Does Opportunity Knock Equally?

Four Inglewood High School students have sued the state and the Inglewood Unified School District for lack of adequate access to advanced placement classes. The lawsuit, designed as a test case to force a change in school practices throughout California, was filed by Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. and the American Civil Liberties Union. Of the state’s 870 public high schools, 129 do not offer any advanced placement classes, affecting 81,000 predominantly minority students. Another 333 public high schools have four or fewer advanced placement classes, affecting 340,000 public high school students. Fifteen or more AP classes are offered at 144 public high schools; these schools serve student populations that are 50% or more Asian and white.

Does the disparity in advanced placement offerings deny black and Latino students “equal and adequate” access to a public high school education? Students and an administrator spoke with MARY REESE BOYKIN.

RASHEDA DANIEL

17, senior, Inglewood High School; plaintiff

This lawsuit is about equal and adequate educational opportunities for everyone. Look at the schools: 14 advanced placement classes at Beverly Hills High School; 18 at Arcadia High. Inglewood and Morningside high schools each have three. The state needs to implement these classes on all campuses. And it is the state’s responsibility, not just the school district’s. All students are assured of an equal and adequate education, so the state should mandate these opportunities.

Two ACLU interns came to Inglewood’s campus at lunch and talked to students, asking them about advanced placement classes. I gave them my telephone number. A few days later, parents and students from Inglewood and Morningside high schools had dinner at the Sizzler. Students shared their individual experiences. Some students complained about the lack of advanced placement classes in science and math. Mark Rosenbaum, the legal director of ACLU, said that the organization was planning a lawsuit against the state of California. He asked whether any of us were interested in participating. Four Inglewood High School students stepped forward.

There are 129 schools in the state that offer no AP classes, so this is not just an Inglewood High School problem. The more AP classes students take, the easier it is for them to raise their grade point averages and get into college. Students can even save tuition because those who pass the test earn college credits.

AARON CARTER

17, 1999 graduate of Crenshaw High School; entering Pomona College

The limited number of AP classes in inner-city schools definitely is a form of discrimination. By taking AP classes, students have a better chance of having higher grade point averages to get into colleges.

At Crenshaw, we have more AP classes than most inner-city schools. These offerings are calculus, English language, English literature, Spanish language, chemistry, physics, environmental science, studio arts, American history, government and politics, statistics, art history, micro-economics and biology. Last summer, when I attended the business leadership program at the University of Minnesota, I met students from across the nation who attended schools that had up to 16 AP classes. I had no idea that there was AP psychology.

I took several AP classes. Part of the problem with a lack of classes in the inner city is the perception that the demand isn’t there. Well, if the classes became a part of a school’s offerings, the demand would increase.

TERRANCE EVANS

22, 1995 graduate of Inglewood High School; recently graduated from Cornell University

Itook AP classes in government and U.S. history. At Cornell, I had classmates who had taken a vast number of AP classes. The added points students receive for AP classes make them look more attractive to many colleges, especially the UC system. It’s important that students are challenged early on, and AP classes provide that challenge.

Initially, I had trouble adjusting to the rigors of college work, to my professors’ expectations. I had to work twice as hard to prove myself. I was not used to doing extensive research or writing papers longer than 10 pages. I became discouraged. There was even a time when a professor suggested that I transfer to a historically black college where I might feel more comfortable. But I persevered. Making the dean’s list after the first semester of my junior year was the affirmation I needed. Thereafter, my grade-point average was 3.5.

Even with fewer AP classes, students who attend Inglewood High School are not doomed. There were teachers who encouraged me, reminding me that regardless of society’s perception, I could accomplish anything I wanted if I put forth the effort and tried. I participated in the campus chapter of Young Black Scholars. Through 100 Black Men, the sponsoring group, I met black lawyers, judges, teachers and doctors whose examples motivated and inspired me. I knew that if they could achieve during more historically difficult times, so could I.

Students rise to the level of expectations. I praise the students who had the courage to join the lawsuit. Their efforts will benefit many.

RHUENETTE MONTLE

Administrator in charge-Office of the Superintendent, Inglewood Unified School District

It has been the commitment, the drive, of the Inglewood Unified School District all along to improve instruction for all our students. We all can use the stance of these students as an opportunity to close educational gaps. We definitely need to invest more money and resources in all schools.

The implementation of our strategic plan and our collaboration with UCLA are concrete evidence of our goal in Inglewood to provide a more rigorous, competitive education for all our students. As we restructure our curriculum and work closely with UCLA, we expect that more of our students will qualify for the UC system. Prior to our knowledge of the lawsuit, we had already scheduled five Inglewood High School teachers for AP training this summer--one in chemistry, two in biology and two in U.S. history.

It is unfortunate that the students who filed the lawsuit did not come to the district administration first. It is likely, however, that their goals were altruistic as they took steps to improve the quality of education for students in Inglewood and in similar districts.