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From across
my desk . . .
Several
weeks ago I received a copy of an op-ed article written by a long-time
friend of the Council. Since this good work was not picked up by
our local newspaper nor many others around the state, I asked
permission of the author to print it here. Mr. Hayes Mizell has stated
well the concerns and passions many share. I thank him for his
continuing to fight the good fight.
"Resting in
their heavenly repose, South Carolina's civil rights pioneers of the
1930s and 1940s must be scratching their heads. A prominent
African-American state senator, also a Democrat and minister, says many
of his generational peers are longing for the days of racially
segregated schools. Another minister says most African-American
children "fared better when we were segregated."
These leaders are
understandably frustrated. Too many children are not reaping the
academic gains that African-Americans hoped would follow public school
desegregation. On last year's state achievement test, more than 40,000
African-American students in grades three through eight scored
"Below Basic" in English/Language Arts. An average of 60
percent of all African-American students in third through eighth grade
performed at the Below Basic level in science.
There is some good
news. Thousands of African-American students are performing well,
scoring at the highest levels, "Proficient" or
"Advanced," on the state test. However, thousands more have
the unrealized potential to do so.
Proposals to solve
students' academic problems abound, but many are simplistic. South
Carolina has long favored such approaches in public policy. Human
bondage would fuel economic development. Secession would free South
Carolina of the federal yoke. Racial oppression and segregation would
preserve "our way of life." Low taxes would attract industry.
Providing a "minimally adequate education" will secure the
state's future.
Now comes school
choice. Some African-American leaders are tempted by the prospect of
state financial support, one way or another, for constituents to choose
private schools for their children. Perhaps they genuinely believe this
will improve the education of the more than 275,000 African-American
students in South Carolina's public schools. It may be just as likely
they are focusing on the relatively small number who attend or may
attend private schools operated by some African-American churches.
There is no doubt
some public school educators lack the cultural orientation,
sensitivity, and pedagogical skills to educate some African-American
students effectively. This is not universally true, however. Several
months ago, the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee issued a
report examining 26 "gap-closing schools." During four
consecutive years, the schools significantly reduced the achievement
differential between "historically underperforming students"
and the schools' other students. Three of the schools had poverty rates
greater than 70 percent.
What were the
reasons for the schools' success? The report concludes: "Not only
do gap-closing schools maintain an instructional environment that
supports high achievement, but these schools also create a positive
school climate that fosters the attainment of high student
performance." These conditions do not exist in every public school
because local education leaders choose not to make the effort and take
the risks necessary to develop and sustain them.
All South
Carolinians, not just African-Americans, should be enraged that too
many children are failing to meet the state's academic standards. Where
this is persistently the case, citizens should organize to demand and
support improvements in their local public schools.
At the same time,
African-Americans are entitled to the same portion of nostalgia as any
other segment of the population. After three centuries, they also have
the right to seek or create what they consider to be the most effective
education venues for their children.
Their unique
history, however, provides them a useful guide to discern what is false
and what is true. Separation, withdrawal, and isolation are
anathema to authentic education. They did not serve African-American
children well when required by law. They will not serve them well if
sought by choice."
--Hayes Mizell was a
school desegregation advocate in South Carolina during the 1960s
and 1970s; he is now semi-retired. Contact him at hmizell@gmail.com
Well said, Hayes, thanks!
. . .That's the view today. |
