September 3, 2024
Reposted with permission from the Lansing State Journal, by Mark Johnson
Originally published on March, 17, 2022
Black and multiracial students in Lansing School District are more than twice as likely to be suspended than their white peers, according to preliminary findings of an equity audit released on Thursday, March 10, 2022.
The audit, ordered by the Board of Education in July 2020, found racial disparities in discipline, academic achievement, access to AP courses and general treatment of students in Lansing School District. The district contracted with WestEd, a San Francisco-based education research firm, to conduct the audit.
The early findings were reviewed at the March 10th Board of Education meeting by the board, a representatives from WestEd, and Lansing School District’s equity committee, who worked with WestEd on the report.
The findings reinforced longstanding concerns about equity in the district, but some details still came as a shock. Tears were shed in the meeting room as members the equity committee presented findings to the Board of Education.
“This is hard information to hear,” said Gabrielle Lawrence, president for the Board of Education. “But it’s important for us to know where we are failing a large number of our students because we need to correct course and we need to be better and I know that we will be.”
Here are four takeaways from the report.
Students of Color More Likely To Be Disciplined Than White Students
Black and multiracial students in Lansing School District face more disciplinary action than their white classmates, the audit found.
Discipline and intervention in Lansing schools were not comparable across demographic student groups, according to the report. In particular, WestEd found that Black and multiracial students had a suspension risk more than double that of white students.
Black girls were more than twice as likely to receive disciplinary referrals compared to other girls in the district, said David Lopez, WestEd’s project lead, who called into the meeting on video.
The report attributes the disparity to “district and school-based behavioral policies and norms (that) reflect white dominant cultural norms.”
Staff issued disciplinary referrals to Black students based on “far more subjective infractions” than white students, the report says.
While referrals for white students typically used language like “pushed,” “throwing,” and “kicking,” referrals for Black students tended to use language like “disrespect,” “disruptive,” and “disorderly,” which Lopez said leaves Black students at the whim of teachers based on how they define those terms.
Black students were also more likely to be suspended when they were referred.
Elsewhere, the report blames the district for failing to involve parents and guardians of color in the disciplinary process. The report recommends the district better engage families in the disciplinary processes and revise its code of conduct to focus more on restorative practices than suspensions.
Eunice Foster, a member of the district equity team and a professor at Michigan State University, expressed optimism that Lansing schools can address the issues now that the audit makes them blatantly clear.
“I truly believe Lansing can have an outstanding school district,” she said. “I’m just waiting for us to get there.”
Low Expectations for Black Students Leads to Achievement Gap
Across the board, students leave Lansing School District less prepared for college than average Michigan students.
But that achievement gap was especially prevalent among students of color, the audit found. WestEd attributed the problem to bias, stereotyping and low expectations for students of color in Lansing.
Looking at scores on the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) shows that most Lansing students struggled. About 85% of all students scored not proficient or partially proficient, while 92% of Black students failed to reach proficiency, Lopez said.
The report also found an absence of “culturally responsive” curriculum, or lessons shaped around frames of reference held by students of color to make their schooling more effective. Lansing staff have been resistant to culturally responsive education, the report said.
WestEd recommended the district recruit and retain more teachers of color, provide more professional development on culturally responsive education, and clearly name and address systemic racism, bias, stereotypes, microaggressions and harassment.
Black Parents Said Children Had Less Access to AP, Honors Courses
Students of color do not have the same access to educational opportunities as white students—a key contributor to Lansing’s achievement gap—according to the audit.
Black families surveyed in the audit were concerned about their students’ ability to enroll in AP courses, which can often be applied toward college credit. According to Lopez, 65.9% of parents surveyed said their children did not have access to AP or gifted programs, while 83.3% of Black parents said so.
The COVID-19 pandemic and remote learning last school year worsened access for students of color, the report found.
For English language learners, that was due in part to communication barriers between families and educators, the report said.
WestEd officials outlined root causes of the access problem, which include library fines that limit access to books, understaffed school libraries, and limited transportation, which prevents some students from participating in extracurriculars.
“As a librarian in this district, it pains me that we are in a reading and literacy crisis in this district, and yet, this year, many of our most vulnerable students had no access to libraries,” said Joy Currie, who works at Everett High School. “Or if they did, our libraries were shamefully outdated and understaffed.”
Anti-Black Sentiment Reported Among Teachers
Students, families, teachers and district administrators surveyed said they had witnessed issues with the acceptance of race, gender, and other social identities in Lansing schools, and in some cases had seen outright racism.
In surveys, several people indicated there were teachers within the district who should not be working with Black or brown students, and about one fifth of respondents said they had heard of anti-Black sentiment, Lopez said.
Students and families shared additional concerns about safety and educators who held race-based prejudices against students of color.
The audit recommends that the district begins allowing parents and families back into schools, which was forbidden during the pandemic. Additionally, it suggests investment in culturally responsive mental health providers.
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