Chapter 1: Student Achievement for All: Afrocentric Curriculum and Abolitionist Pedagogy to Promote Equity and Excellence in Education

The debate on economic, political, and legal solutions to critical issues in urban education should address the need for curriculum reform and enhance pedagogical practices as a means to improve educational outcomes for all students (Baker, 2017; Hansen et al., 2018; Royce, 2015; Rury, 2016). Since Brown v. Board of Education (1954) legally outlawed de jure segregation, the nation has been challenged with providing equal access to educational opportunities for African Americans in particular. Recent litigations such as Ridley v. State of Georgia (Coweta) (2006), Fisher & United States v. Tucson Unified School District (2013), and Cowan & United States v. Bolivar County Board of Education No. 4 (2017) suggest the nation’s educational system is challenged by inequities and disparities in the treatment of students, and that many teachers are entering the field underprepared to teach the nation’s diverse learners. According to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and the United States Department of Education, approximately 1,500 lawsuits addressing racialized inequities are currently pending (OCR, n.d.; United States Commission on Civil Rights [USCCR], 2007). For example, legal cases such as Milwaukee Public Schools and Tucson Unified School District have provided pathways to educational reform (Hansen et al., 2018).