Today, following the 45th anniversary of the march in Selma, AL (AKA “Bloody Sunday”), Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, was in Selma giving a speech refocusing attention on the U.S. Department of Education’s efforts to enforce civil rights matters.
As most BoardBuzz readers know, “Education is a Civil Right,” is a phrase that has been endorsed by many educational organizations, including NSBA, and it seems that Duncan is putting some muscle behind that idea starting today.
BoardBuzz hopes that the re-invigoration focuses not just on education as a civil right, but the larger issue of poverty in America’s large and urban districts. Schools are doing the best they can in most cases when it comes to educating the students that arrive at their doors, but many educators can only do so much. The issue of poverty and lack of support from home (for a variety of reasons) is also something that needs to factor into this discussion.
Time and time again, NSBA’s Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) has heard this message from experts who are dealing with poverty in schools on a daily basis. We hope that the U.S. Department of Education promotes education and civil rights by helping those communities who face poverty-ridden lives every day.
