Schools and trust: What works for communities of color
| Paso Robles, Calif.
As COVID-19 swept through San Diego鈥檚 City Heights community, a diverse neighborhood with a robust population of immigrants from Latin America, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Somalia, Hoover High School evolved from being a learning hub for teenagers to being a communal educational hub for COVID-19 information, safety practices, testing, and vaccinations.
Principal Jason Babineau says the trust the school has built with the surrounding community, over multiple years, produced such a sense of safety that 60% of its students have returned for in-person instruction since the school reopened in April.听
鈥淭he element of trust within an entire community is paramount always because听we鈥檙e taking care of community members鈥� and parents鈥� children,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut in times of public health crisis, there鈥檚 nothing more important than trust and solid partnership, and that is developed over time.鈥�
Why We Wrote This
How do schools build trust with families? As students return to classrooms, diverse communities in California offer ideas for moving forward from inequities amplified by the pandemic.
As Hoover High and other public schools in California return to classroom instruction, building community and trust is critical since听60%听percent of the state鈥檚 six million听听identify as Black, Latino, or Hispanic. Those groups, along with low-income students, reported the poorest educational pre-pandemic and听 significant learning losses during the last year.听
At a time when public schools are trying to be seen as a viable option, the pandemic has amplified long-standing issues like racial inequity and lack of support, say parents and advocates from communities听here听and in states like听.听But some have suggestions for how schools can move forward, bringing all families with them.听They say that diversifying the teacher pool, teaching an inclusive curriculum, supporting parents holistically, and bridging the digital divide are all necessary tools for creating community and achieving student success.听
鈥淲e can鈥檛 go back to school as usual because we鈥檝e had equity issues for decades,鈥� says Natalie Wheatfall-Lum, director of P-16 Education Policy at The Education Trust鈥揥est, a nonprofit that seeks to close the educational gap for students of color and those living in poverty.
Acknowledging 鈥済hosts鈥� of the past
Keri Rodrigues, founding president of the National Parents Union, which advocates for the educational needs of children, says it鈥檚 important to recognize that 鈥減eople who are parents today were students yesterday.鈥澨�
Parents of historically underserved students don鈥檛 automatically trust their children鈥檚 schools to educate them, she says, because 鈥渢here are still ghosts in the classroom for many of us who were underserved or pushed out or treated badly.鈥� Her overall message for educators: Listen and partner with us.听
This spring, surveys showed Black and Latino parents across the United States were to send their children back to in-person schooling than their white counterparts. Attention to health protocols, infrastructure issues, and worry about putting intergenerational households at risk are among the concerns. Asian parents are also hesitant due to the recent spike in anti-Asian assaults. Some families in these demographic groups have turned to home schooling and learning pods instead.
Just over half of California public school students, 55%, many from low-income families, were still learning remotely from home as of the end of April, according to an analysis from the Oakland-based nonprofit .听听
For Ms. Wheatfall-Lum, the trust-building starts with a听focus on uplifting the poorest students, a move that will benefit students of color and all students. As she sees it, 鈥淎 rising tide lifts all boats.鈥�
For example, school advocates have long lauded the importance of听 the digital divide between low-income students and their more affluent peers to improve educational outcomes. Although there is more work to be done closing the gap, the pandemic revealed that giving students access to technology also increased communication and partnership between families and schools.
At Hoover High 鈥� part of the San Diego Unified School District, the second largest in the state 鈥� maintaining community has included using Zoom for outreach. Some meetings are confidential forums where immigrant families in particular can ask questions anonymously. In recent years, the school has stayed attuned to those it serves by using surveys, understanding language needs, and really listening to parents.听Technology is Hoover High鈥檚 latest means of support, with Principal Babineau estimating that Zoom and other platforms have 鈥渋ncreased parental involvement, by at least double.鈥澨�
Kisha Borden, president of the San Diego Education Association, a teachers union, praises the district鈥檚 laptop and hotspot distribution efforts. But she adds, 鈥淚t is a little concerning that before COVID we had that many students who needed technology who just couldn鈥檛 get it.鈥�
鈥淚f we keep all of those devices [85,000] in the hands of our students and we continue to advocate for broadband access and Wi-Fi access,鈥� she says, then students from low-income communities can have access to the same educational resources that those from wealthier neighborhoods have always had.
