The students at Peace Community Center have stepped forward with their take on the achievement gap between white students and some minority students in Tacoma’s public schools.
The gap has been studied to death, school officials conceded last fall, even as they released a report by consultant Thelma Jackson on how to bridge it. This time, they said, they have to use the report as a call to action to turn modest gains into major change.
This time, they said, they have to work effectively with minority leaders, get black students into highly capable programs and retain black staff. This time, they have to make sure the curriculum reflects multiple cultures, and that teachers understand multicultural issues. This time, they have to cut teacher absenteeism and support mentoring and scholarships for low-income students.
No one could agree more with all that than the Hilltop Scholars and students in the College, Life and Academic Succcess Skills, or CLASS, program at Peace Lutheran Church’s community center.
This is their time. They are the young people whose futures depend on eliminating that gap.
To that end, they have given Thelma Jackson’s report thoughtful attention.
When the Tacoma School District released it, Peace’s education director, Laurie Fisher Ruiz, gave a copy to the students. They studied it section by section. The they told Ruiz they wanted to be heard.
“The Forgotten: Voices from the Gap,” is their response.
A combination of acted vignettes, video, poetry and personal testimony, the program is their honest, sometimes funny and occasionally painful declaration to the community. They’ve presented it twice: once at Peace, and last week for 50 people at Urban Grace Church.
They are prepared to stage it again for groups that call Ruiz at 253-383-0702 and invite them.
These students are fortunate that Peace gave them a chance.
Ruiz and volunteers mentor them, do homework with them, help them with college applications and scholarships.
“Peace is a place for me to get away from the drama at school and at my house,” Juwan Banks told the audience last week. “It is a place where I can get my work done and also have fun with the tutors and my friends. Without Peace, my life would be a lot different.”
“I feel safe there,” said Yvonne Thorn. “It’s a place where I can talk about my life and not be judged by my parents’ backgrounds. I am able to be myself.”
To them, a quiet place to do homework with someone who understands means access to a better life.
“So far, 55 Hilltop Scholars have graduated high school; 35 are currently attending college, and one has graduated college,” Thorn said.
They’re on board with Thelma Jackson’s recommendation for more mentors, more access to scholarships.
They agree they need a curriculum that acknowledges not only a variety of cultures, but students’ experience.
They, too, think more black students must get into advanced college prep classes.
They want the district to find new ways to invite and involve parents in school life.
The CLASS scholars are also on to their slacker friends. Vince Manley, Ryan Burton and Ryan Ceresola made a light-hearted video about skateboarding and academic ruin.
Things aren’t so funny, though, when a student is tired, unprepared and late because she’s responsible for caring for her brothers and sisters. That can play out in poor grades and heavy discipline.
“Keep in mind that these statistics have faces, and that these are youth with troubles, not troubled youth,” the students wrote.
If they could, they said, they would take that message to anyone in the school district who could help them make these changes.
They didn’t notice the bearded man sitting with his wife in the audience until the end of the program, when he rose to thank them.
“My name is Art Jarvis, and I’m the superintendent of schools in Tacoma,” he said. “I was the person who asked Dr. Jackson to do the report.”
The cast gasped.
“Thank you,” Jarvis said. “You are talking about something that has to change.”
Thank you, he said again, and invited them to join him in making that change.
Kathleen Merryman: 253-597-8677 kathleen.merryman @thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/street
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