Being Black in America's Schools - by Brian Rashad Fuller

About the Book

"In a polarizing and racially divided America, what do children of color learn about themselves before they even go to school? How do they see themselves and is that image only exacerbated by spending twelve years in a public education system that perpetuates negative stereotypes? Brian Rashad Fuller personally knows that the impact of low expectations can be devastating, as proved by the 'school to prison' pipeline that so many students have experienced. He aims to make a difference in this humanizing and very personal portrayal of what it means to be Black in America's schools. As a Black man who has spent his life as a student and an educator, Brian shares his own story of navigating the world, overcoming his family struggles, and eventually entering an educational system that he believes is inherently racist, damaging, and disserving. He exposes the challenges Black students face in elite and predominantly white universities and spaces, dissects 'Black exceptionalism' in the schooling experience, and offers a firsthand account of the emotional and psychological impact made by teachers, administrators, policies, practices, lessons, and student interactions. Most Americans are looking for answers on how to improve our education system -- as illustrated by the critical race theory debate -- but have not fully understood the lived Black experience, until now. With powerful insight into a thoroughly American institution, Brian offers present-day solutions, and liberating hope, for a centuries-long issue, as well as a galvanizing and radical step forward. It is a book essential to our challenging times."--

Book Synopsis

For readers of The Knowledge Gap, Race to the Bottom, and The Inequality Machine, education and equity strategist Brian Rashad Fuller sheds a stark light on America's public schools, the miseducation of students of color, and the action required to make tangible changes and reforms to a failing and racialized educational system.

With a foreword from Harriet Tubman's great-grand nephew, Abdul Tubman.

In a polarizing and racially divided America, what do children of color learn about themselves before they even go to school? How do they see themselves and is that image only exacerbated by spending twelve years in a public education system that perpetuates negative stereotypes? Brian Rashad Fuller personally knows that the impact of low expectations can be devastating, as proved by the "school to prison" pipeline that so many students have experienced. He aims to make a difference in this humanizing and very personal portrayal of what it means to be Black in America's schools.

As a Black man who has spent his life as a student and an educator, Brian shares his own story of navigating the world, overcoming his family struggles, and eventually entering an educational system that he believes is inherently racist, damaging, and disserving. He exposes the challenges Black students face in elite and predominantly white universities and spaces, dissects "Black exceptionalism" in the schooling experience, and offers a firsthand account of the emotional and psychological impact made by teachers, administrators, policies, practices, lessons, and student interactions. Most Americans are looking for answers on how to improve our education system--as illustrated by the critical race theory debate--but have not fully understood the lived Black experience, until now.

With powerful insight into a thoroughly American institution, Brian offers present-day solutions, and liberating hope, for a centuries-long issue, as well as a galvanizing and radical step forward. It is a book essential to our challenging times.

Review Quotes

Praise for Brian Fuller

"Brian Fuller is writing at the crossroads of the most crucial social issues confronting us right now. His vantage point is as uncommon as it is valuable. This is a book we need yesterday." --Jelani Cobb, staff writer at The New Yorker, Dean of Columbia Journalism School

"Educational equity is a civil right for all Americans regardless of identity, political affiliation, economic status, or any other difference. Through Brian's professional expertise and emotional story, I believe he will touch all who read his book--forging a path to improve public education for America's children." --Jane Swift, Former Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and President, Education at Work

"Brian Fuller brings an extraordinary perspective to race and education in America. With strikingly vivid recollections of growing up and attending public schools in Strom Thurmond's South Carolina, he can share through a child's as well as an expert's eyes how racism permeates education and the toll it exacts even on those like Brian who succeed in spite of it . . . Brian offers a searing critique of the American way of educating Black children and a vision of how to improve education for all." --Dale Russakoff, Author of The Prize: Who's in Charge of America's Schools

"Having navigated our nation's schools as a Black male student, and through his diverse professional experiences across our educational system, Brian has gained a unique perspective that educators, system-level leaders, and policy-makers need to hear. Brian reaches deep beneath the data story about Black student achievement that we have heard all too often. With gripping narrative style and keen analytical insights, he lays bare the deep structural inequities that undergird our system at all levels." --Marina Cofield, CEO, East Harlem Tutorial Program & East Harlem Scholars Academies; Former Senior Executive Director, NYC Department of Education

About the Author

Brian Rashad Fuller is an educational leader, writer, and strategist whose own experiences as a student in South Carolina's public school system fuel his passion for addressing the needs of historically underserved students. A graduate of Emory University, he earned a MEd in School Leadership and Development from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and previously has launched the Philadelphia arm of The DREAM Program, taught third grade, helped manage the NYC Community Schools initiative, and later served as Chief Strategy Officer for School Planning and Development at the NYC Department of Education. He now serves as Associate Provost for Strategy and Operations at The New School in New York City and can be found online at BrianRashadFuller.com.

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

My sole focus in this book is the advancement and protection of our children. All of the names of children and minors, and many of the names of adults, mentioned in the book have been changed to protect the identities of those individuals. One of the reasons why it's difficult to write a book that critiques education is because so many people who work with children have good intentions. When I describe organizations, teachers, supervisors, or classmates in this book, my only purpose is to use my past interactions in education to show how we can improve our efforts to develop all students. I believe in education because I believe in the capacity for each person, including myself, to grow. I pray this book begins to shed some light on exactly how we can do that so all of our children will have a more hopeful future.