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The future of LA Unified School District’s signature program for Black students is in question after a federal civil rights complaint prompted changes to its efforts.

This summer LAUSD overhauled its $120 million Black Student Achievement Program after a Virginia-based advocacy group Parents Defending Education filed a complaint challenging its policies related to race-based admissions for the program.

Under the new restrictions the districts will end race-based admissions to the BSAP, instead offering programs to students who need extra supports based on factors other than race. 

The decision is the latest effect of the Supreme Court’s ruling last year striking down affirmative action policies, which were designed to support historically disadvantaged communities. Since then, the ruling has sparked changes across the U.S. education system.

In an interview with LA School Report, Pedro Noguera, Dean of the USC Rossier School of Education, discusses the impact of the BSAP and the future of Black students in LAUSD.

“What works for everybody may not work for Black students because of anti-Black racism in society, the way Black children are stigmatized, and a history of indifference and neglect,” Noguera said.

The Black Student Achievement Program was first approved by the board in 2021 after a decision to cut the school police budget by 35% in response to the murder of George Floyd. 

The funding was then redirected to hire more social workers and counselors and to target schools with high rates of suspension, chronic absenteeism, and low academic achievement.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

What’s the significance of the challenges that face the Black Student Achievement Plan? What’s at stake?

The main challenge is the reason why the plan was created, to address the needs of Black students, who, despite declining enrollment, now make up only 7% of the district but are still overrepresented among underachieving students. The district’s plan was created to address this. Recently, a conservative legal group challenged the existence of the plan, and the district modified its approach, focusing on what it calls “priority schools,” many of which have significant numbers of Black students. That’s what’s at stake here: Can they address the needs without focusing on race?

What should the district do to preserve BSAP moving forward? 

We know that many Black students are concentrated in some of the poorest communities in Los Angeles. They aren’t the only ones in these communities, and if you target those schools, not only will Black students benefit, but so will all the students attending those schools. The question is whether this strategy will uplift and improve Black student outcomes.

If the district just targets the school as a whole rather than focusing on a specific racial group, can they still develop a tailored strategy for that group? 

Yes. For example, the district can target kids based on language. If a school has a large number of English learners, resources can be directed accordingly. Similarly, you can target students who are behind in reading. If Black children aren’t doing well in reading, they’ll get that support. The effectiveness will depend on how thoughtfully these initiatives are implemented.

What about schools that are doing well overall but have a small percentage of Black students who aren’t, how should the district address that under the new restrictions?

It’s like addressing women’s health. You have to raise awareness of the specific needs of certain groups. Just because a school is doing well overall doesn’t mean that Black students don’t need extra support. Schools need to be aware of how they’re serving Black children and intervene when necessary.

What does the BSAP get right? How’s it helping students and how could it be more helpful? 

According to the district, graduation rates among Black students are up, and representation in gifted programs has increased. They’re claiming what they’re doing is working. I haven’t personally seen the data, but I’m inclined to believe them. If that’s true, then there’s no need to worry about removing race as a factor for targeted resources.

But it’s too early to say. We’ve only seen one year’s worth of data, which is too soon to assess the program’s overall effectiveness. You want to see continuous improvement over several years before making a definitive judgment.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

These issues are complex, and they go beyond student achievement. Stereotypes, for example, can affect a student’s sense of identity and potential. Schools need to actively counter these stereotypes to help students believe in their capabilities. Some schools have already figured out how to do this, and we should learn from them and replicate their success.

This article is part of a collaboration between The 74 and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.