The Southern Education Foundation has recently released a new report, Miles To Go: The State of Education for Black Students in America, which outlines the key challenges and opportunities facing Black students in early childhood, K-12, and postsecondary education in the United States.
According to the report’s findings, school segregation is on the rise. Some 81 percent of Black K-12 students in the United States attend a school whose enrollment is majority students of color. In comparison, this rate was 62 percent during the 1970s. The majority of these schools receive less funding and fewer resources than predominately White schools. Similar patterns of segregation and underfunding were found among early childhood education programs throughout the United States.
The report also revealed major disparities in how schools discipline their students. Black public school students are suspended at more than three times the rates of their White and Hispanic peers. In early childhood education settings, the disparity grows. Black children represent 18 percent of pre-K enrollment in the United States, but 43 percent of pre-K suspensions and 38 percent of pre-K expulsions.
Notably, the report calls out a severe lack of Black public school teachers and faculty at United States institutions. Only 6.1 percent of the American teacher workforce is Black. Black scholars only represent 5.9 percent of full-time faculty positions, and earn an average of $10,000 to $15,000 less than their White peers.
The report authors outline several recommendations to mitigate the educational challenges facing Black students. These include establishing equitable funding practices at all levels of education, improving student support pathways, effectively integrating learning environments, addressing disciplinary disparities, diversifying the workforce, and developing community-based educational programs.
