UF sits like an educational behemoth in the center of Florida. We are a massive university, a giant compared to most other institutions in the state. We rest on a throne of $3.7 billion in total assets. Each year, we take in $1.9 billion in revenue. We are eighth in the rankings of top public schools in the nation and aspire to break into the top five. But despite UF’s excellence and reputation at home in the heart of Florida, UF also sits in the heart of Alachua County, which is suffering from an education crisis at both the primary and secondary levels. White and black students are achieving at radically different rates in the classroom, and we owe it to our home county to help in any way we can.
The current gap between white and black students with satisfactory achievement on the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) is 45 percentage points. This should not be the case — black students are not 45 percent less intelligent or capable than white students. The FSA has both language arts and mathematics components. Only 29 percent of black students score high enough to be considered satisfactory in language arts, with a level 3 or above. Only 30 percent of black students made satisfactory results on the math portion of the test.
We lament that standardized testing has become synonymous with achievement and ability. But the FSA score disparity along such clear racial lines is symptomatic of a deeper problem: Black students are being failed by their schools. In a report on the achievement gap produced in September, Alachua County Public Schools identified “a lack of cultural understanding between students, their families and teachers” as a suspect.
Demographics of county public school teachers do not line up with the rest of the county’s demographics. About 80 percent of Alachua County teachers identify as white, 11 percent identify as black, and 6 percent identify as Hispanic. The population of Alachua County is less white at 70 percent, more black at almost 21 percent and more Hispanic at almost 10 percent, per the U.S. Census Bureau.
We are hopeful the county’s school district will do all that it can to close this gap. The school district has set goals for raising test scores and hiring educators to more closely mirror the demographics of the county. We are also grateful for the opportunity to help. As part of the plan, UF will help Alachua County hire, retain and provide support for new educators.
But UF can do more. And we must.
UF aspires to be a shining city on a hill where students of all kinds live, study and work in harmony and peace. But what good is the promise of greatness and diversity if we cannot bring that same promise to the community we call home? UF certainly has a long way to go before our demographics fit the state. Only 7 percent of UF students are black despite black people comprising 16 percent of Florida’s population. But Alachua County and UF are suffering from a similar sickness that hurts black students. We cannot pretend to be a pre-eminent university while such a glaring problem stares us straight in the face.
By helping Alachua County increase the graduation rate for black students, UF can make sure more black students have the opportunity to be accepted into UF. UF students can take initiative and work with the Bridges Minority Outreach Program to bring diverse students to our campus and encourage them to apply. Those who wish to sink their hands directly into the work of equity and of giving every Alachua County student a fair shot at higher education can volunteer directly with schools. A volunteer application is on the school district’s website.
Without this work, UF can never be the light of the world. We will stay shrouded by inequity.
