The Coalition envisions that Black and Brown students who attend Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will have equitable access to the resources, opportunities, and supports so they can graduate and be successful in college, career and life.
We focus on four priority areas for urgent action.
Our Asks
1. closing the academic achievement gap in Reading and Math.
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If a child is not reading at grade level by 3rd grade, or hasn’t learned fractions by 5th grade, or algebra by 9th grade at the latest, their chances of graduating and going on to college and a good career drop dramatically. While some Black and Brown students are excelling in these foundational subjects, on average these student groups’ academic performance across the system and in every single school remains disturbingly low and has hardly budged compared to other student groups. Their test performance lags those of their White and Asian peers by roughly 30-50 percentage points on average. The school system must focus its energy and resources on solving this fundamental challenge, and Black and Brown parents must have the ability to advocate for improved outcomes in math and reading for their children.
2. Promoting Positive School Climate and fair implementation of the Student Code of Conduct:
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While schools across the system have seen a rise in student disciplinary issues, many Black and Brown students suffer from particularly unsafe and disruptive environments with greater rates of violence, harassment and other behavioral issues, and tend to receive disproportionate punishment for similar infractions as other students. Most recently, justifiable fears about federal immigration raids and other actions have exacerbated existing attendance problems and further disrupted learning. Black and Brown students should be able to enjoy safe school environments so they can focus on learning, graduate on time and pursue their dreams.
3. Making communications from MCPS and schools understandable and actionable:
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Many Black and Brown parents and families are not being informed of their children’s struggles in reading and math in a timely and transparent way. They rely primarily on report cards, which provide information that is too vague, often confusing and too late to ensure their children receive the support they need to be successful. These parents and families deserve early communications from MCPS administration and schools in simple, clear wording in their home language so they understand the challenges their children are facing and what can be done to address them.
4. Engaging families to improve decision-making and accountability.
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For too long, many parents and caregivers of Black and Brown students have expressed that the school system’s outreach efforts are too often perfunctory, check-the-box exercises and that the input they do provide is usually ignored when important decisions are made. MCPS must engage with diverse families, students, and community members more effectively and authentically so that when it comes to decisions that affect their children or the system as a whole, they feel truly heard, and they can become strong allies in implementing MCPS’ ambitious plans and holding the system accountable for progress.
Our asks are informed by Black and Brown families for whom we advocate. In fact, the first iteration was developed jointly with them, and the Coalition is continuously developing surveys, conducting research, listening to lived experiences and meeting directly with Black and Brown families. Check out our collection of data and resources.