Wherever there is a Black community, we often find underperforming schools. For many Black parents, the local public school is seen as the primary option. However, this perspective often ignores the fact that these schools have average student reading and math scores that are below the national average. Living in Connecticut, I’ve observed that schools in predominantly white towns generally receive high rankings, typically scoring at least an eight on a scale of 1 to 10. In contrast, schools in cities like Bridgeport, Waterbury, and Hartford usually rank between 2 and 4 on the same scale.

Connecticut is renowned for having some of the best public schools in the country; however, this reputation is not uniform across all towns. This is why the Black community must take charge of our children’s education and ensure that they receive the quality schooling they deserve. Firstly, why would you send your child to a school where the majority of students are not reading at grade level? By doing so, we set our children up for failure. I believe that no parent should enroll their child in a school without first understanding the percentage of students who are performing at or above grade level in reading and math.

Here are the options for your child’s education: you can enroll them in a public school, a charter school, a Catholic school, a private school, or a boarding school. If these options don’t work, we can also consider homeschooling, even though it may be frowned upon in our community. I strongly encourage parents in the Black community to explore alternative educational opportunities for their children. The public school system has let us down; why should we continue to rely on it? Ultimately, we are responsible for our children’s education. If we do not take the necessary steps to ensure they receive a quality education, we may inadvertently steer them toward low-paying jobs, which can lead to a cycle of poverty.