Educational Insanity

In 2003, the National Football League instituted the Rooney Rule which dictates that all professional football teams must interview at least one minority candidate for an open head coaching position or any open senior football operations position.  The rule came about because Dan Rooney, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, lamented the lack of minority head coaches throughout the history of the league.

There has been much discussion about the efficacy of the rule, especially lately.  And, there’s no way to attribute causality, but currently, 6 of the 32 teams have African-American head coaches (and, as of the writing of this post) there are rumors that Leslie Frazier may become the head coach of the Buffalo Bills).  That’s progress, but there is still disproportionality in a league where a little more than 3/4 of the players are African-American.

In education, as of 2007, approximately 45% of all public school students were categorized as a race other than Caucasian (SOURCE). As of 2007-08, approximately 16.9% of all public school teachers were categorized as a race other than Caucasian (SOURCE). Furthermore, as of that same year, 19.1% of all public school principals were categorized as a race other than Caucasian (SOURCE). Looking specifically at African-American students and educators, 15.3% of the students are African-American, 7% of the teachers are African-American and 9.6% of the principals are African-American.  We’re quickly approaching a day when the public schools in the United States serve more minority students than Caucasian students.  Yet, we’re nowhere near that with respect to teachers and especially leaders.

At the highest levels of school leadership, the numbers are even more disproportionate.  Reliable statistics on the superintendency are even harder to come by, but one estimate holds that 2% of all superintendents in the United States are of African descent.  Another estimate puts that at 5%.

I don’t want to go too much further here as my intent is to be mostly descriptive so as to raise questions.  I will, though, gladly point you to work done by colleagues of mine.  The paper to which I link here is based on a series of studies including the dissertation by the lead author.  Drs. Jackson and Shakeshaft reach some interesting conclusions, including discrediting the myth that there are too few African-American candidates in the pool or pipeline for superintendent positions.  I also note the conclusions about African-American superintendents in predominantly Caucasian districts. Their conclusion is essentially that African-Americans, especially males, need not apply. How many of YOU know an African-American superintendent leading a school system that serves mostly Caucasian students?

I urge you to read the Jackson/Shakeshaft paper, and even the small body of literature to which they offer citations.

So, what do you think? Do we need a Rooney Rule in public education?

[NOTE: don't bother with any legal mumbo jumbo about the current jurisprudence on affirmative action and/or equal protection. I know where we stand there. I'm just raising some issues here...I think.]

I blogged.

For Wes Fryer.

Because I’m trying to steal the attention of his vast audience.

Click here to see the post if you’d like.

photo credit: AchimH

I am so very excited to use this space to recognize a woman who embodies leadership, humanitarianism and mentorship.

This week, at the annual convention of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), Dr. Charol Shakeshaft was honored with an Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award.  According to AASA, “[t]hese awards…recognize AASA members who exemplify the professional qualities of advocacy, support, mentorship and encouragement of diversity in educational leadership.”  The page announcing the 2009 winners does a decent job of describing Charol’s contributions to the field of educational leadership.  I would add the following:

• Charol wrote THE seminal book on women in educational leadership.
• Charol has DEEPLY and positively impacted the personal and professional lives of dozens of school leaders directly through her work as a professor and mentor.
• Charol is most recently advocating for a profoundly underrepresented group; young people victimized by educator sexual misconduct.

And, personally, I consider Charol to be my primary mentor.  She has been a dear colleague and friend for over a decade, and I look forward to continued collaboration and friendship with her moving forward.

I commend AASA for recognizing Dr. Shakeshaft.  Please join me in congratulating Charol and in thanking her for all that she has done as a leader, a mentor and  humanitarian.

This morning, as I have been doing every Tuesday morning since the school year began, I dropped my son off at preschool and drove to my office.  However, rather than taking my usual route, today I chose a different way.

As the crow flies, driving down Monument Avenue is probably the most direct route from my son’s school to where I work.  But, it’s certainly not the fastest route.  Yet, I chose this route to reinforce the enormity of the opportunity I have this afternoon when I go to cast my vote for President of the United States.

Monument Avenue was recognized in 2007 by the American Planning Association as one of the 10 Great Streets in the country.  Architecturally, aesthetically, etc., it is a lovely road, especially among the resplendent colors of fall.  However, it is also a road that gives me great pause.  Traveling as I did this morning, in order, I passed the following giant monuments: Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis (monument photo), J.E.B. Stuart (monument photo) and Robert E. Lee (monument photo). I’ll spare you the long history lesson, but these folks were all leaders of the Confederate States of America (CSA) or the Confederate army before and during the Civil War.  They fought for states rights as the CSA had declared secession from the United States.  There were multiple reasons for the secession declaration, but as historian Drew Gilpin Faust wrote, “leaders of the secession movement across the South cited slavery as the most compelling reason for southern independence.”  Thus, one cannot drive down Monument Avenue without being reminded of the enslavement of people of African descent that marks much of our nation’s early history.

The historical significance of those statues notwithstanding, there is another statue that I passed on Monument Avenue before I came to the others.  In July of 1996, a statue of a native son of Richmond, VA was unveiled on Monument Avenue.  That native son? Arthur Ashe (monument photo).  I wasn’t around for the controversy that apparently encircled the decision to place that statue on Monument Avenue.  But, as a relative newcomer to Richmond, I do find the placement of the statue very interesting.  The word that comes to mind is “contraposition.” In other words, the placement of a statue of a groundbreaking African-American athlete and civil rights leader on the same road that recognizes the leadership of the Confederacy is striking, at the very least.  For me, then, the statue stands as a monument of hope, possibility and change.

Arther Ashe is quoted as saying, “”True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”  Personally, I think Barack Obama and John McCain are both pretty heroic by Ashe’s definition.  However, when I cast my vote this afternoon, I will be thinking of all that I believe that the Arthur Ashe monument represents to me.  I will hold my 3 year old son tightly and vote for the man who follows the trail blazed by pioneers like Arthur Ashe.

To this point in our nation’s history, all 43 of our presidents have been white men.  I am so thankful and honored that later today, like I did this morning in getting to work, when I cast my vote, I have the opportunity to choose a different way.

I will vote for Barack Obama.