Category: Access to High Quality Schools

OPPORTUNITY: a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.

GAP: a break or hole in an object or between two objects.

These words defined separately don’t have the same meaning as when they are placed together. Together, these words showcase the disparity in access and ability to have a high quality education for some kids. And it’s not the kids’ fault.

Let me paint a picture for you. The opportunity gaps in our schools are two very different extremes:

Some public schools have excellent educators, the latest curriculum, 1:1 technology, state-of-the-art buildings, classrooms with smart boards, great music programs, and lunches that are appetizing. These same schools offer exposure to inspirational and life-changing resources, experiences and opportunities. They have class trips to Washington D.C.

Other public schools aren’t as privileged. Some schools lack the opportunities listed above. They don’t have the support needed to help traumatized children living in poverty. These schools have high suspension rates, failing test scores, low teacher retention, weak policies, procedures and leadership, libraries with outdated materials, and lunches that wealthier families would never imagine serving to their kids.

Again, this is not the kids’ fault. These schools need more support and more resources to help children who have been let down. They need teachers who stick around and funding to ensure they can provide the same educational opportunities and experiences as privileged schools offer.

These opportunity gaps in our schools only grow wider as our children get older. And the evidence of these gaps shows up in the form of the mass incarceration of our Black and Brown men and women across our country. These opportunity gaps are evident when we see the majority of people in positions of power – politicians, professionals, executives, lawyers, doctors – being predominantly white.

I have experienced the opportunity gap firsthand. As a child who was transient most of my life with over 37 different addresses within Indianapolis, I attended several schools – some township and some within IPS. My experiences in these schools were vastly different, as different as the pictures I painted above.

As a mom of three, I worry about the growing opportunity gap. I want my children to be able to access the highest level of quality educational training they could possibly have. Without a quality education, too many children end up in the continuous cycle of trauma, poverty, incarceration and death.

By working together, people like you and me who care about public education can close opportunity gaps and give more children access to the quality education and opportunities they deserve.

Join me in the movement to ensure every Hoosier child has the same opportunities to succeed:

• Share this blog on social media
• Sign up for emails from Stand for Children Indiana
• Consider making a small donation
• Learn all the ways you can take action today

I know that the IPS board’s job is difficult and complex, especially now, but I also know that I’m watching my kids and their classmates grow up together in a system that doesn’t support them all equitably. I hear these statistics about the opportunity gap and it hits me hard.

According to state data, only 3.1% of Black IPS students in grades 3-8 are testing on grade level in English and math, and that number is only 5.4% for Latino students.

To me, these are not only statistics. I know these kids and I want the best for them. They each deserve to live within a system that not only sees the best in them but plans for it and supports it.

We have schools in our city that are already successfully closing the opportunity gap for their students. In fact, there is a public school in Indianapolis where children of color are eight times more likely to achieve at grade level than their peers in our district.

I appreciate that IPS leaders have included replication in the “Rebuilding Stronger” plan, but I don’t think schools should be replicated just because they are popular. Replication should be based on data that shows which schools, regardless of type, close the opportunity gap and not on the demand for a school. Popular programs don’t all necessarily close the opportunity gap.

I have asked the IPS board to consider conducting research in the next month to identify and showcase public schools—charters, innovation schools and traditional schools—that are already closing the opportunity gap in our city.

We need to take swift and clear action to let our students know that we see the best in them. Replicating what’s already working seems to me like a logical place to start and one that could make huge impacts for low-income students and children of color who are being left behind in our current system. As a parent seeing these statistics repeatedly, I can’t stomach the idea of one more school year beginning without a plan in place.

Please join me, ask IPS leaders to replicate school models of all types that are data-proven to close the opportunity gap. Be clear that the measure for replicating a school should not be based on demand alone.

I got involved with advocacy because my children weren’t getting the type of education I wanted them to have – the type of education that will set them up for success. Even if you don’t have children in IPS, creating more equitable schools in this district is important for the entire community now and for future generations. Do you also want to see better, more equitable schools?

Watch my video:

When I see communities with great disparities, I know it’s not by accident. We have to be honest that disparities exist in our community and our schools because of racist oppression.

I can no longer accept discipline disparities in this district because there should not be gaps in opportunities between races. And I’ve seen these differences firsthand, with my children experiencing low-quality educational instruction after good teachers left and were never replaced in their schools. I can no longer accept that some children are being failed by our schools when there are models that are proven to be working for children of color, so I am doing something about it — and I hope you do too.

All IPS kids can achieve if they are given the right supports, which is why I am asking you to add your name to this petition to IPS leaders. Parents like me submitted a plan for a more just and equitable IPS to district leaders back in March and your signature will help us gather enough support to show the board they need to act now.

I believe:

• IPS needs to set clear expectations for student attainment in their 2025 strategic plan that address the barriers standing in the way of universal and unbiased student success;
• The district should grow schools and programs that have dramatically improved results for children of color and traditionally underserved students;
• All schools within IPS should be funded equitably, including the distribution of public referendum dollars;
• There should be a clear goal set to increase the number of teachers who reflect the diverse student population;
• A language justice policy should be established that supports and celebrates parents and children with language differences; and
• The board should publicly review if the millions of dollars being spent on police in schools would be better used to address the social and emotional health of students.