Still Unequal: Educators & Advocates Share their Vision for Education Equity in St. Louis
The photostories featured in this article were captured by Lindy Drew, co-founder of Humans of St. Louis, in collaboration with Forward Through Ferguson. To learn more about HOSTL’s storytelling work, visit their Facebook page here.
The data–as outlined in our 2020 Still Separate, Still Unequal: A Call to Level the Uneven Education Playing Field in St. Louis release–draws a clear conclusion: Our current systems prioritize the education and outcomes of students at majority-White schools over those of students at majority-Black schools.
At FTF, we follow the example set forth by the Ferguson Commission by connecting people to the policies and systems that shape our lives through the melding of community storytelling with data, a combination that “challenges the audience to actually deal with and engage with the people whose lives are reflected in that data.” (The Ferguson Commission Playbook)
In other words, we aim to show you the faces of and amplify the voices of those in our community who are most affected by systemic racial disparities.
When it comes to challenging education inequity, our path forward is through listening to and acting upon what administrators, educators, community advocates–and of course, what students–have to say.
Our communities, when oriented around principles of mutual support and growth, have the power to change systems and solidify bright Black and Brown futures.
Scroll down to connect with Still Separate, Still Unequal community stories about:
Education Environment & Quality
“Teachers are asking for more resources and support. They do not want data to be a hammer. They do not want testing to override what should be offered to children. They also don’t want zip codes to determine the zenith of the students. Your zip code should not keep you from being a shooting star and reaching your full potential.” — Dr. Nicole E. Evans
Dr. Nicole E. Evans is the Executive Director of Urban Education and Student Engagement at Harris-Stowe State University. She is also a Partner and Chief of Leadership and Development at Equitable Education Consultants, and the Leadership Coach and Facilitator for Embracing Equity.
She was interviewed alongside Dr. Howard E. Fields III, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for the Kirkwood School District, Co-Founder of Black Males in Education — STL, and Adjunct Professor at Harris-Stowe State University.
Together, Dr. Fields and Dr. Evans discuss how critical inequities in educator preparedness and compensation, course offerings, and student support capacity are keeping St. Louis’ Black and Brown students from reaching their full potentials.
To read Dr. Evans’ and Dr. Fields’ full story on their personal experiences with Education Environment & Quality, visit StillUnequal.org
Property Taxes
“A huge slate of programmatic fixes are being attempted right now that aren’t getting to the root cause. So we have coat drives and feeding programs and all of these things that aren’t actually dealing with the issue of structural racism within the education funding and resourcing model for our schools.” — Dara Eskridge
Dara Eskridge is the Executive Director of Invest STL, which she describes as “an initiative that seeks to shift the region’s approach to neighborhood development towards one that centers racial equity.”
Both Dara and Colin Gordon, history professor at the University of Iowa and author of Mapping Decline: St. Louis and the Fate of the American City and Citizen Brown: Race, Democracy, and Inequality in the St. Louis Suburbs, speak from a professional perspective when they explain that our current models for property tax collection and redistribution (or lack thereof) are in need of radical reimagining. By stifling the wealth of Black and Brown communities, the students who receive their education in those communities are often not being given the tools they need to thrive.
To read Dara and Colin’s full story on their experiences with Property Taxes and Education, visit StillUnequal.org
Funding
“That our teachers are spending their time trying to fund what they need to do rather than focusing on doing what they need to do, bothers me. At the same time, I’m impressed with the spirit and entrepreneurial vision teachers have to make it happen. But when the families of the school district don’t have a lot of money, there’s no place to go.” — Dr. Amanda Purnell
Dr. Amanda Purnell is a Board member at the Pattonville School District Board of Education. Through the shared stories of Dr. Purnell and Dr. Courney M. Graves, and Dr. Courtney M. Graves, LPC, CRADC, Ferguson-Florissant School District Board member, we uncover insight into
the “deeply problematic” state-funding formulas used in Missouri, how the COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on funding inequities, and how we can reexamine and transform our current structures to better support every child in the St. Louis region.
To read Dr. Purnell and Dr. Graves’ share their stories about Education Funding, visit StillUnequal.org
Segregation
“There’s a lot of work to do. And it’s hard work. Maintaining where we are now is easy. Even though it’s not working for all people, it’s working for people. But to dive deeper into our history and all the things that have happened to divide neighborhoods… You know, it’s wonderful to have the Gateway Arch. I love it. But the Arch wasn’t there forever, which means there were people who lived in places before these beautiful things happened. What happened to those people? Are we telling that story? It’s about reconciliation, but you can’t have reconciliation without having people tell their stories and talk about the pain and trauma that exists.” — Dr. Terry Harris
Dr. Terry Harris is the Director of Student Services for Rockwood School District, and a self-proclaimed product of the VICC program. In describing his firsthand experience of living in St. Louis city while attending school in West County, Dr. Harris explains the impact that being told “the ‘better schools’ are in a majority-White community an hour away from your own,” can have on school-age children. He stresses that an understanding of those lived experiences must be at the center of education reform.
We also hear from Dave Leipholtz, Executive Director of the Center for Civic Research and Innovation–an initiative of the St. Louis Community Foundation. Both Dr. Harris and Mr. Leipholtz are lifelong St. Louisans, who each offer a unique perspective on the segregation that is embedded in the region. In their roles as local education advocates, they envision in detail what a more equitable education landscape could mean for future generations of St. Louisans.
To hear Dr. Harris and Dave Leiphotlz share their firsthand perspective on Segregation in Education, visit StillUnequal.org
More Still Separate, Still Unequal Storytelling:
In Still Unequal: 4 Infographics on the Root Causes of Education Inequity in St. Louis, Forward Through Ferguson’s Lead Data and Research Catalyst–Karishma Furtado, PhD, MPH–presented detailed illustrations of the upstream factors that shape the St. Louis region’s uneven education landscape.
