New York
City has become the latest battleground in the national fight for education
equality.
In some
schools, hallways serve as a stark dividing line. Classrooms with peeling paint
and insufficient resources sit on one side, while new computers, smartboards
and up-to-date textbooks line the other. One group of students is taught in
hallways and cramped basements, while others under the same roof make use of
fully functional classrooms.
New York
City has increasingly resorted to co-locating charter schools inside existing
public school buildings as way to cut costs. When handled improperly,
co-location can lead to visible disparities, division and tension among
students. In many instances, traditional students are forced into shorter
playground periods than their charter school counterparts, or served lunch at
10 am so that charter students can eat at noon. The inequity is glaring, and it
is certainly not lost on the students themselves.
Throughout
our history, the NAACP has fought for equal educational opportunities for all
Americans. When we saw inequality in school districts from Los Angeles,
California to Topeka, Kansas, we never hesitated to fight for what was right.
Today, the fight continues in the nation's largest school district.
The struggle
of black parents to create a better life for their children is one we
cherish. We know that a good
education is one of the most effective pathways out of poverty.
There is
no greater anguish for a parent than to live in a community where there are
often little to no choices of a quality school. As a father, I personally know
the yearning to give my daughter the best education possible. This is what
makes us responsible, loving parents. Our commitment is to continue the
historic fight for a quality education for all, but even as we wage that
important effort, we support parents who are able to find a good education for
their child - whether at a traditional or charter public school.
Last
month, after a year of attempts to negotiate with the New York City Department
of Education to correct these inequalities after they lost to us in court, the
NAACP was forced to go to court again to compel them to comply with state law.
Our
return to court has triggered a smear campaign against the NAACP. In recent
days we have faced a coordinated media attack designed to distort the
conversation and inaccurately cast us as opponents of charter schools, which we
are not. Unable to dispute the facts of the case, they've chosen to cast
aspersions on the NAACP, to question our motivations, and to sling mud at our
legacy.
This is a
tactic meant to silence the NAACP, but we will not be silenced.
The NAACP
will always work for the day when all students can access high-quality public
education. We will not tolerate the neglect of the hundreds of thousands of
families depending on traditional public schools, nor will we stand by as
public schools are illegally closed, communities are ignored in defiance of the
law and student success is left to chance. And we will never be silenced by
attacks on our reputation.
As the
largest public school system in the United States, New York City is often
viewed as a trend-setter on issues of education. Co-location schemes are being
considered in other states and counties nationwide, from Florida to Texas. The
city is acting
irresponsibly
by allowing blatant inequality and lax enforcement of the law. We are
determined to stand against this bad precedent before it spreads to other
school systems.
The NAACP
has always believed that educating children in a separate and unequal system
that provides a quality education to the lucky few at the expense of the many
is the wrong kind of education. We will continue to fight, as we always have,
for equal opportunity for all.
Benjamin
Todd Jealous is president and CEO of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People.
