Alarmed by the learning gap between black and white children, a new Minnesota organization promoting school choice in the black community is crusading for change. The group is a branch of the national Black Alliance for Educational Options, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that supports school choice for African-American students.
"We support all forms of schools, as long as they work for parents and children,'' said Tiffany Green, one of two local project managers for BAEO. "The money (taxpayer dollars) should follow the child."
To many blacks and others who think vouchers for private and parochial schools - and even public funding of charter schools - are harming public education, the BAEO position is heresy. On this issue some African-Americans, most of whom are Democrats, have formed an unlikely alliance with Republicans, while their own party rejects major aspects of school choice.
The Group and Its Goals Dr. Howard Fuller, former superintendent of the Milwaukee Public Schools, founded BAEO in 2000.
"He felt there were no black people at discussions surrounding school issues,'' Green said, "and he wanted to get them involved."
The organization now has about 3,200 members in more than 200 U. S. cities. Chanda Smith, the other project manager; Sondra Samuels, wife of Minneapolis City Council Member Don Samuels and Tiffany Green founded the Minnesota group in January of last year. It has about sixty members, mostly residents of the Twin Cities area.
"There is a real crisis for black children in America," says the group's statement to potential members. "BAEO's existence is critical if we are going to resolve the educational inequities that exist today." Black children perform worse on standardized tests and have lower high school graduation rates than white students.
BAEO's mission is supporting school choice for parents and increasing quality educational options for black children. The group seeks to assure quality choices in all types of schools.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest funding source for BAEO. Others include membership dues and additional foundation grants. Dues are a minimum of $10 a year. Using money from the Gates Foundation, BAEO founded fifteen small charter high schools over the last few years. One of them is the High School for the Recording Arts, 550 Vandalia St., St. Paul.
The national group pays Green and Smith for their part-time work. Both also have day jobs. Green, who has a strong interest in education, is an assistant to Minneapolis City Council Vice-President Robert Lilligren. She has a master's degree in education and technology. Green is single and has no children.
Smith is director of educational strategies for Pillsbury United Communities, a non-profit organization that runs charter schools and transitional housing. She is divorced and a single mother of three.
The Importance of Options BAEO does not oppose public schools, Green and Smith emphasized. But when public schools aren't working for some black students, the organization seeks to inform parents about options and help them to select the right schools based on the different needs of their children. Smith said that the declining number of minority students in the Minneapolis public schools is a sign that they aren't working for many families. While some students have transferred to charter schools, others have moved out of the city, enrolled in private and parochial schools, or become involved in public school desegregation programs.
Overall enrollment in the Minneapolis Public Schools declined by twenty percent (nearly 10,000 students) between the 2001-2002 school year and 2005-2006. The number of minority students decreased by nearly 7,800, according to an analysis of Minnesota Education Department data.
Smith practices what she preaches. She has checked out the options carefully and placed her children in public, charter and private schools.
Both of her sons - Dominique, 14, and Malik, 11 - started at a Minneapolis charter school, Harvest Preparatory. Smith wanted hem to learn about black history and culture. Dominique graduated from Harvest School and is now at Breck, a private high school in Golden Valley. Smith transferred Malik to the FAIR fine arts school, a Minneapolis public school, because he is a creative, visual learner. Smith's daughter Elan, 8, attends a public school -Kenwood Elementary in Minneapolis. Because the girl likes drama and theater, Smith chose a school with a performing arts program.
Charter schools are non-profits that receive public money; they also can and do seek private contributions. Smith said they are compensated at a lower per-pupil rate than public schools. Charter school officials report to a board that governs only one school, or several that have the same sponsor or owner. Smith and other supporters of such schools say the lack of a complicated public school hierarchy allows them to adapt quickly when changes in curriculum, staffing or other areas are needed.
The First Year
Among the Minnesota BAEO's efforts during its first year were promotions in the media, meetings with black leaders, appearances at community events, membership meetings and six seminars to help parents navigate the school system.
Recognizing a child's learning style and communicating with teachers were among the topics of these seminars. Parents learn how the education system works and how to be advocates for their children in the schools.
"It's like going into a doctor's office and not knowing the language of the medical world,'' Green said. "We teach them the language that helps them communicate with teachers."
They suggest that each parent write a letter to his or her child's new teacher before school begins. The letter should include such things as the child's interests and learning style. Green has written a sample letter to guide the parents. The letter not only introduces the child but also establishes what the parent expects from the teacher.
All of this is likely to give the child a better chance to succeed. "We know," Smith said, "that kids do better when parents are involved."
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