Los Angeles Unified School District has said it is removing race as a factor for determining which students will be helped by its Black Student Achievement Plan. The move comes after a federal civil rights complaint about the program was filed by a conservative group in Virginia in 2023. The group charged that the plan was unconstitutional because it targeted support for students based solely on race.
We have consulted with LAUSD on the Black Student Achievement Plan since its inception. It was established in 2021 after efforts by parents and community activists drew attention to the district’s dismal track record serving its Black students. In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, the school board voted to direct a portion of its funding for school policing to an improvement plan for the academic experiences and outcomes of Black students.
We supported this decision then and think its results show the plan should remain in place without removing race as a consideration factor. Not only has it helped Black students in Los Angeles, but Black student achievement programs generally help all the students in schools that have them.
The focus of LAUSD’s program has been to dedicate resources that disrupt the persistent underperformance of Black students. “High academic performance, strong social-emotional awareness and management, and positive cultural identity” are part of the Black Student Achievement Plan’s definition of success and should remain the aim of the work ahead.
Since its inception, LAUSD’s plan has led to notable improvements in outcomes for Black students. Their graduation rates increased by nearly 5% between 2021 and 2022, and while there was a drop in 2023, the district is confident that rates will climb again in this school year. Achievement in meeting early literacy benchmarks in kindergarten increased 11.4% across the district, chronic absenteeism among students in grades 9-12 decreased nearly 9% between the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years, and enrollment in Advanced Placement courses increased 11%. The district should be given credit for what it has accomplished, and it should stand behind the program.
Additionally, LAUSD has identified schools that have large Black student populations and hired staff such as psychiatric social workers and pupil service attendants at those locations. These employees provide additional mental health support and address chronic absenteeism — which has been high for Black students — for all enrolled at the schools.
The Black Student Achievement Plan also supports the hiring of tutors in schools and classrooms with larger numbers of Black students. Research has shown that “high-dosage” tutoring, which is done one-on-one or in small groups, multiple times a week, with the same professionally trained tutor, can significantly benefit student learning and academic progress. People working with LAUSD’s plan have also taken steps to get Black parents and caregivers engaged and have provided targeted professional development to teachers about best practices in teaching Black students, among other things.
Some individuals inside and outside LAUSD have asked why Black students deserve an initiative focused specifically on them. Dedicated intervention programs and funding have also been targeted toward English language learners, students with disabilities, unhoused students, those in foster care and students from low-income backgrounds.
Research has shown that targeted support benefits all groups, and preliminary data suggest that the tutoring Black students receive through LAUSD’s plan is working. Not only are outcomes improving but also more Black students are now in gifted programs and honors courses than there were before the plan was implemented.
Given these encouraging trends, we believe LAUSD must take steps to keep its Black Student Achievement Plan in place. Proposition 209 and the Supreme Court’s recent ruling against affirmative action have been interpreted by some to argue that this type of initiative is unjust. But the federal government still requires schools to report the academic outcomes of students disaggregated by race, which allows the public to monitor whether progress in improving outcomes is being made for all students. We believe the district’s poor record of service in educating Black students makes the existing plan essential.
Rather than retreat, the district should defend the Black Student Achievement Plan from the charges against it. It can not only explain why it is important for Black students but also how all students at schools with this program benefit from it. We encourage LAUSD to continue working closely with the community members and grassroots organizations that were vital in establishing the plan to ensure that its progress continues.
The district’s program could very well serve as a blueprint for other districts across the country as they work to improve Black student success. Any time students who are underperforming improve, the entire school benefits. LAUSD should fight with every resource in its toolbox to keep its Black Student Achievement Plan intact.
Tyrone C. Howard is a professor in the School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. Pedro Noguera is dean of the USC Rossier School of Education.