BPS Denies Students of Color Access to Needed Courses – sign petition!
NEW REPORT PROVES THAT THE BUFFALO PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT DENIES BLACK AND LATINO STUDENTS ACCESS TO COURSES THAT WILL PREPARE THEM FOR COLLEGE, CAREERS AND LIFE!
PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION to rectify (also known as 5×25)
https://secure.everyaction.com
By Patricia A. Elliott-Patton
PRESS CONFERENCE
DATE: WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2018
TIME: 11:00 AM
LOCATION: 1423 FILLMORE AVENUE BUFFALO, NY 14211
SPEAKERS:
L. Nathan Hare, President and CEO, Community Action Organization of WNY, Inc., C.J. Banks, Vice President of Development and Communications of the Buffalo Urban League, Victoria Ross, Executive Director of WNY Peace Center, Brotherman Progress, Samuel L. Radford, III, President of the District Parent Coordinating Council
“There is NO reason for our African and Latino students not to get the same educational access as their white counterparts!” said Patricia A. Elliott-Patton, Director of Better Schools Better Neighborhoods and 2nd Vice President of the District Parent Coordinating Council of Buffalo. “The way it stands now, our children’s minds are being shackled. This education system has been and is continuously haltering our children from being able to unify into society as self-sufficient and self-reliant individuals, which produces postures of inequality and inferiority of their own natural born abilities.
“Buffalo’s economic success is dependent on ensuring all students leave high school with the skills they need to be successful in college, careers and civic life,” said Samuel L. Radford III, President of the District-Parent Coordinating Council of Buffalo. “And that needs to start now, in middle and high schools across the city, where students of color are routinely denied access to the courses that will prepare them for a bright future. We must do better, and we call on local and state leaders to act immediately to ensure all students have access to these critical courses.”
“The Buffalo Public School District has consistently lagged behind in ensuring our students graduate and are ready for college,” said Brenda McDuffie, President, and CEO of the Buffalo Urban League. “It is imperative that we as a community, do all that we can to provide a high-quality education, that prepares students with the skills, knowledge, and credits to enter and succeed in a post-secondary education.”
“New York’s education system routinely denies students of color equitable access to the courses that will prepare them for college, careers, and active citizenship,” said Ian Rosenblum, Executive Director of The Education Trust–New York. “Addressing these challenges is both an educational justice and an economic imperative, and we call on state leaders to adopt the solutions that will give all students the high-quality education they deserve.”
WE ARE ASKING THAT ALL BUFFALO RESIDENTS THAT CARE ABOUT EQUITY IN EDUCATION TO PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION https://secure.everyaction.com
IN BUFFALO, HERE ARE THE FINDINGS:
Based on 2016-17 unpublished NYSED and Buffalo Public School course enrollment data. In middle school, the rates below are based on course enrollment per every 100 7-8th grade students, and in high school, the rates below are based on course enrollment per every 100 9-12th grade students.
Middle School- There are no middle schools in Buffalo Public Schools that offer Earth Science. Only two middle schools in Buffalo Public Schools (7%) offer Algebra I. Within Buffalo Public Schools, White students are 3 times more likely to be enrolled in Algebra I than Black students or Latino students. White students in the rest of Erie County are more than 40 times more likely to be enrolled in Algebra I than Black or Latino students in Buffalo Public Schools.
Calculus – Only four high schools in Buffalo Public Schools (24%) offer Calculus. Within Buffalo Public Schools, White students are 2 times more likely to be enrolled in Calculus than Black students and 1.4 times more likely to be enrolled than Latino students. In the rest of Erie County, White students are 2 times more likely to be enrolled in Calculus than Black students or Latino students. White students in the rest of Erie County are 14 times more likely to be enrolled in Calculus than Black students in Buffalo Public Schools and nearly 8 times more likely to be enrolled than Latino students in Buffalo Public Schools.
AP Math or Science- Within Buffalo Public Schools, White students are nearly 2 times more likely to be enrolled in an AP Math or Science course than Black students and 1.5 times more likely to be enrolled than Latino students. In the rest of Erie County, White students are 2 times more likely to be enrolled in AP Math or Science course than Black students and nearly 1.4 times more likely to be enrolled than Latino students. White students in the rest of Erie County are 14 times more likely to be enrolled in AP Math or Science than Black students in Buffalo Public Schools and nearly 10 times more likely to be enrolled than Latino students in Buffalo Public Schools.
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