Education Reform: The Color Of School Reform?

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The Color of School Reform?
The education reform movement is made up of voices that disproportionately are not of comprised of the very races, ethnicities, and cultures it attempts to serve. Recently, I read an article directly addressing this issue and acknowledging the calls to diversify by African American education leaders including Kaya Henderson, chancellor of the DC public schools and Howard Fuller, Marquette professor. Fuller stated, “The people who are being liberated must be a critical part of their own liberation.” This statement made me reflect on my own experiences as a researcher and advocate within education reform.
My Experience
Often when I walk into a meeting on educational issues I am reminded that I am black. My race is salient at these meetings because the room is predictably and overwhelmingly comprised of white people with few (3-5) people of color. This is the norm. My initial scanning of the room always reveals this disheartening reality. Scanning the room is not done to find “black allies”, but to have a pulse on whose voices are being heard in these discussions. It comes from a sincere place of wanting sound representation of the diverse views and opinions these students, communities, and families that are often missing from education reform.
During most meetings this fairly homogeneous group of people eloquently and thoughtfully engage in passionate conversations about children of color and their inequitable schooling experiences. Dialogue in the room turns into subtle conversations about students’ academic traits, neighborhoods, language, parents, and poverty levels as they relate to the educational misfortunes of students of color. And then it happens, a white colleague or group of colleagues ...

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... addressed to help us to avoid mistakes. In reality, racially different people will interpret policy, challenge assumptions, and can provide a counter narrative in unique ways. However, relying on uniformity versus diversity will continue to propagate an already stratified educational system.

Despite the current demographics in education reform, creating diversity is possible. There is no other way to solve our current educational crisis. It begins here. With an understanding of the essentialism that exists in education reform. Stakeholders in the education reform movement, must make it a priority to begin to integrate the conversation. We must build deliberate collaborations and coalitions with black and brown communities and educators to engage in this dialogue. Education transformation will materialize as we get closer to the people we are trying to help.

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