Black Americans today remain at the center of conversations around how to expand access to the American Dream. These conversations incorporate efforts to shape education in the future. In our global information age, analysts, policymakers, teachers and local communities -- all are looking for solutions to new challenges in education.

Historically, school districts with majority Black populations have been underfunded, resulting in lower educational outcomes. Presently, analysts like those at The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, have developed what they call “scientifically rigorous estimates of the investments needed to raise up students that are currently falling behind.” The authors of the study conclude that the detailed analysis they and other researchers offer will help prepare policymakers to choose solutions that will advance racial and economic justice.

Increasing Black representation in the classroom has been shown to bring significant benefits. A 2017 study by researchers from Johns Hopkins University, American University and the University of California, Davis found that the presence of just one Black teacher in an elementary school decreased high school dropout rates for Black boys and raised college aspirations among poor students of both sexes. This discovery echoes the success of generations of Black educators who not only served as role models for Black students, but who formed productive bonds with them based on mutual understanding and shared cultural experiences. This is underscored in the work of top education scholars like Gloria Ladson-Billings, whose model of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy stems from research into the practices of teachers who are successful in connecting with African American students.

With only 7% of teachers nationwide identifying as Black, and Black men making up just 2% of U.S. teachers, initiatives are being created across the country to recruit, retain and support Black educators. In New York, educator, activist and author José Vilson serves as executive director and co-founder of EduColor, a nationwide collective of educators, students and communities of color mobilized as advocates around issues of educational equity, agency, and justice.

The Melanin Village is an online space that serves to connect Black and Brown homeschooling parents with resources across the country. It provides paying subscribers with customized lesson plans, scheduling assistance, training videos and problem-solving strategies. Melanin Village founder Brenea Fairchild says she was inspired to start the initiative in part by her research into the way slavery and the Civil War are covered in history textbooks.

The five-part series "Segregation Scholarships” is a production of B Squared Communications in association with The WNET Group's Chasing the Dream initiative.

Watch the series here:
   • Segregation Scholarships  

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The WNET Group is the parent organization of THIRTEEN, WLIW21, NJ Spotlight News, ALL ARTS and operator of NJ PBS – media made possible by all of you. Chasing the Dream: Poverty and Opportunity in America is a multiplatform public media initiative reporting on poverty, justice, and economic opportunity, and showcasing promising solutions.

Major funding for Chasing the Dream is provided by The JPB Foundation with additional funding from Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III.

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