s system of education. Many fear that administrators have given up on educating students at low performing schools.

The controversy began with the proposal to close Chewning and W.G Pearson Middle Schools due to the operating expenses connected to the opening of the Lucas Middle School next year. Becoats responded with a new proposal that involved the opening of the Lucas school. That proposal calls for the school to house an International Baccalaureate program with 70 percent of its students coming from the enrollment area and 30 percent coming from a lottery; or to open the school without an International Baccalaureate program, with all of its students coming from the enrollment area.

Becoats had called for developing a magnet to magnet feeder system with an overhauled transportation scheme with just four to six bus stops for students attending magnet schools. The revised proposal continues to phase out both Chewning and W.G. Pearson. The closure of those schools has people wondering about the underlying motivation.

One of those parents spoke at the forum held at Southern High School. “The underlying message from their statement was ‘we don’t want these poor black/brown kids either’,” Steve Bumgardner wrote in an email sent to members of the school board and key administrators following the community forum.

Bumgardner’s response opened the proverbial can of worms that many refuse to face. The Durham Public School system is facing a dangerous season. Like many school systems across the country, leaders are grappling to break free from the stranglehold of a tarnished reputation. While leaders do their best to convince parents there is reason to keep their children enrolled in Durham Public Schools, they face the stiff competition of private and charter schools.

Those argumentative parents and baffled students, who showed up to express their opinion, sense a dedication to offer alternative academic options to weary parents while pushing the need to improve academic performance of low performing schools on the back burner. This is a troubling matter due to how, if true, it leads to the re-segregation of the school system.

According to the Herald-Sun report of the December 5 public meeting, Jasmine Grace, a Hillside High School senior, complained that the focus on building up magnet programs, while ignoring programs at neighborhood schools, left schools like Hillside underserved. “Hillside isn’t considered a ‘good school,” she was quoted as saying in the Herald-Sun. “At Hillside, students who are enrolled in standard courses, who aren’t enrolled in [specialized programs], we find it hard to access resources or find that we don’t have the same benefits or opportunities as students at ‘good schools’”

Grace’s usage of the phrase “good schools” places this conversation within a context that speaks to the burden of those troubled parents. As administrators discuss school closings, changes in the transportation system and the provision of more academic options, it’s vital that all of us pause to consider how all of it sounds. The language involving the education of our children sounds more like a business model.

Rather than talk about improved academic performance, we discuss repositioning the system to compete with existing threats to our growth. Schools like Voyager Academy compete for the best minds within the system. The magnet approach becomes a marketing strategy designed to convince white and middle class African Americans to enroll their students in the new improved school option.

Schools are downsized to maximize the return on investment. It all appears as a way of placating those parents ready to pull the plug on public education. All in an effort to counterbalance the fear among parents unwilling to cast their children to those unruly wolves attending those “bad schools”. All in an effort to offer an option that convinces them not to join ranks with those who have given up on the dream of integration.

It’s all about the business. I sure would like to hear more about how to improve the quality of education for all our children. The spirit of competition doesn’t allow space for that type of conversation. Not when each parent is vying to provide the best option for their own child.

It all makes sense. It’s life in a world where the fit survive. There’s no time to worry about “those” kids when the only thing that matters is your own.