[Reproduced from an Introduction by Ralph W. Tyler to Wilson C. Riles, "'No Adversary Situations': Public School Education in California and Wilson C. Riles, Superintendent of Public Instruction 1970-1982," an oral history conducted 1981-1982 by Sarah Sharp, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, 1984. Courtesy of The Bancroft Library.]
Wilson Riles was the chief officer of California's public educational system at the time it was subjected to the greatest stress and turmoil ever experienced. It is high tribute to his leadership that the public schools of the state are now firmly committed both to equality of educational opportunity and to excellence.
The civil rights movement and the increased articulateness of minority groups in the 1960s had aroused the concern of the American public over the wide disparities in educational opportunities and achievements between students from minority groups and those from middle-class "white" families. Court decisions and legislation furnished support for efforts to attain equality of educational opportunity for all children and youth. However, the steps to be taken by the state and development of practical plans to guide local schools in moving successfully toward equity and, at the same time, toward improved quality of education were not and could not be designed by the legislature or the courts. Experience and wise educational leadership was necessary to encourage and assist the dedicated and imaginative teachers, administrators, and parents in the schools and communities, who to a surprising degree developed and are developing solutions to the problems faced in local districts.
Public discussions did not adequately inform Riles about the many conflicting forces with which he had to deal. The prevailing stereotype then and still today is one in which persons who strongly support their belief in the worth and potential of every human being regardless of race, ethnicity or religion are pitted against persons who are firmly biased against persons of races, ethnicity, or religions different from their own. Riles found that the groups that consciously or unconsciously opposed important elements in a comprehensive plan for equity and excellence in education were more numerous and varied in their outlooks and purposes than these two.
For example, he was confronted by some self-selected leaders of minorities who hoped to gain or retain control over their groups by keeping them from entering the mainstream of American political, economic, and social life. By professing belief in a multi-cultured society that did not desire Americanization, they sought to protect their positions in which the rank and file of their minority groups were dependent upon them. They made coalitions with unselfishly oriented persons who had not recognized that equal educational opportunity required an end to racial or ethnic isolation, and an end to "separate but equal" programs. Riles had to develop policies that would encourage the building of programs that would make use of the constructive elements of a minority culture in helping students to learn what is required to become effective participants in American life.
He was confronted by certain other groups who believed that minority students needed to learn only occupational skills. These groups would have the schools concentrate on vocational programs at an early age. Riles recognized that our country is in greater danger from ignorant citizens than from unskilled workers. He worked to develop policies to insure that minorities would not be denied an opportunity for general education while gaining skills required for initial employment.
He was pressured by some persons who favored opportunities for minorities as long as their own children had greater opportunities and achieved more in school. They asked for funding formulas that would provide more funds for schools that enroll "gifted children". They supported policies that would give financial rewards to schools in which the children were demonstrating superior educational achievement, and opposed extra funds for the education of "disadvantaged children".
He met with "working class" parents who thought that better-educated minorities were serious threats to them in obtaining jobs, getting political power and social status. They were joined with some other parents who feared that their children, if in a desegregated school, would acquire the "vulgar language and behavior" often attributed to slum dwellers and other poor children.
He also met with minority families that were making substantial progress toward their goal of social mobility. Many of these were already recognized as "upper middle class". They perceived the schools in which their children were enrolled as good schools, and feared that desegregation would destroy the quality of their schools.
These are examples of the varied groups that Riles found were initially critical of genuine efforts to provide equality of educational opportunity and excellence for minorities. Yet he was able to establish policies that strongly supported these two goals.
How was it possible for a black man, born in the deep South, of a family of limited means, in a relatively provincial educational environment, to understand so comprehensively and to deal so constructively and effectively with people and organizations with such different motives, most of whom opposed some of the essential policy elements for meeting the challenge of equity and excellence in the California public schools?...
Ralph W. Tyler, Director Emeritus, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
I believe that Wilson Riles would answer Dr. Tyler's question by recommending the people who worked with him. They shared his belief that their focus should be on California's children, and his mission of providing for the previously overlooked and underserviced. The shoots that emerged during this time were reform and restructure.
The Riles Years, written by leading authorities knowing Wilson Riles, is a collection of viewpoints providing an intimate picture of his "no adversary," calm, reasoning style. This style was instrumental in bringing groups with different and conflicting objectives to compromise. The goal of this endeavor is to challenge teachers, school administrators, policy makers, and community members to work together to improve the quality of education, making it relevant to all students. I have faith that together we can meet the challenge.
Dr. Maria Natera, Editor
The Riles Years