Who We Are

Solutions: The following solutions are being explored to heal America's Racial Divide.

Education -- Improving Student Achievement: Fletcher, "Ind. Schools Shrink Black-White Divide: A Focus on Attitude Raises Altitude in Scores," Washington Post, February 21, 2002, A3:

To close the achievement gap between African-American and white students, the Fort Wayne, IN school district has taken a number of steps. Some of the most important of these, according to school administrators, are those that focus on changing the perceptions of the black students that schools are hostile, discriminatory, or indifferent to their needs. According to these administrators, these perceptions and belief systems undermine the black students' connection to the schools, to their teachers, to their peers, and to the entire educational process. This sense of alienation contributes to the poorer academic performance of the African-American students. These administrators say that "black students are less successful in school than whites because they take a much dimmer view of the place."

"Black students are also less likely to feel that school rules are clear and enforced fairly. And they tend to think that they more readily punished and less frequently praised in school." Id.

To address these concerns and perceptions, the Fort Wayne school district came to realize that they first had to understand them, then secondly to address them. "It is not uncommon for school districts to try to gauge student attitudes about everything from disciplinary to the quality of food in the cafeteria. But to use attitudinal surveys as an essential tool in trying to narrow the black-white achievement gap is unusual." Id.

The perception gap between blacks and whites has narrowed significantly since 1995, when the school system conducted its first student surveys. The improvement has coincided with a sharp increase in achievement: SAT scores are up, as are student scores on the state's benchmark standardized tests. Racial gaps, while still substantial, are narrowing. The gap in dropout rates is shrinking, more students of all races are enrolling in advance placement classes, and more Fort Wayne students, black and white, are going to college. Officials in Fort Wayne believe their focus on student attitudes holds valuable lessons for school districts across the country." Id.

"Here, principals are required to consider the [student] survey results as they plan the operati0on of their schools, just as they do test scores. That has resulted in numerous ideas for better engaging black students, from establishing student peer monitoring groups to requiring diversity training for the city's 1,800 teachers. School officials have begun introducing more multicultural learning materials into the curriculum. Disciplinary referrals and sanctions are closely tracked to ensure that any racial disparities are not the result of unfair policies or enforcement." Id.

These changes and others adopted in Fort Wayne represent a "more comprehensive effort to close the achievement gap" than merely focusing on "the quality of teaching, the thoroughness of the instructional standards or the availability of books and classroom materials." According to the Superintendent of schools for Fort Wayne, Thomas Fowler-Finn, "Schooling is not simply a matter of delivering information. It is a process of both delivering good instruction and understanding how students receive it." Id.

With the benefit of the student attitudinal survey, the leadership of the Fort Wayne schools system believes they can fashion solutions that close the attitude gap and in turn close the achievement gap. "'Schools tend to focus on ability readiness as measured in tests,' said Gary D. Gottfredson, a Maryland psychologist and creator the Effective School Battery, the survey used to gauge student attitudes in Fort Wayne. 'But the correlation of simple attitudinal measures with school performance is as high or higher than it is with tests that measure ability." Id.

Education -- Higher State Funding Particularly for Poorer Districts Paid For By Increasing Cigarette Tax to $1 Per Pack:

"A proposal to increase Maryland's cigarette tax to $1 per pack to raise millions of dollars for public education sailed through the state Senate yesterday, increasing pressure on the House of Delegates to pass a similar plan. The proposal would boost state spending on public schools by more than $1.3 billion a year by 2008, a 35 percent increase. . . . On average, school districts would receive more than $6,000 per student by 2008 compared with the current state grant of $3,694, with the biggest increases designated for poorer districts." Montgomery, "Md. Senate Backs Higher School Aid: Proposal Would Raise Cigarette Tax by 34 Cents a Pack," Washington Post, April 4, 2002, A1.

"Maryland lawmakers gave final approval yesterday to a $1.3 billion school aid plan that not only endows school districts with a sudden windfall but also rewrites the state's education funding formula and ushers in a series of mandates including all-day kindergarten. The historic plan for the first time allots additional state aid for the student considered most costly to educate: the poor, the disabled and those with limited English skills. In doing so, it replaces a patchwork of 28 state funding programs and addresses one of the most nettlesome problems facing states today -- how to distribute education money equitably. 'It is truly a landmark decision, not only for Maryland but for the nation--perhaps the most significant piece of school finance legislation in a generation,' State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick said. . . . With an increase in the tobacco tax, Maryland lawmakers are . . . providing more money for all school districts." Page, "Aid Plan for Md. School Passes: Much of $1.3 Billion Aimed at the Needy," Washington Post, April 7, 2002, A1, A12.

