Educating African-American Children: Higher Than Hope

By Arnold Cooper

Almost from the beginning of the American republic, African-Americans have struggled for the right of self-determination and of full participation in the political, social, and economic life of the nation. No goal has been more important to this struggle than education. And this is true more than ever today, since efforts to renew American public education, while paying lip service to equality and excellence for all, have largely ignored the needs and concerns of African-American students.

The National Council on Educating Black Children, a collaborative of national and grassroots organizations as well as concerned individuals, released in June an important attempt to address these concerns. The group's report, "A Blueprint for Action," is actually the third to bear that title since the council's founding in 1986. Expanding on similar "blueprints" completed in 1986 and 1987, the new document represents a landmark effort, outlining an educational-development plan that is not only appropriate but also relevant and compelling for African-American students. It seeks, in effect, to rescue African-American students from educational oblivion.

"A Blueprint for Action" continues a tradition in the African-American community--one that can be traced back to the Revolutionary War--of placing self-determination at the core of the African-American experience. It is a direct descendant of The Miseducation of the Negro, written in 1933 by Carter Woodson, the father of black history, which called for educational reform with...