Speech to the 2010 National Urban League Conference
July 29, 2010
Prepared Remarks by Allan Golston, President, United States Program
Thank you so much for inviting me to be with you today.
It’s rare that an organization gets to say, “What a century it’s been.”
And can we just pause to thank the Urban League for its work to make this an incredible century of progress?
And with the dynamic and committed leadership of Marc Morial, with the continued involvement of heroes like Vernon Jordan and Hugh Price and with the passionate voices of Hal Smith and Robin Ince and so many others -- I know that all of our progress is just the beginning.
So, what will Black America look like in 2025?
I think it looks like a child in one of our cities who is showing up for her first day of kindergarten.
See, twenty-twenty-five is not some distant, unknown future. By 2025, today’s kindergartener will either have just completed a two-year post-secondary degree… or be on her way to a four-year college degree… or she will be a high school drop out.
That die is being cast right now. And the decisions we make… the actions we take or fail to take are determining which path that young child – and millions of children just like her – ends up on.
The Urban League and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have something in common: we’re both in the empowerment business.
The mission of the Gates Foundation’s U.S. program – which I lead – is to dramatically improve education so that all young people have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Our focus is on ensuring that all students – regardless of skin color or zip code -- graduate high school prepared to succeed in college and career, and to dramatically increase the number of young people who complete a post secondary credential beyond high school.
I know that’s your goal, too -- even if we sometimes choose different paths to get there
We invest behind this one belief… this one truth: you cannot achieve economic empowerment without academic achievement.
It’s that simple. And it’s that daunting.
II. THE CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE OF OUR TIME: WHERE WE’RE FALLING SHORT
James Baldwin, one of my favorite authors, once said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
We need to face the truth about where and why education in America is falling short.
The where… it’s easy: we’re falling short wherever poverty is pervasive, and children of color are concentrated. You know the statistics and they are jarring.
Our children, they’re falling behind. On average, a black student is two to three years of learning behind his white peer.
Because they’re falling behind, they drop out. As you know, nearly HALF of low-income, students of color drop out.
Because they drop out, they remain economically trapped. As the definitive State of Black America report documents, African Americans face record high unemployment… making it even harder to break the cycle of poverty.
This lack of achievement stunts our economy, swallows up all of our dreams, and, I believe, denies civil rights.
And we believe that a high-quality education IS a civil right.
According to McKinsey & Company, if we closed the black-white achievement gap, America’s GDP would increase by $525 billion. They call this gap a “permanent recession.”
If current trends continue, that’s what the economic status of Black America will be in 2025. A permanent recession.
So we know where we’re falling short.
III. THE CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE OF OUR TIME: WHY WE’RE FALLING SHORT, AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT
The why? It’s a little more complicated.
Our school systems have grown up around years of decisions that are actually based on myths
- The myth that class size alone would make a big difference in educational outcomes for students.
- The myth that years of experience and a master’s degree are important in defining an effective teacher.
- The myth that tenure and seniority are the best way to gauge a teachers’ effectiveness.
But it turns out, that class size - without classroom improvements – barely made a difference in student outcomes after the third grade.
- It turns out getting teachers master’s degrees hardly impacts student achievement.
- It turns out that seniority in teaching only matters during the first five years - after that, teachers usually don’t get significantly better or worse.
But here’s what matters a lot: great teaching. Studies show that three consecutive years of good teachers can close the achievement gap between a low-income student and her higher income peers.
The reverse is also true – a few years of bad teaching usually means that a child never catches up.
The worst part is this: our inner-city students have the least access to effective teachers. Rules and policies that prize seniority too often keep the best teachers far away from the students who need them the most.
Policies like that are backwards… and they keep our children from moving forward.
That’s why the Gates Foundation is investing over three billion dollars on education. We want to figure out what makes teachers great and then make sure there’s a great teacher in front of every classroom.
And it’s not just about great teachers – it’s also about what they teach. It doesn’t matter if a student is in Massachusetts or Mississippi -- they should be taught to the same high standards.
But right now, we have a patchwork of academic standards that vary wildly from state to state. Many are too low, too diffuse, or don’t support what students really need to know to succeed beyond high school.
That’s why we we’re excited by the work of the Governors and Chief State School Officers to develop clear, consistent standards that can be understood by students, teachers and parents.
So far, 29 states and the District of Columbia have adopted these standards, and that number is growing.
We know that state leaders will need support, guidance and constant encouragement to make the bold changes required to ensure that all children benefit from high expectations and great teaching.
So we’re thrilled to work with leaders like Memphis Affiliate CEO Tomeka Hart – who you’re about to hear from -- and Pittsburgh Affiliate CEO Esther Bush. They are doing important work to ensure that their states focus on clear standards and great teachers.
We are proud to partner with the National Urban League and many others. Together, we can smash old prejudices about what students of color can achieve. Together, we can throw open the doors of economic opportunity.
IV. CONCLUSION – CALL TO ACTION
This is an incredible moment in time.
A historic president making unprecedented investments in education reform.
This is the moment that we – and our children – have been waiting for.
But to succeed, we need something more. We need all of you.
We need you to champion the toughest reforms the ones that are hard, uncomfortable, even controversial – but critical for our young people.
No, not everything that is faced can be changed, as James Baldwin told us. But if we face our education challenges together, we CAN overcome them.
And if we’re able to do that, the future for that girl entering kindergarten and the future of black America look very bright indeed.