Education is "the civil rights issue of our generation," Elgin High School Principal Krystal Thomas said, quoting former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "And if you care about promoting opportunity and reducing inequity, the classroom is a great place to start," she added.
Thomas and other Elgin Area School District U-46 high school principals recorded a YouTube video message to students and families in response to global #BlackLivesMatter protests against police brutality and racial injustice spurred by the May 25 killing of George Floyd.
Thomas said schools need to make changes in their own systems by reviewing policies and practices that perpetuate inequities, and closing achievement gaps.
"How well we prepare our students of color to succeed in college and careers matters," she said. "Great teaching is about so much more than education. It is a daily fight for social justice."
Students' cultures, lived history and backgrounds must be reflected in school curriculum, and diversity also is needed in those educating them, South Elgin High School Principal Brian Moran says in the video message.
In U-46, the state's second-largest school district, 71.7% of its 2,178 teachers are white, 23.9% are Hispanic, 1.8% are Black, and 1.5% are Asian. Meanwhile, Hispanics comprise 54.9% of the district's 38,395 students, followed by 26% whites, 8.3% Asians, 6.3% Blacks, and 3.4% of two or more races, according to the 2019 Illinois School Report Card.
"Our students deserve to learn how their cultures have contributed to and shaped the society we live in today," Moran said. "They deserve to look up and see teachers who look like them in their classrooms."
by Madhu Krishnamurthy
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