Racial Disparities Highlighted at Forum

On The Anniversary of Brown Versus The Board of Education Local Group Turns Attention Back To School Disparities in Nashville at the Creswell Middle School at 3500 John Mallette Drive in Nashville on May 17th at 4:30pm. While Metro Nashville Public Schools Celebrate the Completion of the Strategic Planning Action Teams, The Nashville Black Covenant Coalition, a Diverse Coalition Concerned Citizens and Community Groups, seek to stimulate dialogue and action around pressing Education Issues facing Black Nashville.

“Brown versus the Board of Education and No Child Left Behind both point to the disparities in our Public Education System. The District is pretending that these racial disparities don’t exist, when every performance indicator for our district has shown a 10-12% Gap between African American Students and their White counterparts.”, says Deirdra Reed, A Parent of Martin Luther King “These gaps may seem small to some, but in my community, they are the difference between college and prison for our children. ”

“The District is spending $446,935.00 of Tax payer’s money on this Strategic Plan, yet it does not address the achievement gaps between Black and White Students. My question is: In a predominately African American School District, how effective will this plan be?”, says Matthew Walker, Community Member

“As a parent of school-aged children, I tried to participate in the Strategic Planning Process and add a valuable perspective. First, the meetings were at 4 pm, so I had to take off work. And once in the meeting, my opinion was discounted and treated with little value”, says Natalie Nelson, A Parent of Park Avenue School “If the District did not want my opinion, why did they take us through this?”