Police Profiling: Montgomery, "New Police Policies Aim to Discourage Racial Profiling," Washington Post, June 28, 2001, A1, A18:

"A troubling self-portrait has emerged after hundreds of police agencies began investigating the use of racial profiling by their officers, and a growing number of departments are responding with policies to discourage harassment of innocent minority travelers. In Washington state, the highway patrol plans to use its data to question and discipline troopers whose records suggest racial profiling. The former chief also canceled awards for drug arrests, saying they may encourage troopers to use profiles instead of focusing on hazardous drivers, thus rewarding the wrong kind of behavior." (A1)

"In San Diego, city police have hired academic consultants and plan to convene focus groups to try to understand why officers stop and search black and Hispanic drivers at rates far higher than white drivers." (A1)

". . . [in May 2001], the California Highway Patrol declared a six-month moratorium on consent searches, [which have been alleged to] disproportionately target minorities. Troopers now must develop probable cause of criminal activity before searching a vehicle, instead of relying on driver consent." (A1)

"The U.S. Customs Service appears to be the first agency to significantly reduce the number of minorities searched for contraband. After enacting far-reaching reforms that include requiring supervisory approval for every intrusive search, Customs slashed body searches by nearly 80 percent at the nation's airports from 1998 to 2000 and has increased drug seizures by 38 percent since 1999. Long accused of disproportionately targeting black and Hispanic air passengers, Customs is providing strong evidence, analysts say, that good police work can spare minority travelers the indignity of criminal suspicion [while still getting the public safety job done]. . . . [The U.S. Customs Service's former commissioner Raymond Kelly] banned a list of 80 triggers that branded virtually anyone a potential drug courier, including passengers who were uncooperative or too cooperative, nervous or too calm, wearing sunglasses or bulky clothing. . . . Kelly, a former New York City police officer, believes Customs offers a model for other police agencies." (A1, A18)

"In February, President Bush told Congress that racial profiling 'is wrong, and we must end it.'" (A18)

"In all, about 400 of the nation's 18,000 police agencies are collecting data [on possible racial profiling], according to researchers at Boston's Northeast University." (A18)

"Marl R. Warner was not yet governor [of Virginia] this morning when he announced the first definitive legislative proposal of his administration, a bill designed to 'end racial profiling in Virginia.'" Melton, "Warner Seeks to Ban Racial Profiling," Washington Post, January 12, 2002, B3.

Use of Excessive Police Force: Associated Press, "Cincinnati To Curb Police Use of Force," Washington Post, April 4, 2002, A2:

"A year after Cincinnati erupted in riots over the shooting of a black man by police, the city agreed to restrictions on the use of force and announced plans today to establish an independent agency that would investigate police brutality complaints. The moves were intended to satisfy U.S. Justice Department concerns and settle a lawsuit accusing the police force of harassing blacks for the past 30 years."

"The independent agency would have seven citizen members appointed by the mayor and City Council, and would have its own investigative staff. . . . The new panel would investigate such things as shootings, deaths in custody and other uses of force."

In addition, "the Justice Department . . . has recommended numerous changes to enhance training, improve record-keeping and make policies clearer."

Death Penalty

Maryland became the second state in the nation, the first being Illinois, to impose a moratorium on the death penalty. "Gov. Parris N. Glendening . . . decreed that no one would be put to death until completion of a study to determine whether racial bias infects the death penalty in the state. . . . Nine of 13 men on Maryland's death row are black, and the majority of their victims were white, including the woman Mr. Baker was convicted of slaying." Stout, "Maryland Governor Declares Moratorium on Executions," New York Times, May 9, 2002.

Voting

Optical scanning machines have been shown to significantly reduce the disparity in discarded ballots between low income, minority districts and more affluent congressional districts. Click here for more information on this solution.

Congress is considering legislation to prevent the "confusion, irregularities and ballot disputes that occurred in the presidential election of 2000." See Pear, "Senators Agree on Measure to Overhaul Voting System," New York Times, March 23, 2002. One of the provisions of the bill, for example, would permit provisional voting in case of disputes over voter registration or identification and another "would provide money to the states to replace antiquated voting machines."

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