Solving Educational Barriers for Black Students Helps All Students

As the Black Educational Advocacy Coalition enters its 8th year, we are seeing an educational landscape in crisis. Black student attainment still falls behind those of white, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indigenous, and Latino students. (Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation).  Black students are still disproportionately suspended and punished “despite research that consistently shows these disparities are not a result of higher rates of misbehavior or more egregious misbehavior.” (Source: Southern Education Foundation). In the current political climate, many organizations like BEAC that have been engaged in researching and solving these problems are under increasing pressure to stop this work. 

We will continue to advocate for black students because we know that addressing the acute issues black students are currently facing also improves educational outcomes for all children. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Dr. Martin Luther King’s words were true when written from a Birmingham jail and are still true today. 

How Does Focusing on Black Students Help Other Students: Funding

One of the most challenging issues affecting the success of black students is school funding. Black students, as well as American Indigenous and Latino students, are more likely to attend an underfunded school. “One study showed that districts with the highest percentages of students of color received about 13% less per student than districts with the lowest percentages.” (Source: Southern Education Foundation) A more equitable funding model for education across the United States would help black students as well as other students of color and the millions of white students in underfunded school districts. From the American Psychological Association:

Research indicates that children from low-Socioeconomic status (SES) households and communities develop academic skills slower than children from higher SES groups (Morgan, Farkas, Hillemeier, & Maczuga, 2009). For instance, low SES in childhood is related to poor cognitive development, language, memory, socioemotional processing, and consequently poor income and health in adulthood. The school systems in low-SES communities are often underresourced, negatively affecting students’ academic progress and outcomes (Aikens & Barbarin, 2008). Inadequate education and increased dropout rates affect children’s academic achievement, perpetuating the low-SES status of the community.

Research into educational disparities has helped policymakers understand one of the factors (poverty) that acutely affect black students because of historical discrimination in housing policies and communities, but ultimately affect all students from communities with underfunded educational systems. 

How Does Focusing on Black Students Help Other Students: Social Resources

Closely related to funding are the resources schools have for children who need additional resources outside of the standard classroom experience. “Black children are less likely than their peers to be identified for critical early intervention services, including speech and physical therapy, and psychological and social work services. Black children with developmental delays are 78% less likely than their peers to receive the services they need.” (Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation) Early intervention services and para-support services for students with additional physical and cognitive needs, help marginalized students. Decades of research show that one way to help children achieve is to provide them with the resources they need to thrive in and out of the classroom. (Source: Economic Policy Institute) “The need for early intervention in education is further supported by the CDC and Health Resources and Services Administration’s findings that the prevalence of developmental disabilities is increasing among children in the United States. . . [S]pecifically, the number of children with developmental disabilities rose from 16.2% between 2009 and 2011 to 17.8% between 2015 and 2017 . . .  this is likely due in part to increased awareness, screening, and diagnosis of developmental disabilities.” (Source: University of Texas - Permian Basin) Providing greater access to resources will help all students, including Black students who suffer disproportionately from a lack of access. 

Beyond early intervention, schools need more mental health professionals and trained nurses. “ . . .[a]pproximately 1.7 million students attend schools with police officers but no counselors; 3 million students attend schools with police but no nurses; 6 million students attend schools with police but no psychologists; and 10 million students attend schools with police but no social workers. Middle and high schools with higher concentrations of law enforcement officers compared with mental health staff are more likely to be in areas that serve primarily Black students.” (Source: Center for American Progress)

As BEAC looks ahead to 2025 and beyond, we are proud to continue to bring awareness to the acute issues affecting black students and how solving those issues will help all students access better educational opportunities and enjoy better educational outcomes.