Race, Ethnicity, Class and Opportunity: A critical analysis of the

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Race, Ethnicity, Class and Opportunity A
critical analysis of the gap by youth
researchers

• March 27, 2003
• Bank Street College
• contact mfine_at_gc.cuny.edu

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• Adult Researchers
• Michelle Fine, Jennifer Ayala, Janice Bloom,
  April Burns, Lori Chajet, Monique Guishard,
  Yasser Payne, Tiffany Perkins-Munn, Rosemarie A.
  Roberts, Kersha Smith, Maria Elena Torre
• Youth Presenters and Researchers
• Esther Akutekha, Amir Billops, Emily Genao,
  Melanie Harris, Seekqumarie Kellman
• Organizational Affiliations
• The Graduate Center, CUNY, Saint Peters College,
  Columbia High School, and East Side Community
  High School
• Funders
• Edwin Gould Foundation, Leslie Glass Foundation,
  Rockefeller Foundation, and Spencer Foundation

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Design Methods

• Survey N 3799 9th and 12th graders from 15
  urban and suburban schools (plus five alternative
  schools in the suburbs), representing 13 school
  districts.
• Schools Bedford, Cherry Hill, East Side
  Community School (Lower East Side, NYC), El
  Puente Academy for Peace and Justice (Brooklyn),
  Mamaroneck, Maplewood/South Orange, Montclair,
  New Rochelle, Paterson, Ramapo, South Brunswick,
  Spring Valley, Summit, Vanguard High School
  (Manhattan, NYC), White Plains
• Focus Groups N 19 groups with academic high,
  middle and low achievers

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Design Methods

• Individual Interviews N 15 high achievers,
  seniors, post graduates
• Graduate Follow-up N 50 fall and spring of
  first year out of high school
• Youth Research Camps March 36 participants
• August 24 participants Spring 2003 estimated
  25 participants
• Transcript Analysis N approx. 1,000 (4 urban
  and 3 suburban schools by race/ethnicity)
• St. Peters College Credit

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Aspirations Almost everyone plans to go to
college
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Plans to pursue a professional degree African
American and Latina young women particularly
committed to advanced degrees
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Civic commitments by gender, race, and ethnicity
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Differential access to academic rigor in
AP/Honors courses
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Even with college educated parents AP/Honors by
race/ethnicity and parents education
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Differential participation in PSAT/SAT prep
Seniors
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• Let me run down some facts and stats so
• You can let them react in the back of
• Your minds
• About 9,000 is spent on us so we can get a
• Sound, basic education
• For every 9 grand here, some kid in the suburbs
• Gets 15 or 16
• In our schools, theres an average of
• 4.9 computers
• In the suburbs, the number hovers around
• 21.7
• How are we supposed to get that education if
• We dont even get the same resources
• This forces us to make tough choices on where

• Let me run down some facts and stats so
• You can let them react in the back of
• Your minds
• About 9,000 is spent on us so we can get a
• Sound, basic education
• For every 9 grand here, some kid in the suburbs
• Gets 15 or 16
• In our schools, theres an average of
• 4.9 computers
• In the suburbs, the number hovers around
• 21.7
• How are we supposed to get that education if
• We dont even get the same resources
• This forces us to make tough choices on where

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• What do they see when they see you or me
• You know who Im talkin about
• Those cats in the designer slacks
• Sittin on fat stacks of cash
• That they stash in bottomless pockets
• The State of NY us holdin out on the
• Schools in the city of the same name
• Its a shame that our claims to fame are
• Inadequate resources and being pawns in this
• Political game - of chess
• While those kids in their houses and green grass
• Get in their expensive cars so they could name
  drop
• On what celebrity went to their school when and
  why
• We are jumpin on buses, trains, or just plain
  walkin to school,

• Our money goes
• And then they blame us because we cant pass the
• Regents
• Thats why we gotta stick together
• Cause the only people thats are gonna look
  after us
• Is us
• Hatin on ourselves and each other sends the
  message
• That we arent worth it
• Spending money on us doesnt matter
• But we have to prove to those fat cats
• Sittin on them stacks of cash that
• Every teen, no matter in Westchester or Avenue D
• Deserves a shot at the all-American dream
•   Emily Genao , East Side Community High School

