Educational Equity or Illusion? Unveiling the Racial Divide in School Success and The Inflated Grade Game
By: Annabelle Kinyanjui, EC Oakland Cohort 5 Fellow
Imagine this: sitting at the front of an Algebra 2 class, pen in hand with a math packet, looking at the white board, only to see… a set of hieroglyphics on the board that you can kind of connect together, but you are hesitant to explain what it is. To say that you wholeheartedly understand what you’re looking at, is an over statement.
As a current junior in high school, that is what not only my peers are plagued with, but even myself. Through looking at the various amounts of OUSD data (Oakland Unified School District), a connection was made between test scores, and racial background, which is detrimental to how the future will be displayed. Rather than young Black students going into college, they are more likely to fall under the school to prison pipeline. This goes for other minorities as well, including Pacific Islanders and Native Americans.
When SBAC testing was brought up, I completely locked eyes with the screen, having a flashback that morning about the math portion of the test. This connects to this idea of this magical world of grades. Grades do not equate proficiency. I think we all need to say it again for the people in the back. Grades do not equate proficiency. What I mean by this is, people tend to think that grades stamp away what a person knows and understands, though it could be far from the truth. In Algebra 2, for my first semester, I managed to get an A+. If I had to be frank, I don’t fully know or understand what I’m learning about, but I am still given this grade. If I had looked at Khan Academy or YouTube, or even created a study group, maybe I could teach this kind of material to a 5 year old.
Scholar Agentic Solution
Though I may feel discouraged by this idea, not all hope is lost. Study groups should be brought up in the classroom. Students should create a study group around the subject that they are struggling with, as it not only builds a strong relationship with peers, but also with challenging subjects. Rather than just giving up when given the material, a study group would allow students to tackle classwork in a productive manner, which enriches their learning, and overall community. As long as everyone is there to study and support each other, a study group can be a really productive space that encourages good study habits, which is what anyone can ask for.
