Erie School District aims at bridging the racial divide with education, community relationships – GoErie.com

Former Edinboro professor discusses critical race theory

Lewis A. Brownlee, a former fellow at Edinboro University, discusses the controversy over critical race theory with Times-News reporter Matthew Rink.

Matthew Rink, Erie Times-News

Erie School District Superintendent Brian Polito stood in the church sanctuary-turned-town hall and declared the good news all $90 million of it.

For the first time in history, money is no object, he said.

The task for those gathered at theMay 11 education conference organized by Victory Christian Centers Bishop Dwane Brock: Help the district craft a plan to better address achievement gaps that prevent students of color and their city from realizing their full potential.It marked a momentous turning point, given the dire financial straits from which the district recently emerged and the deep problems it confronts. Racial disparities that game human prospects in Erie register painfully in the districts test scores, attendance, discipline and graduation rates.

More: Building bridges: Erie teachers discuss becoming 'culturally responsive' to Black students

Even with that historic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, Polito pointed to progress:

And yet, he said, the piece in need of attention:Creating a safe climate and stronger relationships, especially for students of color.

It was, as Brock said, a serious conversation crucial for the district, Erie and the nation.

How did we get here?" he asked. "Why are so many African American boys not graduating from high school? Why is the dropout rate as high as it is? Why are there 1 million African American males in prison?

The discussion of uneven educational outcomes in Erie typically homes in on the kids, their race, ethnicity, income and families. The keynote speaker, Jawanza Kunjufu, shiftedattention to the other half of the equation for academic success teachers. High-performing schools, even those with punishing demographics like Eries, he said, look to the quality of teaching to secure outcomes.

Students might face steep disadvantages in the classroom, but so do teachers. Kunjufu noted that 83% of the nations teachers are white females who might know little about the culture, learning styles, interests or needs of Black students.

The Black Lives Matter movement and police murder of George Floyd reawakened many white Americans to the scale of enduring racial injustice in the U.S. The rush on books and documentaries that spotlight history and inequity and the pledges of reform from white people, education and government leadersand corporate America are welcome and overdue.

But Black students? Kunjufu said they are tired of hearing about slavery.Start their history lessons not with the arrival of slave ships in 1619 but centuries earlier when their ancestors were kings and queens, or inventors of medicine, like Imhotep. Give them books to read where they can see themselves.

Past public meetings about Erie schools racial disparities have boiled over in pain and anger. There was none of that on this day. Groups broke off to brainstorm.

Across the nation, those who stand to gain by whitewashing the nations racist past fuel bad faith backlash for political gain. They baselessly cast efforts to reckon withthis nations corrosivelegacy of racial oppression, terror and exclusion as somehow unpatriotic.

What could bea more deeply authentic American enterprise than appraising history and the status quo to discover what impedes liberty and justice and any otherunrealized promises in our founding documents and acting with intention to remove those barriers especially when evidence of the damage they cause is so persistent and glaring?

Fortunately, that is what is happening here as the Erie community reflects on both its glory a proud, gritty history of ingenuity, innovation and resilience and shame a legacy of ethnic tribalism, prejudice,and practices, such as redlining and restrictive deed covenants, that exacta lasting human toll.

More: Erie County Council designates racism a public health crisis

The schooldistrict aimsstrategies honed with deep public input at bridging the racial gap. The city of Erie and Erie County declared racism a public health emergency and the city recently launched the Erie Racial Justice Policy Initiative.Erie police seek to increase diversity and strengthen ties with the minority community. The Erie County Community College, an overdue ladder to opportunity, is set to begin classes. Eries Black Wall Street burgeons with new entrepreneurs.Grassroots activistsserve up diverse slates of candidates. Mentorshipprograms wax, as do new relevant styles of teaching, including at Brock'sEagle's Nest School of Academic Distinction.

More: Erie youth programs focus on character, 'mastering information'

More: With open hearts, Strengthening Police Community Partnerships Council unites Erie

Polito went to the group of educators seeking advice on how to spend some of the pandemic windfall to better meet students' needs. What flowed from the small groups were not material demands but calls to the heart: Forge relationships between teachers and the communities they serve. Invite parents into schools for more than just teacher conferences. Offer GED services and reading instructionso that parents can help their children. Help teachers learn the history they were never taught so they can be more culturally responsive and better serve their students.

Polito took it all in.

We are really down to changing mindsets. Thats what I heard loud and clear today, he said.

It is something we all need to hear. Lets get on with it.

Contact Lisa Thompson lthompson@timesenws.com. Follow her on Twitter @ETNthompson.

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Erie School District aims at bridging the racial divide with education, community relationships - GoErie.com