On Tuesday, Oct. 28, my office will be hosting Dr. Howard Fuller in a community conversation about what schools are doing to get children to achieve at high levels. Dr. Fuller’s journey from Black Power to education reform is a story I believe will resonate with the residents of my district who, for too long, have had to send their children to schools that often don’t work for them, and have had relatively few options to choose from.
I hope your readers will join us from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Kaufmann Center’s Hillman Auditorium, 1825 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh.
Because I have been so deeply moved and inspired by Dr. Fuller’s journey, the first 100 attendees will receive a complimentary copy of his book “No Struggle No Progress: A Warrior’s Life from Black Power to Education Reform.”
Dr. Fuller will be joined on stage after his remarks by Dr. Linda Lane, superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools, and Dr. Richard Wertheimer, co-founder of City Charter High School in Pittsburgh. I’m hoping for a lively discussion about what progress is possible and what changes they recommend in current practices. All children, but especially black and brown children, must have access to high-quality education options here in Pittsburgh, but we can’t get there unless we know where we’re going. This conversation can be a part of providing our community with some understanding of the best path forward.
We need to understand what schools are doing that get better results for black and brown children. While many schools in my district showed gains in reading and math proficiency in the last year, in too many, fewer than half the students met that standard. We must do better.
Dr. Fuller has spent his life fighting for “poor and black people to gain access to the powers dictating their lives.” Too often, poverty is used as an excuse for why black and brown children are not succeeding in school. And while we cannot ignore the impacts that discrimination in housing, jobs and wages have on our community, we know that a high-quality education is the key to overcoming these obstacles later in life. For if our children are shunted away in substandard schools, how will they ever be able to rightfully demand their place at the table? We cannot let poverty be an excuse for inaction – rather, it must be the reason for urgent action.
My hope is that the community will learn from these leaders who have an understanding of what black families should demand from schools that serve their children. I also look forward to hearing some best practices that are working in some of Pittsburgh’s public and public charter schools, so that our community can start having a conversation about what we need to change to make sure these practices are occurring in more of our schools.
Please join us on Oct. 28. Together, we can be the change we seek in our schools.
State Rep. Jake Wheatley (D) represents parts of Pittsburgh’s Hill District, North Side and Hilltop neighborhoods. He currently serves on the House Education and Appropriations committees, among others.
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