SOMA Living October 2022

NUBIA WILSON

REDEFINING SUCCESS FOR OUR STUDENTS

I am proud to live in a progressive town where we put a priority on integration and education. As we watch our Board of Education and dig into the details of why decisions were made, a question looms: are we all defining success the same–and if not–how is that affecting our students? We’ve been told that Columbia High’s latest Pass/Fail data and success rate for Black and Hispanic students reflect an academic environment that is “improving” for them. Yet the data tells us across all four grades, Black students were the most likely to receive Cs, Ds, and Fs. Black students were eight times more likely to fail honors level geometry, algebra II, and precalculus than white students, and nearly seven times more likely to fail honors-level biology, chemistry, and physics than white students. Nearly half of all Black students fall below the 25th percentile for reading proficiency. Decades ago Columbia was a top Blue Ribbon school. The District must dive deep into the data and put a focus on teaching and learning, so that an individual student’s needs from elementary school onward are centralized. We know how important the Intentional Integration Initiative is and that it will come with its challenges. We cannot, however, use the initiative as a scapegoat to deny adequate transportation, especially to our elementary school students. At the very least, the district must guarantee that all children have a safe route to school or provide sufficient transport to get them to class on time. If we are going to set the bar high for our children—academically, socially and emotionally—let’s make sure we are being realistic about our District’s successes and setbacks. With empathy, drive, and a student-centric vision, we have an opportunity to get it right. Students come first.

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Nubia Wilson Nubia Wilson is running for the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education with running mates Regina Eckert and Bill Gifford. Learn more about their campaign at www.eckertwilsongifford.com

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