Black Mothers Creating Safe Spaces to Educate Their Children
NaTyshca Pickett
Signs from the parent march held near the Arizona State Capitol on March 1. Photo Credit: BAND Photography
Microschools have become a popular option for parents and educators who are dissatisfied with distance education and school closures caused by the COVID-19 virus. These schools usually have 15 students or less, but their supporters say they are here to stay.
Microschools are a distinct entity, typically registered as an official school and a for-profit company, despite their similarities to pandemic learning pods, in which families banded together to allow children to learn in small groups, sometimes with a private teacher.
In Arizona, this model has been taken on by an organization that understands how critical it is for Black and Hispanic children and their right to a good education.
The Black Mothers Forum (BMF), whose mission is to educate, organize and take action to promote healthy mindsets and relationships to end the school-to-prison pipeline, was founded by Janelle Wood.
Photo Courtesy of Black Mothers Forum
Wood has been a community member in Arizona since she graduated from Arizona State University over 30 years ago, along with her community work, she is also a mother.
“One of the things that I saw being a working mom is that we’re always advocating for our children’s needs and making sure that they’re not labeled and put in a box. I had to change schools multiple times to get my son in a safe place. I had not idea what I was being set up for, but having that experience with my son made it easier for me to help other mothers gather the tools they needed to be advocates for their children,” Wood said.
After being an advocate for parents in the school system, she realized that there was more that needed to be done to help Black and Brown families and provide a “safe learning environment” for their children.
This need created the Black Mothers Forum Microschools with two locations in Arizona.
“At the forefront of our minds was the need to ensure the well-being of our Black offspring, and in particular our Black sons. We want to start making changes that will make our Black community safer for kids and families by tearing down the structures that have hurt us,” Wood stated.
Photo courtesy of Black Mothers Forum
Wood also expressed, “Our incredible group of parental champions is serious about making a difference in the world. We do what we believe in because of our strong beliefs.”
The BMF’s Microschools consist of the following model.
Small Class Size: 5-10 Students
5:1 Student/Coach Ratio
Blended Grade Levels: K-1st | 2nd - 4th | 5th- 8th
Personalized & Individualized Academic Instructions to Meet Students Where They Are.
Student-Centered & Driven
Parent & Family Focused
Unique to BMF: Direct-Led Instruction | Academic & SEL Focused | Closing All Achievement Gaps
Every microschool is unique, but they all have some things in common, like small class sizes and a focus on individual students. Whether they are parents or trained professionals, teachers serve more as guides than instructors.
“Part of the microschool work is making sure everyone involved knows their role. So instead of using the title teacher, we call them Student Development Coaches. The coaches walk alongside the children and guide them along the way,” Wood stated.
Student Development Coaches play a pivotal role in the success of the BMF microschools.
Nyeshua Miller, Student Development Coach says, “It makes me feel comfortable and it makes me see a reflection of myself in the students. There’s an unspoken language that we have when we speak to our students and we understand them. The empowerment as a whole to see them thriving and growing with what we are teaching them in a safe and loving environment. This is not only in the classroom, but spreads outside the classroom when we keep those lines of communication open with the parents and let those parents know that we love and support them as well.”
Tiffany Dudley, another Student Development Coach said, “Being able to actually make an impact in the Black community when it comes to education is what I like more about my position. Here, we’re able to focus on the child holistically to make sure they’re okay all the way around. We have become a little family and help and support not just the child, but the entire family.”
Black Mothers Forum Student Development Coaches, Nyeshua Miller (left) and Tiffany Dudley (right). Photo credit: BAND Photography
Although the microschools are making great strides in the Black community, it hasn’t come without opposition. According to School Choice Week, Arizona is one of 14 states where parents may select any traditional public school for their child, in any school district.
Many parents who choose to go outside of their district are based on the needs of their child, and in doing so some use funds from the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program to fund their child’s education.
According to the Arizona Department of Education, an ESA consists of 90% of the state funding that would have otherwise been allocated to the school district or charter school for the qualified student (does not include federal or local funding). By accepting an ESA, the student's parent or guardian is signing a contract agreeing to provide an education that includes at least the following subjects: reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies and science. ESA funding can be used to pay private school tuition, for curriculum, home education, tutoring and more.
Through this initiative, public funds may be used to cover the cost of a child's education at a private institution. All K-12 students in Arizona are now qualified for the program due to legislation signed by then-Gov. Doug Ducey last summer.
As of the most recent school year, the Arizona Department of Education reports that nearly 48,000 pupils are enrolled in the program. And that's in comparison to the approximate 12,100 before the universal expansion.
Critics of the program point to its lack of transparency and regulation as reasons to reject it. The current Governor, Katie Hobbs, requested in her budget proposal that ESA be repealed and limit the scholarship to children who need it most.
Protestors at the Education for All march held on March 1 at the Arizona State Capitol. Photo Credit: BAND Photography
On Wednesday Mar. 1, 2023, several hundred people marched near the state Capitol in Arizona in favor of the state's school voucher program.
Proponents of the ESA program, including parents, students, and teachers, recently held a rally and march in support of the initiative, with participants chanting "power to parents," "ESAs are here to stay," and "my child, my choice."
With the threat to the ESA program, many parents are concerned that their children will lose access to funding which gives them control over their child’s education and how those funds for education should be used.
“We all are fighting for our civil rights and you all have a right to have a good education that best fits you. You have that right and we want to make sure that you are able to exercise that,” Wood told the march participants who were in the audience.
To learn more about the Black Mothers Forum and their initiatives, you can follow them on Instagram and Facebook at Black Mothers Forum.