Dive Brief:
- After a recent ACLU study, “Leaving Girls Behind,” found city officials in Washington, D.C. did not provide compelling reasons as to why girls are exclude from a taxpayer-funded “Empowering Males of Color” initiative, the group has raised concerns around a potential violation of gender discrimination laws: the constitution’s Equal Protection Clause and the Title IX statute.
- D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) spends $20 million on the program, which was announced in January 2015, and includes tutoring programs and gender-based activities at low-performing schools.
- The ACLU report found academic performance for girls of color also trails behind white peers with 62% of black girls and 66% of Hispanic girls graduate on time, as opposed to 91% of white girls; those numbers dip for boys with 48% of black boys, 57% of Hispanic boys and 82% for white boys graduating on time.
Dive Insight:
The Obama administration has put unprecedented emphasis on improving outcomes for young men of color, who are often at the bottom of all performance indicators. However, the ACLU report is the latest in an ongoing discussion around achievement gaps based on race, gender and socio-economic status. Many have pointed to the lagging performance of girls of color and disproportionate suspension rates as a reason why they can't be excluded from local and national initiatives around raising academic achievement.
The United Nations' Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent also released a preliminary report looking at how children of color are treated in U.S. schools, including an examination of structural discrimination that creates significant barriers to equity
