Three decades of research has demonstrated that quality family involvement coupled with high expectations improves student learning, behavioral and developmental outcomes. Dr. Ronald Ferguson found that families of color are most successful at promoting school success when they encourage reading at home, review materials with their children in a way that inspires a love for learning, and search for opportunities to help their children apply knowledge learned in the classroom in other environments.  These findings were further substantiated in a study on high achieving black male students. Dr. Shaun Harper and affiliates conducted four hundred interviews and highlighted trends in students’ explanations for their success. According to Harper, the vast majority of interviewed students recalled “family members conveying to them at a young age powerful messages about the value of schooling.  One student reported, “It’s hard growing up in the ghetto, so my parents keep telling me that school s my way out.”

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The Supreme Court rendered its historic decision to end de-jure segregation in public schools 60 years ago. Yet, de-facto segregation persists. According to a study conducted by the Brookings Institute, high-performing schools are located in communities with homes costing 2.4 times more than homes in communities with low-performing schools. With strong correlations between low performing schools and discriminatory zoning laws, it is important to note that low performing schools can be eradicated by expanding affordable housing options in all neighborhoods.

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Much of a child’s brain development occurs during the earliest years of life, setting the stage for future cognitive, social, and emotional development. Research shows that supportive, high quality, early learning programs prepare children for success. Yet,  only 60 percent of public schools offer early learning programs and program quality varies widely. African American children are least likely to receive high quality early learning care, most likely to underperform on statewide kindergarten readiness assessments, and most likely to be retained in kindergarten due to an absence of quality early learning experiences. Furthermore, early learners are more likely than students who do not acquire an early education to graduate from high school, attend college, achieve professional success, and strengthen the nation’s economic and national security.

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As a doctoral student at Berkeley committed to addressing issues affecting minorities on our campus and in the broader community, I recently participated in the “I, Too, Am Berkeley” campaign. The campaign was a fragment of a nationwide “I, Too, Am” campaign, which has been widely discussed for its unique approach to acknowledging, challenging, and combating racial bias that occurs on predominately white campuses and for its innovative strategies for empowering minority students. The campaign attracted passionate students at schools including Harvard, NYU, Princeton, and UW-Madison.

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