Spectrum

African American children are often told by the white establishment that “education” is the way to obtain equality yet, at the same time, black children are not given equal educational opportunities. They are told to get a quality education at the same time their schools are underfunded, have old textbooks, and have overly stretched teachers, says Ray Freeman, vice-president of the Warrensville Heights School Board in Northeastern Ohio. The “achievement gap” is evident, according to Freeman and Judge Gayle Williams Byers of the South Euclid, Ohio Municipal Court. Black students with the same years of schooling do not perform overall as well as whites. But, it’s not the black child’s fault. They are told to succeed but not given the tools to succeed. Freeman adds. They are short-changed in many different ways on their educational experience. Freeman is a midwestern regional member of the National School Board Association and travels the country visiting schools, especially in impoverished neighborhoo