Yesterday's all day session with
Drs. Gwendolyn Webb Johnson and Ron Rochon on the

Disproportionate Representation of African-Americans in Special Education

gave me an awful lot to think about.
I'll share my thoughts in a somewhat random way because that's how they've been striking me for the past 15 hours.

Ron began the session describing his trips to Ghana for the past six years. He showed photos of a slave castle and described the early history of the slave trade. It got me thinking about how humans could decide to enslave other humans. I found some information on the following web pages. Beginnings of Slavery and How Slavery Became Raced Based. It's just a first step in this disgraceful period of human history.
Rom emphasized the importance of history and the theme of letting young Blacks know thier history was constant throughout the presentation.
Here's a perspective. After the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed segregation in schools two programs increased significantly; Special Eduaction and Gifted. In the former Blacks are over represented, and under represented in the latter. Coincidence?

The presenttation again did not overly focus on how young Black children get assigned to Special Education. Gwen referred to the 9 charcteristics of African American Culture and suggested that teachers see behaviors of Black children as aberrant because they represent an alternative form of socializing, and don't know how to respond.
She also mentioned that it's in the soft categories of Learning Disabilities rather than in areas of physical disabilities that Black children are over represented. Even with the new guidelines from IDEA 2004 the problem continues.

Underlying much that was said is the need for school faculties to address the issue, recognize it, and then do something about it.

EQUITY
Examine the data
Question the cause of the situation the data describes
Utilize the data in forming a plan
Investigate why
Treatment to change the situation.
Yield to the data.

Gwen and Ron have been working in the Aldine School District near Dallas and presented the disagregated data for that district. It was powerful in its simplicity.
The key is teacher change in pedagogy and curriculum in teaching Black children. Both need to be culturally relevant. Showing data like that can remove some of the subjectiveness and defensiveness that often accompanies discussions around race. It has to be the responsibility of school leaders to make sure these discussions take place.
(Ron mentioned an issue Margaret Beale Spencer raised, that many teachers fear Young Black Males but the subject of fear is taboo, and never discussed.

Gwen recommended
We Can't Teach What We Don't Know: White Teachers, Multiracial Schools
Gary Howard as a resource for European American teachers who work with Black childen. (Ron spoke about the power of language and it was powerful to have both presenters use the term European American for Caucasians. It was on an equal footing with African Americans.)
Ron and Gwen acknowledge the power of teachers in students' lives and recommend that teachers be at the forefront of conversations on policy.
Affirmation of Black children continued to be the main theme of the day and the repetition of positive statements can serve to get kids believing in themselves and working hard.
Both presenters recognized there were issues that needed to be addressed by schools in regards to Black males, but they asserted "the core" of these kids is special and needs to be cherished.

Here are some other thoughts:
"Critical thinking with a cultural eye."
"Realness of the World in the Classroom"
"Libraries of Books that Reflect Their Lives."
"Alternative Persdpectives on Black Children."

This income data often catches resistant students interest:
No High School Diploma Annual Salary $18,734
High School Diploma $27,915
College Degree $51,206
Advanced Degree $74,602
Professional Degree $101,000

Gwen responded to a complaint by a principal about her staff with:"Do nice things for your staff; not because you think they deserve them, but because you believe they will desrve them." That's affirmation!