Fanny Jackson Coppin

One would expect more black teachers, principals, and school leaders to join Dr. Steve Perry, Howard L. Fuller and others in the vanguard of reforming American public education. But as seen with superintendents such as Jersey City’s Charles Epps and Eugene White in Indianapolis, far too many African-American teachers, principals, and school executives are more willing to condemn black children with low expectations (and even lower practices) than help children who share their skin color succeed in school and life. In the process, they promote the kind of racialist idea — that black kids, including those from poor households, are incapable of learning — that would be intolerable from colleagues from other backgrounds.

In this Voices of the Dropout Nation, Indiana school turnaround artist Jeffery White (who wrote October’s piece on urban reform and leadership) explains why we need black educators to step up and challenge education traditionalists whose failed, impoverished, amoral vision has condemned the futures of far too many black children for far too long. Read, consider, listen to this week’s Dropout Nation Podcast on overhauling American public education, and take action.

Within our urban communities, education is perceived as more than just completing coursework or a series of classes.  Since the days of slavery, education has served as a convenient vehicle for social justice, economic prosperity, and political involvement.

The famed educator Fanny Jackson Coppin, who ran what became Cheyney State University (and for whom Maryland’s Coppin State was named), once declared to Fredrick Douglass in 1877 that she was not “interested in producing ‘mere scholars’… but rather students who would be committed to race ‘uplift.’” As recalled in Linda Perkins’ 1982 profile, Coppin wanted to move young black men and women from “obscure corners in the public places” into positions of strength “with enduring grace”, “a love of manly deeds”, and “downright honesty”.

To be considered an innovator or reformer, you must successfully do something no one else has done or do something others are too frightened to do. Thus, when it comes to urban school reform, sorrowfully I can count the real urban school reformers on one hand. I’m quite sure Coppin would be overjoyed with the accomplishments of urban school reformers such as Dr. Marva Collins, Joe Clark, Marcus Robinson, and Steve Perry.  All have labored vigorously challenging the status quo by instilling high expectations, strict discipline, establishing community partnerships, and taking a “no excuses” approach to urban school reform. Conversely, I’m sure Coppin would have discontentment at the appalling academic results of a majority of urban school districts and their leaders.

It is with sadness I have to illustrate some of our nation’s underperforming school districts are governed by African-American superintendents who endorse the abysmal results of the status quo by way of silence, personal priorities, or a lack of intestinal fortitude to address the critical issues that impede academic achievement. Before e-mailing me your messages of resentment, I’m fully aware of the lackluster results of Caucasian superintendents who govern urban school districts. However, my intent is to light a fire under the feet of African-American superintendents to make urban school reform a moral crusade just as Coppin did.

Albert Einstein stated “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Einstein’s quote obliges me to believe when it comes to urban school reform, parents, school board members, politicians, and students must apprise superintendents who govern failing urban school districts to “fish or cut bait”, “shape up or ship out”, or “go in peace and sin no more”. It is time for urban school superintendents to employ actions to either erase or modify labor agreements with teachers’ unions that have impeded academic achievement, protected the status quo, and have made merit pay for good teachers and principals a symbol without substance.

In conclusion, social justice, economic prosperity, and political involvement within most urban communities is rapidly been replaced with illiteracy, high unemployment rates, apathy, and urban flight. It is time for urban school board members, parents, teachers, and students to embrace the reformer and fire the conformer.