Student test scores are a mirror to our society and current events.

The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) 2022 scores in reading and math were released this week. To put it plainly, the scores are bad. They represent the largest decline in reading and math scores since the assessments started in 1990. And, the scores are down for all students across racial demographics, gender, geography, wealth, and English-language proficiency. The pandemic’s effects on schools, kids, families, and communities are still very real, and the test scores reflect that.

But it’s a big mistake to hang all the blame on the pandemic.

The reality is that huge performance gaps between white and Asian students and their Black and Hispanic peers existed before the pandemic, and are now even more pronounced. The test scores have always told us that we have a big problem with education inequity in our schools. It’s a tale as old as American time.  

To navigate these structural inequities, we need more people of color in positions of power. But, we don’t elect enough leaders who represent Black and Hispanic people. That lack of political representation means a lack of advocates for funding and policy that improve underserved schools. We just simply don’t have enough people fighting for the important dollars that we need to make our schools whole.

The test scores tell us we don’t have dollars for high-quality, diverse teachers and school support staff.

The test scores tell us we don’t have the dollars for the creation and maintenance of strong pipelines from K-12 to quality jobs and careers.

The test scores tell us we don’t even have the dollars to ensure that our kids can eat at school.

Schools that serve Black and Hispanic students are underfunded because Black and Hispanic communities are underfunded. And increased school segregation means that Black and Hispanic children and families are unable - legally unable - to access higher quality schools.

It’s a simple equation.

Leaders of Color was created to combat this problem. Our primary mission is to improve education outcomes for Black and Hispanic children by getting more Black and Hispanic people into positions of civic and political leadership. That means more Black and HIspanic people on school boards fighting divisive and inequitable school policies. More Black and Hispanic people leading nonprofit organizations that support students with care and competence. More Black and Hispanic people voting for the ollars we need to feed and educate our kids.

We are helping to create a new generation of Black and Hispanic leaders. The program is intensive to ensure our fellows have the skills, network, and knowledge they need to move into leadership positions. The program is also free because we’re not adding another barrier to success for people who want to lead change. I believe we can do better.  Join us by applying today for our 2023 class.

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