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African American students in Pleasanton Unified School District perform below the state average in both English language arts and math. They are 54 points below standard in ELA, a gap of 123 points compared to “all” Pleasanton students. In math, they are 102 points below standard – a staggering 168-point gap.
Picture that distance on a number line. Then ask yourself how this can exist in a district that prides itself on excellence.
Our Black students are the only student group in Pleasanton that does not outperform the State of California academically.
At the Jan. 15 “equity” school board meeting, much of this data was brushed aside as anomalies within the data. Trustees were told a tutoring program was coming (but has been in the works for over a year) and the superintendent is creating an advisory group (that won’t meet until the end of March).
They consciously ignored the role of culture, racism and hate-motivated behavior in shaping student outcomes. Notably absent from the discussion was the district’s own hate-motivated behavior policy.
That omission matters.
At that same meeting, a fifth grade parent shared that her daughter has been the target of race-based bullying – even being called the n-word at school. I have spoken with other parents whose children have experienced the same.
Last week a high school student told the board that absenteeism among Black students is partly driven by not feeling safe at school. Another parent spoke, saying that her child has received much more hate in Pleasanton than other places they have lived.
These are not abstract concepts. They are lived experiences, here, right now, in Pleasanton.
And yet, at that same meeting, the board celebrated African American History Month and adopted a resolution affirming its commitment to supporting students. Resolutions and smiles are easy. But … I appreciate action so much more.
I recently attended a city-PUSD liaison meeting and raised concerns about racism in Pleasanton and achievement gaps. The response was that the city has launched Pleasanton Connects, and therefore, they are in the clear.
This is an attitude I’ve experienced, and admittedly, one I’ve probably even exhibited at times myself. It’s Pleasanton arrogance. We have the best parks, the cleanest city, high property values, incredible schools (for most students) … yet we are ignoring the lived experiences of a historically marginalized group.
I care because these kids are in the critical 0-18 year period – the foundation for the rest of their lives is being built right now. We have a responsibility to guard children, especially in our schools. We also have a responsibility to show all students, by example, how we take care of each other.
Our area has plenty of outrage over a variety of issues. I know what everyone is fighting against. Supporting kids in our community, right here, is something we can fight for. If you want to talk about action steps we can take as a community, follow allmeansall.pusd on Instagram.
It’s great that we have the distinction of being one of the cleanest cities in the country – truly. But we are educating Black students worse than the state of California. And that feels dirty.
Editor’s note: Christina Nystrom is a PUSD alum and parent. She operates SMNC Consulting and taught business courses for Las Positas College at the federal prison in Dublin for five years.
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Great opinion piece! Lots of talk and never any action. Also, most don’t understand the difference between equality and equity in education, unfortunately, especially for marginalized groups, including those with visible and invisible disabilities. Paul R. Carr, author and university professor, has a lot of great published info on “Color Blindness” in schools, whereby educators claim to not see color and treat all students the same (claiming they exhibit no bias due to race). However, this just increases the problems of systemic racism/oppression and minimizes what students of color have to contend with on a regular basis. This is highly likely a direct correlation to the academic gap in test scores with ELA/math that you discuss. Just talking about a few famous African Americans during February, Black History Month, will in no way impact this much, much larger systemic issue in Pleasanton or any other city overseen by White privilege.