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Everyone believes in school wide
integrationbut African American and Latino
students are more concerned about the opportunity
gap within schools
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High track students of colorreport the least
integration who agree with statementMy School
is Well Integrated
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School Suspension Differentials of Students
by Race, Ethnicity and Gender Who Have Been
Suspended
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Educational Justice Relative importance by
gender and race/ethnicity ( strongly agree and
agree)
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Views of educational justice Differences by
race, ethnicity, and track( who strongly agree
and agree)
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Describe what you imagine the best possible
school experience to be for yourself

• 19 No one beats you up. Everyone is nice to
  you. Friends care about you.
• 22 The best would be to have the teachers who
  really care about these students, who really
  work hard at helping everyone learn and who
  motivate you to work hard.
• 2482 There are people that want to learn and
  no blacks.
• 1837 Where the color of your skin does not
  interfere with you getting in an honors or AP
  class. The teachers treat minorities in honors
  classes as capable student who work hard rather
  than they just being placed to integrate the
  classes.
• 1325 Not hearing faggot used in everyday
  speech.
• 806 No kids disrespecting my race, the boys
  are more respectful, teachers dont make seem
  like they want you to fail, therefore they put
  more effort into teaching.
• 2433 A school where you can be yourself,
  express your opinions and be comfortable walking
  around.
• 2602 A challenge everyday and a lesson that
  constantly expands my knowledge.

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Post-Brown When aspirations meet policies,
politics, and practices, we see

• finance inequities K - 12 uneven
  distribution of qualified educators
  differential access to rigor within high
  school curricula high stakes testing
  increases in college tuition and cuts in
  financial aid offerings

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Reframing The Gap

• Accountability for Educational Justice Rigor and
  Responsibility for All Students
•   A System of Educational Accountability
  needs to analyze across and within school level
  data by race, ethnicity and social class in
  regard to
• 1. The gap in school finance (across districts,
  and salaries of faculties/class size across
  school levels).
• 2. The gap in access to credentialed educators.
• 3. The gap in access to rich curricular
  materials.
• The gap in access to library, computers, and
  advanced science equipment.
• 5. The gap in students' access to teachers and
  principals who participate in regularly
  scheduled, on-going professional development that
  ensures they have access to current and effective
  practice in the areas in which they teach
  students' access to teachers who know them well.

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Reframing The Gap (contd.)

• 6. The gap in the proportion of students who
  enjoy access to rigorous curriculum that is
  culturally relevant
• 7. The gap in student and educator perceptions
  of engagement, being known, and willingness to
  ask for help
• 8. The gap in the amount of writing in key
  courses for depth, based on student inquiry,
  over time, with revisions
• Privatized Supports that might be made publicly
  available
• Differential access to private tutoring, SAT
  prep, OT/PT, no timing on tests, ability to
  pursue unpaid internships or summer enrichment
  activities
• 10. Exposure and support for anticipating and
  planning for college visits, assistance with
  applications, counseling, help with essays,
  financial aid forms, etc.
• 11. Family connections/pressure for access to
  high level courses, internships, clubs, college,
  summer opportunities

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Reframing The Gap (contd.)

• Outcomes
• 12. Persistence/dropout/cohort survival
  graduation rates
• 13. School based respect for culture, belonging,
  speaking ones positions, alienation
• 14. Community civic engagement (service, voting,
  belief in affecting change)
• 15. Participation in extra-curricular
  opportunities (school trips, drama, art, clubs,
  band, sports, student government)
• 16. Award distribution within the school
• 17. Portfolios of student work for public review
• 18. Race/ethnically stratified senior interviews
  (focus groups)
• 19. Race/ethnically stratified graduate follow up
  (in Fall and Spring of following year) for
  college, work, military, prison, other
• 20. Stratified random samples for standardized
  testing (stakes for schools, not students)
•  

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