LOW INCOME STUDENTS OF COLOR NEED MORE COLLEGE PREP

Last month all of the juniors at The Howard School took a practice ACT. The college counselor pulled some of us into her office and told us to make sure that we came to school because taking the test was important. Only half of the students took the test; the rest decided to skip school.

A few weeks later, the junior class attended a twoday college boot camp. We were split into small groups based upon the scores we earned on the practice ACT. An instructor taught us tips and strategies to increase our ACT score. Yet some students complained it was a waste of time.

“I’m not even going to college, so I don’t understand why I have to do this,” a student complained.

Too many schools in Hamilton County, including Howard, are not preparing students of color for college. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education reports that students of color are less prepared for college than any other ethnic group.

Many minority students just don’t think that preparing for college is important. But segregating low-income students of color in schools with low academic standards, harsh discipline, and a lack of family and community supports prevent those students from succeeding.

Students of color need more guidance in helping them prepare for college. About 75 percent of students of color are considered low-income, and many of these students attend public schools that do not offer educational resources equal to students who have more money. For example, many schools that educate majority low-income students, including Howard, do not offer Advanced Placement classes.

If students go to college, they aren’t prepared for the level of work required and struggle in their freshman year. Often they have to take remedial classes in English and math.

Schools also respond too harshly to misbehavior; low-income students of color tend to be more rebellious, they fight more and are hard to discipline. This behavior affects their ability to learn in school, as well as other students in class. These students are suspended and expelled more frequently than white students. But if they aren’t in school, they are not learning.

Students of color often don’t have as much support from parents. When the parents are more involved, their children will do better on their school work.

Students also need more help outside of the classroom. They need more access to tutoring and college prep programs, like Gear-Up, a free program that has supported Howard’s juniors and seniors since middle school. GearUp takes students on college tours and offers summer after-school programming. Gear-Up also places college students inside the classroom to assist students with their school work. Unfortunately, this program only helps two classes at a time. If students of color had more programs like Gear-Up throughout middle school and high school, they would be better prepared for college.

To conclude, it is clear students of color need more help preparing for college. Teachers and schools need to adjust the school climate so that all students of different backgrounds can learn. Schools need to offer more challenging classes such as AP classes so that students of color will be more prepared when they get to college. Schools need to help students to stay out of trouble because being suspended or expelled negatively affects their education. Additionally, parents and community organizations should play a stronger role in helping the teachers.

By doing these things, schools not only will prepare their students for college, but they will prepare students to be successful in life.