Literacy rates directly impact educational outcomes and success in higher education and careers. Alarming literacy rate disparities are not a new problem but, COVID-19 has amplified many preexisting educational inequities. Improving literacy rates in America means addressing structural racism.
“Privilege isn’t the presence of perks and benefits. It’s the absence of obstacles and barriers. That’s a lot harder to notice.”
Obstacles to Literacy for Black Communities in America
The timeline below illustrates structures that have led to the literacy disparities that exist today.
- (1529- 1860) Enslaved African people are forcibly brought to the Americas
- (1639) Virginia opens America’s first tax-payer funded public school which only serves white men and boys
- (1740) South Carolina passes the first law preventing the education of enslaved people in the U.S. 7 additional southern states follow this trend over the next 10 years
- (1767) America’s first tax-payer funded public school begins serving white girls
- (1865) Slavery is abolished and the Freedmen’s Bureau opens our nations first schools for black people
- (2016) The last segregated school in America is desegregated, and it is now illegal across our 50 states to outwardly deny black students the same education as their white counterparts
- (2020) The Century Foundation finds that districts that have 50% or more Black or LatinX student enrollment on average receive $5,000 per pupil less than districts with fewer than 50% Black or LatinX student enrollment — this Funding Gap still exists today
While tax payer funded schools have existed in our nation for more than 350 years, black people have only had access to formal schools for the last 150. Additionally, still today there is a $5,000 per pupil funding gap between school districts that predominantly serve black and Latin X students and those that do not. These structures directly impact the access black students have to excellent schools and exceptional literacy instruction.
Structural Racism impacts Literacy Rates
- 25% of school districts with 2+ high schools report their schools with the highest black and latinX student enrollment offer an average of $5,000 less for teachers’ salaries than their schools with the lowest lack and latinX student enrollment (CRDC, 2014)
- Over half a million of the nation’s black students attend schools where 20% or more of their teachers are uncertified and unlicensed as required by their state (CRDC, 2014)
- In their 2019 survey, the Cooperative Book Center found that of the Children and Young Adult books published in 2018, 11.9% had Black or African main characters, 30% had animals as main characters, and 50% had white main characters
In our current educational system:
1) Generations of black families had and still have significant barriers to receiving an education
2) Schools that serve black students are significantly underfunded
3) Teachers in schools with predominantly black students receive limited support in their development
4) Black students do not see themselves reflected in the literature or curriculum used to teach them
Improving literacy rates in America requires a nation-wide initiative. I am hopeful that armed with the facts, we can push our society towards a more equitable one.
You can connect with her by leaving a comment below or at www.shenaillebeckley.com/
Works Cited
NYSED. “State Education Department Releases Spring 2019 Grades ELA & Math Assessment Results.” 22, Aug 2019. <State Education Department Releases Spring 2019 Grades 3–8 ELA & Math Assessment Results>
CRDC. “Teacher Equity Snapshot” 3, Mar 2014. <http://www.ocrdata.ed.gov/>
NAEP. “The Nation’s Report Card: Reading.” 2019 <https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading/nation/achievement/?grade=8>