Why Race and Culture Matter in Schools: Closing the Achievement Gap in America’s Classrooms by Tyrone Howard can be whetted down to the simple premise that for any significant closing of the achievement gap, educators must do more than simply take pity on the poor disenfranchised students that have been placed upon their doorsteps, or take solace and pride in their colorblind, feel good approach to instruction. Rather than continue to lower standards because of their unintentional, yet racially tinged stereotypes, or pat themselves on their collective backs for being able to deliver a color-blind one size fits all curriculum, Tyrone Howard makes a passionate call for educators to drink deeply in the knowledge that race and culture truly matter in schools, and that we must differentiate instruction in a way that takes account for the historical, socioeconomic, and psychological manifestation of racism and cultural bias in our unequal, uniquely unfair, and at times. undemocratic nation. Moreover, he sets the course and provides the means for navigating the difficult, often daunting challenge presented by America’s socioeconomic jungle known as the achievement gap. That journey is filled with obstacles, implicit dangers and unseen pitfalls that Howard proves can be overcome through a process that moves past the ill-conceived and misguided path of good intentions, disheartened acceptance of the status quo and an unwillingness to change direction, and leads us down the glory road of achievement and success regardless of race, culture or socioeconomic standing. What he does best, though, is provide the shortest and most direct route to that magnificent goal by asking each of us to accept an arduous, yet valiant mission. An unparalleled assignment that requires deeper understanding, resiliency of unprecedented levels, as well as highly informed and skilled educators, who are willing to tackle the great white elephant sitting in the corner , and the restructuring of archaic methods and paradigms.
In chapter one, the author explains in great depth the achievement gap. Defining the specifics and putting light on a very ironic twist of the American Dream, he sets the tone for the impassioned wake-up call that is to follow. People from around the world have come to America in droves because of the perceived educational and socioeconomic opportunities they believe exist in our home of the brave and land of the free, only to come to a place where many of its current citizens have been failed by it schools. In stark contrast to the American Dream scenario is a situation that sees a highly segregated and, for many, an ineffectual educational system, where the remnants of deeply seeded racism and social inequality still leave deeps cut across the carotid artery of the American soul. Moreover, Howard is able to succinctly disaggregate data, and gives meaningful context to the historical and socioeconomic aspects that characterize the achievement gap. Further still, he looks at the unsettling information found in the NAEP or as it is often called the “Nation’s report card,” which paints a bleak picture of the more than two decade trend showing that “persistent gaps have existed in the education outcomes of White and certain Asian American students in comparison to their African American, Latino, and Native American counterparts across several important indicators of school success” (Howard, 2010, p. 14). What becomes clear is that the effects of generations of overt racism followed by decades of an unintentional, subtle and perhaps, more insidious form of discrimination, have left our nation with an ever-widening achievement gap; an educational abscess, which continues to fester, and as it grows deeper, it becomes a more acute and malignant malady.
However, as with most illnesses, even the most debilitating, there are a variety of treatments that can be applied to the issue. Like a highly skilled surgeon, in chapter two, Howard thoroughly assesses his patient and uses that information to develop a course of action. What he discovers is a country rapidly changing as it grows older, and despite its earlier incarnation as a mostly Eurocentric and protestant nation, it is becoming a country where its non-white population will no longer be in the majority. An explosion in the population growth of its Latino citizens (and non-citizens) has implications for the long term health of not only America’s disadvantaged and poor population, but for the well-being of the very teachers, most of whom are white, and entrusted with educating its disparate citizens, even as they may lack the cultural skills and understanding to do so effectively. The primary challenge for educators is that they must adapt to a growing and collectively more diverse student body, for which they have already shown a failure to effectively educate. This conundrum calls for a restructuring of educational theories, practices and policies, but the question remains: can a system with deeply entrenched beliefs and a certain level of system-wide complacency be inspired, or even prodded slowly toward the change that, even the most staunchly and unapologetically ingrained amongst us must admit, is crucial, especially if we are to compete in the ever growing and competitive global marketplace. The reality is undeniable and it calls for an immediate response to address these cultural, racial and social inequalities that continue to cripple us as a nation. Yet, and still, there is hope for a more equitable and functional future through a sincere belief in multicultural education and authentic reform, which addresses the entire spectrum and is wide in scope and focus.