Moves like that would improve achievement for underserved students and engender more trust with their families, advocates say.
More than just academics听
Schools that want to听shift outcomes for young people 鈥渉ave to take more responsibility and care for the mamas and daddies that they [students] come from,鈥� says听Lakisha Young, the executive director of Oakland REACH, a parent-led group that created a Virtual Family Hub in 2020.
The holistic model听her group offers 鈥� which has boosted student achievement and includes partnering with the local school district 鈥� has attracted the attention of other districts and parent advocacy groups around the U.S.听Besides assisting students with tutoring and after-school activities, Oakland REACH supports parents with tech training on topics like Gmail and Zoom and with financial literacy courses and job opportunities.听
Ms. Rodrigues agrees with this community-building approach.听鈥淧arents are out there trying to do the best that they can,鈥� she听says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to say 鈥� once and for all 鈥� 鈥榃e鈥檙e going to break this cycle of poverty. We鈥檙e going to help parents. We鈥檙e going to help heal communities.鈥欌�澨�
A focus on what鈥檚 being taught
School reform advocates say that retooling curriculum to be inclusive also builds trust with families of color.
California had already been increasing ethnic studies coursework before state legislatures elsewhere in the U.S. recently started passing laws prohibiting some types of anti-racist instruction.听San Diego Unified School District has an ethnic studies graduation that will go into effect for freshmen entering high school this fall.听Los Angeles Unified has a听听requirement; and the state of California, after contentious debate,听听a statewide ethnic studies curriculum for high schools, the first of its kind in the nation.
Ms. Wheatfall-Lum, from The听Education Trust鈥揥est, echoing other school advocates, says what鈥檚 taught should reflect 鈥渢he experiences of all students in the classroom鈥� to ensure that their identities 鈥渁re valued and lifted up in the day-to-day work that they鈥檙e doing.鈥�
Teaching culturally affirming curriculum, they all say, shows families that they are seen, valued, and understood by school leaders.
Hoover High senior Erick Belmudez took a Chicano studies course in 2019, the fall of his junior year. For听him, such courses are necessary and eye opening.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the things we never hear about in history: what happened to other countries and people,鈥� he says, adding that it鈥檚 critical for students 鈥渢o learn about others鈥� background and why we鈥檙e divided.鈥澨�
In general, he says his teachers have done a good job handling race-related issues that have arisen nationally and in California. 鈥淗oover has made it so that we feel a sense of belonging,鈥� he says.
Also on the wish list: teacher diversity
Christina Laster, an Afro Latina听parent of four, says that the pool of educators must diversify if schools in the Golden State want to meet the needs of its diverse population.听
Ms. Laster, who lives in Palm Springs and works as the director of policy and legislation with the National Parents Union, says her children and grandchildren 鈥渘eed teachers that look like them.鈥�
Studies听听that teachers of color positively affect the educational outcomes for students of color and all students. This month, San Diego Unified School District announced a new effort to its teachers and district staff by recruiting students and community members.听While about 76% of students in the district听identify as people of color, only about a third of teachers do.
A national push for more diversity is also underway. President Biden has included teacher diversity in his听, and an听听asking for the topic to be a priority听was sent this week to Miguel Cardona, the secretary of education, signed by groups including The Education Trust, National Parents Union, and State of Black Education Oakland.
The needle moved a bit 听during the pandemic with the state鈥檚 allowance for emergency teaching licenses resulting in at least 25% of some 7,000 licenses as of March being given to teachers of color. San Diego Unified School District plans to offer stipends to students who enroll in training programs and return to听work in听its schools.听One of the groups that sent the open letter to Washington, The Center for Black Educator Development, uses a model that trains听high schoolers to teach early literacy skills to primary school students, and provides paid apprenticeships and fellowships for teacher candidates through community funders, according to听founder and chief executive officer听Sharif El-Mekki.
As schools continue to work toward communities of trust with families, Ms. Laster's hope for all children mirrors her hope for her own: 鈥淚 want them to be free to learn and thrive.鈥�
This story was supported by a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reporting about responses to social problems.听
