Cambridge's Minority Students Have Higher Dropout Rate

Minority students have higher dropout and suspension rates than whites and are offered fewer special educational programs in the Cambridge Public Schools, according to a School Department report released this month.

The report states Asians, Latinos and Blacks generally lag behind white students in most areas of study, including math and English.

It also says that there are discrepancies from school to school in educational programs, such as eighth-grade algebra, and that minority students comprise a low percentage of honors classes.

"We're not interested in accusing people of being racist, but I think that whenever you have systematic patterns of inequalities, there has to be reasons for it," said Kathy E. Greeley, a member of the Working Committee for a Cambridge Rainbow and a teacher at the Graham and Parks School.

The committee first requested a report on minorities in the public schools last spring. According to Greeley, the Committee had to prod the School Department with several requests before it would agree to commission the report. "I think they knew it would put out certain things that no one wanted to recognize," she said.

Six years ago, another school group, Concerned Black Staff, released a report which found similar patterns of low performance among minorities.

"The racial part doesn't pan out, but we're not ready to conclude [discrimination]," said School Committee member Henrietta Davis, who said she was "not surprised" at the skewed figures.

According to the most recent report, about 17 percent of Asian and Black students at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School were held back a year while only 8 percent of whites were retained.

Black Rindge students were suspended at twice the rate of white students and Hispanics dropped out of school at four times the rate of white students.

About 44 percent of elementary school suspensions were of Black students, even though Blacks comprise only 33 percent of the elementary school population.

In curriculum offerings, three elementary schools, the Kennedy, Fitzgerald and Fletcher Schools, do not offer eighth-grade algebra courses.

The findings of the report have become the topic of debate at the last two School Committee meetings, although the committee has not adopted any definitive actions.

"[The report] provides an agenda for change," said Davis, who added that she is most concerned about Latino students in the schools. Davis cited their high dropout rate--higher than any other minority group--as an indicator of the potential problem.

She said the schools have "paid the least amount of attention" to Latino issues, such as extra help, councilling and the number of fluent Spanish-speaking teachers in the classrooms.

But some say the startling statistics should not be taken at face value and that there may be other possible explanations for the lopsided findings besides discrimination.

"We have to put it in perspective," said Dr. William McLaurin, vice principal at Rindge and Latin. "We are a minority school."

According to McLaurin, the student body at Rindge and Latin is 39 percent Black, 13 percent Hispanics and 6 percent Asian.

He added that he "expected the numbers to be high," although the figures were lower [than expected] for Asian students.

Councillor Alice K. Wolf, said a lack of self-esteem or a feeling of selfworth may lead to lower performance levels among minorities.

Wolf also said the recent cuts in funding to special programs in the schools may "show itself in some of the statistics."

But both Wolf and Greeley said the possibility of discrimination in the city's schools should not be dismissed. "It's not easy to look at patterns of inequalities and face up to them," said Greeley, who said she believes the findings can be largely attributed to problems in adjusting to "white middle class culture."

Wolf, a former School Committee member, said that although she thinks the School Department has made a great effort to equalize the system over the past 20 years, the report may very well indicate that the "work done has not been adequate."

So far, there has been no formal action in response to the report. Greeley said her committee drew up a list of suggestions for the School Committee, such as establishing a "system of accountability" and a mayor's task force on the "potential of students."

"Our assumption is that all kids are able to learn," said Greeley. "Maybe we just have to be doing a lot more."