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Are dropouts being pushed out?

 Excuse my cynicism, but the more we worked on this Analysis the more sense our original choice of heads (“Are educators crazy?”) made sense to me, after we factored in the definition for insanity that’s so often used in the ‘hood. I know you’ve heard some version of, “People who do the same things, over and over, but expect different results are crazy.” Haven’t you? If you have, you’re on the same page as I am. And, at the time, I was on page 12 of the May 30, 2004 edition of Houston, Texas’ only daily newspaper staring at the headline (“Teen suspended 45 days over prescribed cold pill”), when I first started writing this edition’s Analysis.
As I read how stupid a principal was, who ideally is an expert on how to deal with children with (real or imagined) problems, I suddenly realized why so many kids are dropping out of school as soon as they’re old enough. Perhaps, it isn’t the only reason, but believe me when I stop and think about my generation (Aldine’s G. W. Carver’s class of 1968), we were given more reasons to stay in school than to dropout. Furthermore, as chairman of Acres Home Citizen Chamber of Commerce I have long fought to make sure our kids get the best possible education. Fact is, I even had my life threaten, after taking our fight to make Aldine ISD do the right thing all the way to the Justice Department. So I hope African- American News&Issue’s detractors don’t misconstrue my concern--for education--as criticism of our educators.

But I’m sure, our readers remember our most recent battle with Aldine to keep the 25-year desegregation plan in order. Under the plan the district ranked at the top of Texas and/or nation’s schools that were doing a good job of educating minorities? If you missed our March 31-April 6, 2004 edition, please go to our archives (www.aframnews.com), and read the Publisher’s News Analysis, entitled: “Does America really want Black kids to excel?” However, since Black perspectives are our obligation, we offer this excerpt from that article: “Dr. Paige had presented (Exemplary School) awards and praised principals for becoming practitioners of his pet projects that raised TAAS test scores. He would’ve been home free, but added: ‘Good schools are the solution for HISD’s dropout problem.

“Bud pounced on what he considered misinformation, like a hungry dog on a bone, because he’s convinced that Black kid’s reasons for dropping out of school differs from other races. He also believes that public schools domesticate Black kids, to conform and perform in mainstream society like good ‘boys’ and ‘gals,’ rather than educate them to be unique individuals. When Dr. Paige cleverly sidestepped Bud’s hypothesis, he snapped, ‘Dr. Paige, as the first Black superintendent, do you truly believe that America will ever educate minority’s kids to compete with White kids?’ When Bud dropped that loaded question on Paige, I suddenly realized why our paper stirs so much controversy. If nothing else, Paige is quick witted, because he shot back with, ‘this is not the proper venue to discuss that. We can talk about it under the bridge.
“I learned later that Paige was referring to a ‘watering-hole’ where he and his TSU coaching staff socialized with the Black media. In hindsight, it became obvious why that imposing question put Dr. Paige in a catch 22 situation. When you look at it, there’s no way a man (educated in the separate and unequal Mississippi schools) could put a positive spin on his answer without lying. Leave No child behind aside, although Dr. Paige is now ‘The Man,’ who speaks for the nation’s educational system, he would still have to lie. Surely, if public schools were sincere about teaching Black kids to excel, Aldine ISD wouldn’t have fought so hard to dismantle a desegregation mandate.”

Remember? If so, you know how the federal mandate, “…forced it (Aldine ISD) to become one of the best school systems (for minority kids) in the nation.
Although Aldine won the court battle, the struggle isn’t over because we’re still on top of the situation. In fact, before our publication endorsed Maurice Parker and Sydney Brewer, who ran unsuccessfully for the Aldine ISD’s Board of Trustee, we got their solemn pledge that, win, lose or draw, they would remain on the wall watching. They also believe school’s “zero tolerance” policy is geared to push minority kids out of school and then blame them for dropping out as the mainstream media suggests. Just check out these newspaper headlines: “Wind delivers pupil’s message/Company backs Stafford’s position on drugs.” … “Aldine ISD officers have a nose for sniffing out trouble/K-9 additions help school district crackdown on narcotics.”… “Crosby ISD denies racial profiling/Survey shows most tickets going to whites.”
Okay now, please answer this question: If you was a 17-year-old kid, who casually uses drugs, would you chance a random drug test at school, or dropout? At least until you’re clean. And the reason I used that age, is because in Texas you’re an adult. I know you’re also aware that when younger kids are busted at schools, they become part of our oppressive criminal justice system too? I don’t condone drug use on school campuses, or anywhere else. But too many good kids are being derailed by frivolous arrest by a “zero tolerance” principal, who doesn’t have an ounce of common sense. And for that reason the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is fighting for our children’s future, by defending kids who have been railroaded by some dumb principal, who not only could be stupid, but a racist.

In fact, on March 2, 2001, a federal judge in Lubbock, Texas struck down a school district’s mandatory drug testing policy that had criminalized an 11-year-old Elementary School student. Kids have Constitutional rights notwithstanding; they can’t take on the system by themselves. What I’m saying is, I hope political astute African Americans don’t go for the okey doke and ignore the study (“Losing Our Future: However Minority Youth Are Being Left Behind by the Graduation Rate Crisis”), conducted by the Civil Rights Project at Harvard and the Urban League, that reveals, “75 percent of the nation’s white students graduated in 2001. By contrast, only 50 percent of all Black students. The study also found that a lack of ethnic diversity in public schools fuels the problem. This is just another indication that the public education system is failing minority students.”

What I’m saying is, it’s time for “US” to hold schools accountable for not doing their job, instead of blaming our kids for testing poorly, or not being able to read. Hell, I would dropout of school too, if I was being exposed to random drug test, and couldn’t read well enough to understand the school’s “zero tolerance” policy.

But there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Thank God there are still some dedicated educators like Dr. James Henderson (Project Manager of HISD’s Acres Home Coalition Administrative District), who spoke of his vision for “Ideal ISD,” at the Chamber’s April 5, 2004 monthly network/luncheon. He envisions a school district that would be dedicated to turning out mentally healthy, self confident, well educated students, who love school far too much to even think of dropping out.
And you can bet that the Acres Home Citizens Chamber of Commerce and African American News & Issues have Dr. Henderson’s back.