For a student like our very own passionate and articulate, Miracle (above – video), what challenges lie ahead of her?
In this week’s article from the New York Times, Times researchers have found that “Even with Affirmative Action, Blacks and Hispanics Are More Underrepresented at Top Colleges Than 35 Years Ago.”
According to the Times, “Affirmative action increases the numbers of black and Hispanic students at many colleges and universities, but experts say that persistent underrepresentation often stems from equity issues that begin earlier. Elementary and secondary schools with large numbers of black and hispanic students are less likely to have experienced teachers, advanced courses, high-quality instructional materials and adequate facilities, according to the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.”
Rise University Preparatory’s first class of students is comprised of 35% black students and 50% Hispanic students from San Francisco blue collar neighborhoods. Rise Prep works to address the inequities in the article by putting forward a small school model, with highly experienced teachers–15 years average experience from Ivy League and top public universities–advanced courses, and high-quality instructional materials.
At Rise Prep, the achievement gaps for our students have been most apparent in our advisory/tutoring times where students clearly show gaps in knowing their multiplication tables and in grade level reading. These gaps, which can often be masked or not attended to, as students flow from large classroom to large classroom, are out in the open and can be addressed because of our low student to teacher ratios (currently 5:1).
The work requires persistence, fortitude and time. We look forward to knowing, teaching, and loving our students over the next seven years. We’re glad to be part of this work of justice, raising the numbers of students of color who can access the top universities in our country.
Source: New York Times “Even With Affirmative Action, Blacks and Hispanics Are More Underrepresented at Top Colleges Than 35 Years Ago” Ashkenas, Park, Pearce (August 24, 2017)
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/24/us/affirmative-action.html?mcubz=3&_r=0