While, on many levels, most educators have good intentions and are well-meaning, they are often handicapped by their own theoretical backgrounds and traditional assumptions regarding culture and how it applies to pedagogy. In chapters 3 and 4, Howard provides a new and more applicable definition of culture, which he describes as far more complex than the narrow and simplistic version most educators have conceptualized. He goes on to describe applicable and germane practices that can be utilized to provide more meaningful instructional outcomes for all students as educators struggle to close the achievement gap. “To do so, we also must examine our own cultural frameworks and recognize that our own ways of being are not necessarily shared and embraced by others: ‘Even without being immersed in another cultural system, comparisons of cultural ways may create discomfort among people who have never before considered assumptions of their own cultural practices’” (Howard, 2010, p. 16; Rogoff, 2003, p.14). This simple, but direct reality, is perhaps, the best and most powerful section of Howard’s book because it asks educators to take account of their own culture, biases and to turn their pedagogical approach toward their students into a student centered paradigm, rather than from within their own internal realities and typical, yet antiquated teacher-centered instructional methods. Howard advises that for those of us concerned about this educational malapropos, we should gain a strong grasp of “culturally responsive pedagogy” and improve our knowledge and skills to more deeply engage our students in meaningful and culturally relevant instruction. “Culturally responsive pedagogy embodies a professional, political, cultural, ethical and ideological disposition that supersedes mundane teaching acts; it is centered in fundamental beliefs about teaching, learning, students, their families, and their communities, and an unyielding commitment to see student success to become less rhetoric and more of a reality” (Howard, 2010, p. 67). The reality is that for widespread closing of the achievement gap, successful programs, initiatives and even single lessons must be replicated and shared on a grand scale.
What of race? Does it still play a part in educational outcomes? How can it be addressed and move beyond its status as the White Elephant in the room no one apparently sees? In chapter 5, Howard looks at this highly loaded and delicate topic, and, in recounting the works of W.E.B. DuBois and the equally significant Cornell West, tells us that indeed race still matters, saying, “a plethora of scholars, philosophers, researchers, and practitioners have lamented the way in which we talk (and do not talk) about race and its manifestations in our everyday lives” (2010, p. 91). Certainly, the issue of race is always lurking near the surface, waiting to rear its ugly head at a moment’s notice, yet many people seem unwilling or even afraid to mention it, like a an ostrich sticking it’s head in the sand to avoid a prowling predator. Needless to say, if nothing is done to avert the danger, our nation like the unwitting ostrich will be consumed by the vicious animal typified by: hate, uneasiness and or simple ignorance. Some educators proudly espouse their “colorblind” approach to teaching, while others hold fast in their paternalistic ideologies that float in the murky waters of unintentional racism as they dummy down curriculum and feign pity on their students of color. While neither is overtly racist, both are highly injurious and continue to widen the achievement gap. This often passive ignorance of why race matters is an endemic and insidious issue that needs to be burned out through its core, otherwise it will lead to a place where “educators [continue to] ignore race or adapt colorblind approaches, while failing to realize that the greater avoidance of the topic denies students an essential part of their being, and only increases the likelihood of race becoming an explosive topic” (Howard, 2010, p.100). As Howard so eloquently shows in some of his most qualitative research, race matters, it matters and is uniquely and significantly real and painful for many of today’s students of color. He calls for us to move toward what he calls a post-racial paradigm where the economic, social and historical implications of racism are taken into account and openly discussed in a less opaque place, eliminating much of the uncertainty, trepidation and disagreement that currently keep our heads collectively stuck in the sands of racial disharmony.
The second to last chapter, entitled “Developing Cultural Competence and Racial Awareness in Classroom Teachers is one of the most applicable chapter in the entire book. In it, Howard (2010) keenly looks at how to help educators, both the newly initiated and the grizzled veterans, to obtain, develop and broaden their existing cultural understanding, competence and racial awareness, which he sees as critical for teaching in today’s pluralistic and diverse schools. In the end, he details very specifically the requisite tools that all educators, and those seeking to improve the educational circumstances in our nation, need, if we are to close the achievement gap in any real and meaningful way. Simply put, he gives us the recipe to successfully “acquire the skills, knowledge, and dispositions needed to become effective teachers and researchers in multicultural classrooms,” (p.112) and to become more productive and egalitarian citizens, who seek an authentic leveling of the socioeconomic and racial playing field.
