Detroit students and continued disparities in educational outcomes are a key focus of a conference this week organized by a Wayne State professor that will also explore possible solutions.
The free, virtual conference, “Centering Black Children in Education,” which runs through Sunday, features professors, researchers, and community leaders based in several countries all across the world who will each discuss a different aspect relating to Black education, identity, equitable access, and more. Organizers expect more than 5,000 attendees over the span of the conference.
Organized by Rema Vassar, a professor at Wayne State University’s College of Education and a Michigan State University trustee, she said the conference, now in its fourth year, stemmed from a need to address underlying issues in Black education and equity that have long existed but become more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vassar said social and policy issues that predated COVID only caught more mainstream attention after the pandemic.
“(In) Detroit, for example, Black folks were disproportionately affected by COVID-19,” Vassar said. “What we saw was that many of the issues that people were addressing nationally have been pervasive issues in Detroit long before COVID-19, thinking about the experiences and outcomes of Black families in our schools and equity gaps in performance on standardized tests, equity gaps in financial support have been persistent, predating COVID-19, but at the time, it was a key moment in 2021 to highlight what we’ve experienced across the nation as Black folks in school.”
Vassar added, “(There’s) still a lot of gaps in terms of outcomes, like in… literacy and math, gatekeepers for success. We know that even after lots of resources reporting to schools, in particular Detroit, that there are still huge statewide gaps between black students performances in the rest of the state.”
According to the Condition of Education report, a Congressionally mandated annual report prepared by the National Center for Education Statistics, Black students still face the highest rate of poverty compared to other students. In 2018, nearly one-third, or 32%, of Black students lived in poverty, compared to 10% of White students.
In 2017, 45% of Black students attended high-poverty schools, compared with 8% of White students. Additionally, the National Report Card reported that from 1992 through 2019, average reading scores for Black 4th, 8th, and 12th graders were also lower than those of their White peers.
Rich Milner, a professor in Vanderbilt University’s department of teaching and learning in Nashville, Tennessee, discussed “listening to and learning from Black children” during his panel. He said the “Centering Black Children in Education” conference is especially important at this time.
“I think the public, you know those people, community members, parents, people who are outside of education, are being lied to about what actually does and does not happen in schools,” Milner said. “So, you know, teachers are not teaching children critical race theory, for instance… it’s just a whole bunch of lies that are being reinforced, and sadly, some families and parents actually believe it. And so it is important at this time that we set the record straight and we tell the truth about Black children and the capacity of educators to meet the needs of black children.”
Milner said it’s important to listen to the voices of Black students and center them in decision-making.
“Sometimes when we as adults, educators and so forth, when we make decisions, we can forget to include children, students themselves, in the decision making,” he said.
The United Negro College Fund reports that Black students are often located in schools with less qualified teachers, teachers with lower salaries and novice teachers. In addition, Black students are nearly two times as likely to be suspended without educational services as white students, and black students are also 3.8 times as likely to receive one or more out-of-school suspensions as White students.
“We deserve to be here, and we deserve for our education to be the best of the best, and that’s what ‘Centering Black Children in Education’ does,” said Missy Chola, a Michigan State University student and president of the student organization Successful Black Women of Michigan State University.
Chola planned to attend the conference to take what she learns back to her organization and build on her leadership skills.
“I think sometimes we forget the importance of (K-12 and higher education),” Chola said. “They’re shaping our lives.”
Vassar said it is a moral imperative to improve educational systems for marginalized groups.
“The moral compass of our country resides in how we treat the most marginalized folks, and so I think it’s a moral call to get it right for Black folks in schools who are facing challenges,” Vassar said. “When we convene all these folks from different walks of life to think intently about the outcomes for black students, the hope is to collaborate, learn together and create better educational environments for all children in the education system.”
Those interested in learning more about “Centering Black Children in Education” or registering to attend one of the panels can click here. The virtual conference has multiple panels daily until Aug. 11, and attendance is free of charge.
