ONE OF THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGES FACING MINNESOTA'S
THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP BETWEEN
BLACK AND WHITE STUDENTS.
DESPITE HAVING AN OVERALL
HIGH RANKING WHEN IT COMES TO
TESTING AND GRADUATION RATES,
THERE IS A GAP BETWEEN MINORITY
AND LOW INCOME STUDENTS.
JOINING US IS THE DIRECTOR
OF THE OFFICE OF BLACK STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT, HE IS ALSO ONE OF
OUR "MID-MORNING"
CONTRIBUTORS.
I KNOW THE OFFICE STARTED BACK
IN 2014 AND YOU WERE REALLY
HAND-PICKED BECAUSE OF YOUR
EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION TO BE
DIRECTOR OF THIS OFFICE.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT WHAT YOU DO?
FOR SURE, I WOULD LIKE TO
FIRST OFF BY USING OUR MISSION
STATEMENT, KIND OF GRANTS US IN
OUR WORK.
WE EXIST TO AWAKEN THE
GREATNESS AND BLACKMAILS AND
HAVE THEM DETERMINE AND BELIEVE
SUCCESS AS DEFINED BY THEIR OWN
VALUES AND DREAMS.
THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT
BECAUSE THAT CENTERS US IN THE
WORK WE ARE TRYING TO
ACCOMPLISH WITHIN THE SCHOOL
SYSTEM AND WHAT WE HAVE TO
REALIZE IS RIGHT NOW OUR OFFICE
HAS EXPANDED FROM BLACKMAILS TO
ALL-BLACK STUDENTS IN OUR
SYSTEM BUT IT STARTED OFF WITH
BLACK MALE STUDENTS TO TRY TO
CHANGE THE ACADEMIC OUTCOMES.
AS I SHARED BEFORE, THE
STUDENTS ARE WATCHING AND THEY
CONTINUE TO HEAR THESE NEGATIVE
DATA POINTS, AND MAY INCREASE
THEIR STEREOTYPE THREAT OF WHAT
IS TALKED ABOUT SO WE TRIED TO
PUT A POSITIVE SPIN ON
EVERYTHING WE DO.
IT SEEMS THAT BELIEVING AND
ACHIEVING IS SOMETHING THAT IS
MAYBE EASIER THAN SAID THAN
DONE, SO WHAT KIND OF EFFORTS
HAVE TO GO INTO PLAY IN ORDER
FOR THE LEVEL PLAYING FIELD TO
BE LEVELED, IS IT SOMETHING
LIKE MORE REPRESENTATION AMONG
TEACHERS OR IS IT LIKE CULTURAL
UNDERSTANDING FOR THE THOSE WHO
COME FROM DIFFERENT
BACKGROUNDS, WHAT IS IT?
ALL OF THOSE ARE CORRECT.
WHAT I WOULD SAY IS, WE DON'T
REALLY SUBSCRIBE TO THE
STATEMENT OF ACHIEVEMENT GAP,
WE SUBSCRIBE TO BELIEF GAP AND
THE REASON WHY THAT IS IS THAT
WE KNOW THAT ANOTHER AREAS IN
THEIR LIVES, OUR BLACK STUDENTS
ARE BEING SUCCESSFUL, JUST SO
HAPPENS IN THE REALM OF
EDUCATION, IT IS A DIFFICULT
COMPONENT TO ACHIEVE AND THAT
GOES BACK TO HOW WE ARE TREATED
AND WHAT THE ADULTS BELIEVE
ABOUT WHO THEY ARE, SO WE
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BELIEF GAP,
WHAT DO ADULTS BELIEVE STUDENTS
ARE CAPABLE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT
AND THAT'S HOW THEY WILL TREAT
THOSE STUDENTS.
THIS IS A GROUP EFFORT, IT'S
NOT JUST ON THE STUDENTS.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TEACHERS,
PARENTS, COMMUNITY AND THE KIDS
THERE.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE
EVERYBODY HAS THE SAME
COMPONENT OF THAT.
WE SEE OUR BLACK STUDENTS AS
ASSETS AND NOT DEFICITS.
WE KNOW THAT WE NEED TO RAISE
TEST SCORES AND GRADUATION
RATES BUT WE ALSO NEED TO
ASSURE WE ARE HOLDING THE
MENTAL CAPACITY OF STUDENTS,
HOW DO THEY FEEL WHEN THEY
ENTER OUR BUILDINGS?
THERE IS THE DISPROPORTIONALITY
OF SUSPENSIONS AND REFERRALS
OUT OF CLASS FOR OUR BLACK
STUDENTS, WHICH CAN PUT A
FEELING OF I AM NOT WELCOME IN
THE SPACE.
IT IS ALSO TIME THEIR
NARRATIVES ARE NOT CENTERED IN
OUR EDUCATION BECAUSE WE HAVE A
EUROCENTRIC CURRICULUM.
WE HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF HOW WE
CAN SEND MESSAGE TO OUR STUDENTS
UNINTENTIONALLY.
HAS THAT CHANGED NOW DURING
THIS ERA WHERE SO MANY KIDS ARE
DOING DISTANCE-LEARNING AND
MAYBE A GAP THERE IS WIDER FOR
SOME STUDENTS VERSUS OTHERS?
WE KNOW WHEN WE HAVE A
SITUATION WHERE STUDENTS WHO
ARE MARGINALIZED, AND DISTANCE-
LEARNING, THEY CAN BE FURTHER
MARGINALIZED.
THERE ARE TECHNOLOGY ISSUES, A
FEW WEEKS BACK I TALKED ABOUT
HOW THE FAMILIES MAY BE IN THE
SERVICE JOBS, SO NOW YOU HAVE
PARENTS WHO MAY NOT BE AT HOME
TO SUPPORT THE YOUNGER STUDENTS
IN GETTING THEIR NEEDS MET. AN
OLDER SIBLING MAY TAKE ON THAT
ROLE.
ALL OF THOSE THINGS COMPOUNDED
CAN WIDEN THE GAP.
WE HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF WHAT
WE ARE DOING TO ENSURE THE
STUDENTS ARE GETTING THE
RESOURCES THEY NEED BUT WE ARE
ALSO LEADING WITH GRACE AND
BEING MINDFUL AND HOW THEY ARE
EXPECTED TO COMPLETE TASKS.
ALSO IN THE FUTURE, THE
OFFICE OF BLACK STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT HAS SCHOLARSHIPS IF
PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO HELP OUT
AS THE STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM
MINNEAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
WE DO A WORD SCHOLARSHIPS TO
OUR GRADUATING SENIORS AND WE
USE ACHIEVE MINNEAPOLIS AS OUR
HOST FOR FUNDING.
THESE CAN BE UTILIZED IN A WAY
THAT STUDENTS NEED TO.
WE DON'T LOOK AT COLLEGE AS
GOING TO A FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE,
THEY CAN USE THIS AS ANY PART
OF THEIR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
GOING FURTHER, SO THAT CAN GO
TO TRADE SCHOOL, BARBER SCHOOL,
THOSE SORTS OF THINGS AS WELL,
NOT JUST A FOUR-YEAR OR TWO-
YEAR COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.