Blood on the Tracks (Assignment B) 6/5 assignment

 Blood on the Tracks

Why are there so few Black students in our science classes?

Amy Lindahl

In the article, Blood on the Tracks: Why are there so few Black students in our science classes? by Amy Lindahl, enrollment disparities amongst different races within science classrooms is explored. The article is written from the perspective of a science teacher from Portland, Oregon. When looking at the students within her different level classes she noticed great differences in the student populations. Pointedly she says in, "chemistry, which was a prerequisite for upper-level science classes, including Advanced Placement (AP) classes, there was 78 percent white and only 7 percent African American students. (It was 6 percent Latina/o and 3 percent Asian.)" (Lindahl). This data shows that there is a lower enrollment of Black or African American students in a class that puts students on an educational pathway towards accelerated classes. 

This reminds me of the article Literature with an Attitude by Finn where he also shows data that supports the idea that different demographics of students receive different educations within our nation. In his article Finn says, "I'd like to hope that a child's expectations are not determined on the day he or she enters kindergarten." (Finn, page 25) This statement is both striking and saddening as the data shows this to be true. In Lindahl's article, she speaks to this difference in classroom enrollment in the sciences. From her own experience she shares, "Although my AP Biology classes were 69 percent white students and 9 percent Black students, my Ecology class was 54 percent white students and 38 percent Black students." (Lindahl) Similar to Finns sharings, Amy Lindahl shows that there is a major difference in the percentage of Black students enrolled in advanced science classes compared to 'standard level' courses. 

 -Neil deGrasse Tyson

Amy Lindahl argues that in order to make a change in our educational system and to increase the number or Black or African American students in our advanced level science classes we must first talk with the students themselves. In one of the interviews completed by Lindahl and her team of teachers, a student named Lia said, "It was all group work in Chemistry and I didn’t like that. I’d say something and then a white student in my group would repeat it but with advanced vocabulary, and everyone praised them. I said the same thing! But everyone ignored me when I said it.”(Lindahl) This quote reminds me of Lisa Delpits article Other Peoples Children. One of Delpit's arguments in this article is that educators should explicitly teach 'formal' literacy but should also create opportunities to celebrate student's own language style. Lindahl's student Lia explains that she had the same knowledge as her classmates but was not acknowledged for her knowledge. Her white counterparts were given the recognition for saying the same information, just in more 'formal' language. This is not only discouraging, but outright disrespectful to Lia and other Black students who encounter this on a regular basis. 

In the conclusion of Lindahl's article she explains what needs to be done to correct the disparity of white students to students of color in advanced science classes. She says, "Changes in course offerings and elimination of low-track offerings can decrease racial segregation. But ultimately, achieving equity demands extensive experimentation with pedagogical strategies and curriculum." (Lindahl) As educators we must take steps towards creating an EQUITABLE, not equal, education for all of our students. The education of our young people in this country is of the utmost importance in changing our society in a more favorable way. Education is the most powerful tool in ending discrimination.