In the final chapter of Howard’s (2010) tome, he provides four cases where the achievement gap has been reduced significantly through the diligent efforts of school leaders, teachers, parents and most importantly, students. He identified five important themes that he found to be the most predominant in the success he witnessed in the mostly low-income schools of color he studied over a 3 year period. As a result of their efforts, these schools broke the demoralizing trend and narrowed the so-called achievement gap found in similar schools nationwide. Upon further review, Howard (2010) found the following practices and beliefs systems most essential to their miraculous success: “(1) visionary leadership, (2) teachers’ effective practices, (3) intensive academic support, (4) the acknowledgement of race, and (5) parental and community engagement” (p. 130). The significance of visionary leaders can’t be understated, and is, perhaps, the most important aspect of eliminating the academic deficits found in too many of our nation’s schools. These leaders show an unbending belief in their student’s and work hard to dispel the naysayers and disbelievers, but perhaps their greatest skill is their ability to exemplify the effort it takes to succeed, and the high standards that must be set on a continuous and inflexible basis. They improved all areas of the school from staff, instructional services to the building itself, which, collectively added together, inspired pride and confidence in all of those who had a stake in the success of the school.
Improving and creating effective instructional practices, is the most obvious, yet most enduring factor leading to the success of these underdog schools. In these schools, “teachers spent more time on task in classrooms; there were few interruptions, distractions and disrupting of instructional time. The teachers had effective management practices, appeared to build classroom community, were able to multitask effortlessly, and had multiple ways of assessing students” (Howard, 2010, p.137). Beyond that, rigor was evident and accelerated learning was more common than remediation and re-teaching, but perhaps, most importantly, teachers in these schools brought out a sense of competency, self-belief and a strong understanding of their students’ backgrounds and held themselves accountable for the success of their students.
While rigor and high expectations are par for the course at these schools, they also have established a commitment to their at-risk students by developing intensive academic interventions and enrichment opportunities for them. Moreover, the staff at these schools provided the spaces and places for enrichment to occur in a proactive and transformational way. Furthermore, an explicit acknowledgement of race and its subsequent implications were common at these schools, and were discussed openly and comfortably across the staff, community and student body. Lastly, and particularly significant for me, a crucial facet that is often missing in many of our most underperforming schools was the significant role played by parents and even the community at-large. Parents at these schools were treated as equal partners in, rather than as obstacles to the success of their children. Both parents and community partners were made to feel welcomed and integral parts in the achievement of the students and schools, and were actively and thoughtfully engaged in the process of building an atmosphere of success.
In the final section of the book, Howard calls for our national leadership and ordinary citizenry to look with a critical eye toward our so-called democratic ideals and the inequality that still pervades in many disparate parts of our country. Do we truly believe in our ideals and are we “committed to providing all students a first-rate, rigorous, humanistic, culturally and socially responsive education that will allow them to compete in a technological age and global society” (Howard, 2010, p.149)? The answer to that important and enduring question still remains to be answered, but, as Howard believes, because “our collective fates” depend on the success and growth of all of our nation’s children, that important transformation can happen through the efforts and support of our country’s last and greatest line of defense: its educators.
I have clearly identified the strength and positive aspects in the author’s ideas and supported them throughout. Nevertheless, I did find one negative aspect in his otherwise masterful work: while he clearly identified the 5 primary qualities that can lead to the elimination of the achievement gap, I was left wondering, what about the schools and communities where abject realities dictate otherwise. What of the schools that lack inspired and visionary leadership, or where parental and community apathy outweigh the engaged and supportive constituents? All the same, Howard’s (2010) work was truly enlightened and proactive in its tenor. Of particular merit and usefulness were his chapters describing the nature of cultural understanding as it has been interpreted and his conception of a better and cultural responsive pedagogy, and also his chapter on why race still matter, and as he states, “to give readers a better understanding of how racial ideas, beliefs, and attitudes continue to influence educational practices” (p. 5) was particularly pertinent. Perhaps, the most applicable chapter for initiating a diverse curriculum in any educational organization was his last. Howard (2010) provides very explicitly five core principles that can be implemented immediately to create what he says Dr Martin Luther King (1967) referred to as “the fierce urgency of now” (p.130). Simply put, this is the most significant lesson from the entire work: something drastic must be done immediately then ardently believed in, if we are to swiftly and irrevocably close the achievement gap.
