Transcript The Education of the Black Male Student Curtis L. Jones, Jr. April 28, 2007

The Education of the
Black Male Student
Curtis L. Jones, Jr.
April 28, 2007
The Problem
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Black children are more than twice as likely to live with one or no parent.
Black families earn less than two-thirds as much as white families.
Blacks are more than twice as likely to live below the poverty line, be
unemployed, or be victims of rape or robbery- and more than ten times as
likely to go to prison.
The national dropout rate for all students was approximately 25% but as
high as 49.6% among Black youth.
Since the mid-1980s, studies have consistently shown that Black and
Hispanic youth have been suspended from schools at rates generally three
times that of their White counterparts.
The proportion of Black men attending college was still the largest decline of
all racial and gender groups.
Black students graduate from college at 60 percent the rate of whites.
Teach Me- I Dare You!
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Understanding those who dare us (a general profile):
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They generally are skeptics about life in general.
They are not sure that what schools have to offer them matches
their current or future needs.
They disguise themselves well in the current dress for the day
and fade into the culture of their age group.
They ask and freely give advice to each other about solving their
problems without the benefit of experience or adult consultation.
They believe that they are indestructible and that whatever they
will need in the future will be given to them with little or no work.
Teach me- I Dare You! (Cont.)
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Understanding those who dare us (a general
profile continued):
 They
take life-threatening risks with alcohol and
drugs.
 Some take the opposite position of defiance and
antagonism.
 They define the counterculture in the school and hide
within many disguises of themselves and what they
fear they will become.
 They are both male and female.
Some Events that Put Students in
Jeopardy
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Change in friends or peer group members.
Change in living arrangements (moving from
one area to another, changing custodial parents,
homelessness).
Change in health and nutritional habits (eating
disorders, alcohol, drugs, diet).
Change in family (divorce, remarriage of parent,
death, birth of sibling).
Change in role models (from parents to peers
and pop culture).
Some Events that Put Students in
Jeopardy (Cont.)
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Change in academic success (teacher
expectations, grades, homework).
Parental expectations for school and family
responsibilities (too high or too low).
Participation in out-of-school activities (time
management, eligibility).
Change in school structure (elementary to
middle to high school).
Categories of Risk
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Category I: Students in Transition- socially,
emotionally, physically, morally, intellectually.
Category II: Students at Risk from Their
Environment.
Category III: Students Who Lack Social Skills.
Category IV: Puberty and Social Risk.
Categories of Risk (Cont.)
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Category V: Students Who Are Academically at
Risk.
Category VI: Gifted Students Who Are Not
Challenged by the School Curriculum.
Category VII: Students Identified by State
Guidelines as At-Risk.
Category VIII: Special Education Students.
Category IX: High-Risk Students.
Category I: Students in TransitionSocially, emotionally, physically, morally,
intellectually
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Normal transition from one phase of
development to the next.
As children mature, their physical, social,
emotional, intellectual, and moral development
are affected by internal and external influences.
Sometimes the influences are those of heredity.
Children are exposed to a wider range of social
ills at an earlier age.
Category II: Students at Risk from
Their Environment
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Both poverty and wealth can create risk for children.
Family structure and attitude toward education and
parental involvement affect success of students in
school.
Being a part of a particular environment means that
students develop social skills to participate in that
environment.
Group interactions include “heavy baggage” from home.
“You can’t be in my group!”
Bullying causes one group to inflict damage on another
group.
Category III: Students Who Lack
Social Skills
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Includes those who lack the social skills to be accepted
by others.
The skills used in groups of children for communicating
with others, sharing ideas, working on projects, and
taking part in activities are generally developed as
children grow and interact within their family,
neighborhood, school, and church.
For those who are shy or abused at home or without
adequate role models, the transition to school can be a
nightmare.
Category IV: Puberty and Social
Risk
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While children develop at different rates, they all
grow through the same physical changes.
Risk may be created when puberty brings with it
expectations that the child will socially be able to
do things that older students can do and have
the logic to do.
For students who want to fit in, to look or feel
different can be a source of riskness.
Category V: Students Who Are
Academically at Risk
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Students who lack foundational basic academic
skills in reading, math, and writing become
increasingly at risk.
Some develop complex coping skills and are
passed from grade to grade.
Boys usually outnumber girls in remediation
programs.
If student is not identified before high school,
chances are slim s/he will be.
Category VI: Gifted Students Who
Are Not Challenged by the School
Curriculum
They may not know of their gift until some
content sparks an interest.
 Their parents may not understand
giftedness and have low expectations.
 They may be excluded because of social
interaction problems.
 The lunchroom identification system works
well with this type of student.
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Category VII: Students Identified by
State Guidelines as At-Risk
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Nationally, 25% of all students fall into this category and
dropout of high school prior to graduation.
Criteria used to identify them include poor grades
overall, low reading scores, failure in an earlier grade,
lack of participation in extracurricular activities,
attendance in four or more schools, lack of acceptance
by peers, frequently tardiness or absentees, and poor
handling of structured activities.
They are usually categorized by a specific learning
problem, disorganization, emotional/behavioral action, or
physical limitation. Also truancy, absenteeism, or court
orders, or ward of the court.
Category VIII: Special Education
Students
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Students who have been identified in elementary
school or are being tested in middle school for
learning disabilities, emotional disorders, or
social disorders.
Some have physical disabilities or multiple
special needs.
Many have an Individualized Education Plan
(IEP).
Resources are identified for them.
Category IX: High-Risk Students
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Students who may or may not come to school
but are unattached to family, friends, and school.
They seem to lack a conscience and suffer from
antisocial personality disorder.
They run the gamut from mildly impaired to
criminal.
Parents usually deny the possibility that their
child is high-risk. Bullying is an example.
