AAERO was formed in 1999 in response to findings of research that documented racial disparities and gave evidence of systematic, pervasive discrimination against Black children in North Carolina public schools. The research, which replicated a study of urban school districts in the United States, showed that the racial composition of school boards and administrative and teaching staffs, and the means by which school boards were chosen affected the opportunity structure for students. Patterns of hiring, and tracking and punishment of students consistently disadvantaged Black people.
The findings of this study, completed in 1998, are no less relevant today than at the time of this research. While policy makers and school administrators know enough to create equitable schools, the decision to do so depends on political will and courage. Too few education leaders do so. Parents and community members who realize that everyone benefits from living in communities where all people are well educated can demand and create schools that provide equitable, multiracial, multiculturally inclusive, excellent education. AAERO aims to do whatever is possible to ensure that African Americans have access to high-quality education and useful information about teaching and learning.
To read more about this research, click here: pqh-dissertation-abstract.
Equally important is the unrealized potential that exists for Black people to help one another learn and collaborate in ways that we cannot do alone. While each person has a particular set of experiences, skills, knowledge and perspectives, none of us can see the whole picture or do all things well. We need one another! Together we can learn and share so that everyone has the benefits now enjoyed by only a relatively small part of the African American population. Education is not a zero-sum game! We all are better off when everyone is well-educated. Lets talk about what this means, how we learn, and how we avoid the “miseducation” so often experienced.