A growing number of Black families are choosing homeschooling over the traditional school as national debates on teaching racism and Black history in the classroom continue, advocates say.
More black parents are deciding to educate their children in the safety of their homes - safety against racism, disinformation, politics, and violence. They would want more control over what their children are being taught and how they are treated, especially with the ongoing disparity that cannot be denied.
The majority of Republicans have pushed for the past years to ban critical race theory (CRT) in the school curriculum for the past years. According to Brookings, the said theory was removed by the opponents' fear that CRT labels all white people as oppressors while identifying all Black people as hopeless victims of oppression. The fears have prompted school boards and state legislatures nationwide to ban teaching racism in the classrooms.
Aside from that, widespread efforts by lawmakers, parents, and school boards are also happening to ban reading and instructional materials about race, gender, and sexuality. And to top it all, the Department of Education in Florida just recently rejected an Advanced Placement African American studies as part of college courses.
A form of resistance?
The jump to homeschooling by Black families started during the pandemic, with a 16.1 percent increase in the fall of 2020 from only 3 percent at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the largest switch of any racial group as reported by census data in 2021.
As per the U.S. Department of Education report, children under homeschooling almost doubled from 3 percent before the pandemic to nearly five and a half percent in the school year from 2020 to 2021.
A professor in elementary education at the University of Georgia, Cheryl Fields-Smith, pointed out various reasons behind the shift of Black parents to homeschooling.
- Disproportionate rates of discipline against Black students.
- Resegregation of schools.
- Denied access to gifted education in Black and brown communities.
- Bullying plus other school safety concerns.
Fields-Smith stated that while these issues are faced separately, many Black families are struggling with them all at once, which is overwhelming. Thus, these Black families have decided to craft their own learning routines that will fit their children's needs and form their own homeschooling co-op community with other families where the kids can learn together and socialize. All these, away from racism and disparities.
"I conceptualize it as a form of resistance. Instead of accepting the status quo, families are resisting what's happening in their schools," she declared.
Confidence in their Black identity
CNN was able to talk to some Black families that opted to do homeschooling and found that some did because they were residing in school districts where the majority were white students and teachers. Parents who made the switch want to ensure that their children are taught to have confidence in their Black identity.
Others wanted to protect their kids from America's "polarizing racial climate."
Tracie Yorke made the switch when she started questioning the quality of education her son was receiving during remote learning at the height of the pandemic. Observing from the background, she saw how her child's Zoom classes were "chaotic," with teachers not trained to teach virtually.
Moreover, the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis began a national racial reckoning. Having only one Black teacher in her son's school, her son Tyce had no one he could relate to, making her think the school environment was unhealthy for her kid.
Yorke has been homeschooling Tyce for three years now, with a curriculum that meets his specific needs and teaches him about African American history and race without any political interventions and drama, she stated.
Related Article: Pandemic Pods: Grants Rise to Help Support Black Families