Most middle and high schools have at least one
high-risk student.
The Way Ahead
Understanding the basic psychological
needs of at-risk youth
 Helping our Boys Grow Into Men
 Reaching Higher Ground
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The Basic Psychological Needs of
At-Risk Youth (CBUPO)
Competence
 Belonging
 Usefulness
 Potency
 Optimism
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The “C” of CBUPO
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How would you feel if you arrived at work every day,
thoroughly prepared and enthusiastic about your work if
you viewed yourself as incompetent?
The work of school-age children is encompassed in their
role as learners.
Students are asked to work for seven hours a day while
at school.
Students who receive feedback that they are
academically incompetent later decide to withdraw.
The “C” of CBUPO (Cont.)
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The “C” is Competence. We want to know that we know or can know
what we need to know.
Mastery Learning can be implemented for all students.
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Four variables
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Teachers can provide extra help
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Motivation
Prerequisite Skills
Quality Instruction
Adequate Time
One on one tutoring
Additional homework
Computer simulations
Alternative materials suited to different learning styles
Small group work
Timely feedback on work (progress reports, report cards).
The “B” of CBUPO
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How likely would any of us be to continue to
come to work if we had reason to suspect that
our co-workers distained our company?
Youth are even more dependent on a need to be
accepted.
From the first days of kindergarten through the
senior prom, they are aware and frequently
consumed by thoughts of “in” groups and “out”
groups; who is “popular” and who is “not”.
The “B” of CBUPO (Cont.)
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The “B” is Belonging. We have a need to be
wanted and to part of something bigger than us.
Organizational behavior should be consistent
with mission, vision, values, and goals.
 Multicultural
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education and the hidden curriculum.
Extend membership to All
Value students by valuing their interests
Know the students learning style
Teacher expectations and feelings of belonging.
The “U” of CBUPO
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Imagine how you would feel if you believed that the
world would not be affected one iota by your presence.
That deep down you believed your daily fife provided no
meaningful service to anyone.
We all want to believe that we make a real difference.
This feeling may be why many stick with a job before
dawn and after dusk.
Students derive this feeling as teacher helpers, student
council members, or as athletes.
The “U” of CBUPO (Cont.)
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The “U” is Usefulness
Usefulness is derived or denied as a direct result of both
the quantity and quality of the interactions we have with
others.
“Standards based reform” focus has forced out the
“process” recommendations that include:
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Cooperative learning
Problem based learning
Student Directed Inquiry
Social Utility is important
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Accountability and Roles
Community Service
The “P” of CBUPO
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Imagine that you are unwanted by friends, unneeded by
society, and powerless over your life. Why would you
behave positively and continue to persevere at school?
Many believe that people can be placed on a continuum
of causal attribution, called a locus of control.
On one end are those who believe merit and hard work
provide adequate explanation for their successes and /or
failures (internalizers).
On the other end are those who attribute their victories
and /or shortcomings to luck (externalizers).
The “P” of CBUPO (Cont.)
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The “P” is Potency
7 Habits for Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey
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Habit 1: Be proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind
Habit 3: Put first things first
Habit 4: Think Win – Win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
Love and Logic for follow up
The “O” of CBUPO
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Now imagine a youth whose mental tape recorder plays
a tune that says, “At school I feel like a failure, I feel like
an outsider, and no one seems to need me here or me
when I am absent. There is nothing fI feel I can do about
it, and I have no reason to believe it will get any better in
the future.”
Would you come to school under these conditions?
Would you try your best?
You would mostly likely develop a pessimistic view of the
things.
The “O” of CBUPO (Cont.)
The “O” is Optimism. Some believe that if
they complete school, attend college, and
stay away form trouble, their future will be
bright.
 For others, “Eat drink and be merry, for
tomorrow we die.”
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BOYS INTO MEN
Raising Our African American Teenage Sons by
Nancy Boyd-Franklin and A.J. Franklin
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You Must Act As If It Is Impossible To Fail:
Challenges In Raising African American
Teenage Sons
If We Stand Tall It Is Because We Stand On
The Backs Of Those Who Came Before Us:
African American Families And The Manchild
No One Can Uproot The Tree Which God Has
Planted: Spirituality And Religion In Raising
Our Sons
The Bell Rings Loudest In Your Own Home:
Positive Parenting, Love, Communication, And
Discipline
BOYS INTO MEN (Cont.)
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Education Is Your Passport To The Future, For
Tomorrow Belongs To The People Who Prepare For It
Today
When I Discover Who I Am I’ll Be Free: Black Kids In
White Schools And Communities
Our Future Lies Chiefly In Our Own Hands: The
Journey To Manhood And Peer Pressure
We Cannot Silence The Voices That We Do Not Like
Hearing: Rap, Media Influences, And Hoop Dreams
And Chapters 9 – 14 continue the journey!
Higher Ground
by Leah Latimer
A guide for Black Parents to chart a
successful course for their children from
kindergarten to college
 2004 Salute to Excellence Award from the
National Association of Black Journalists
 www.genesis-press.com or call 1-888Indigo-1
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What is a Parent to Do?
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Know the risks.
Help your child navigate schooling.
Learn more about “Learning While Black.”
Be your child’s advocate and be effective.
Make CBUPO positive for your child.
Hold your school accountable.
Network with other parents. Form a Parent
Learning Community.
Additional Resources
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Teach Me I Dare You! By Judith Allen
Brough, Sherrel Bergmann, and Larry C.
Holt. www.eyeoneducation.com or call 1
(914) 833-0551
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AT-RISK STUDENTS: Reaching and
Teaching Them by Richard Sagor and
Jonas Cox or call 1 (914) 833-0551.
The Education of the
Black Male Student
Curtis L. Jones, Jr.
April 28, 2007