鈥淭he richest nation on Earth has never allocated enough resources to build sufficient schools, to compensate adequately its teachers, and to surround them with the prestige our work justifies. We squander funds on highways, on the frenetic pursuit of recreation, on the overabundance of overkill armament, but we pauperize education.鈥�
These words were delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in March, 1964 and ring as true today as the day they were spoken. Just months after delivering his famous 鈥淚 have a dream鈥� speech, Dr. King accepted the John Dewey Award from the United Federation of Teachers and聽
Dr. King鈥檚 steadfast pursuit of equality in education lives on to inspire us today. And while our nation has made some major changes in education since the Jim Crow era, entrenched inequalities still linger and the change has slowed over the past 25 years.
聽(NAEP) scores have revealed some noteworthy trends since it began tracking students in 1970. From the start, NAEP scores showed an achievement gap between white and black students in reading and math. While the gap narrowed significantly between 1971 and 1980, it has remained largely stagnant for the past two decades.聽聽reports show combined math and reading scores narrowed only 7 points between 1990 and 2008, and 2008 scores showed an approximated 47 point gap between black and latino students and their higher performing white counterparts.
Along with educational barriers, other socioeconomic barriers exist, such as equal opportunity in employment and fair wages. These inequities are inextricably linked and highlight the need for movement.
As spoken by Dr. King, 鈥渢he field of education has been a battleground in the freedom struggle,鈥� as it remains today. We are at a turning point and have an opportunity to uphold Dr. King鈥檚 legacy and empower young students of all races to succeed.
What can we do?
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Get the community involved. Make your voice heard and make change happen. There is power in one voice and even more in numbers.
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Volunteer in a school or as a聽聽Supplementary support can make a huge difference in a child鈥檚 educational achievement.
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Support programs that engage and educate parents.
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Support programs that enhance early childhood health and learning 鈥� like聽听补苍诲听.
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Support teachers and empower teachers to advocate.
Let鈥檚 finish the work Dr. King started. Let鈥檚 advocate for change and take action where and when we can.
