Understanding African American Males

1994

Issues related to inclusion of African-American males into educational programs have continued to spark multidimensional political debates. It is apparent that African-Americans and other minorities are ill-prepared to attain their educational goals in the current state of affairs. Consequently, African-American males are underrepresented in gifted programs and overrepresented in special education classes. Unless strategies are prescribed and put into practice, the trend will likely accelerate in the 21st century. Educational reforms have failed to ameliorate academic problems confronting African-American males. This paper proposes a "Comprehensive Support Model" to foster the educational success of African-American males in the 21st century. This model calls for active support and commitment of African-American males themselves, their families and communities, the educational and school systems, and society at large. (Contains 28 references.) (Author)

The launch of the Journal of African American Males in Education is significant for several reasons, not the least of which is that it offers an intellectual venue for the engagement of critical issues concerning a population that is continually underserved by the majority of American schools, colleges, and universities. I am honored to have been invited to serve on the JAAME advisory board and author this preface for the inaugural issue. Indeed, J. Luke Wood, T. Kenyatta Jones, and their editorial leadership team should be saluted for responding purposefully to the need for evidence-based change on behalf of African American boys and men in education. Particularly praiseworthy is the vision that compelled their creation of this journal as well as the time and effort required to solicit cutting-edge manuscripts, recruit an all-star advisory board, and manage the technical delivery of a high-quality publication. I read and publish in several academic journalsas I see it, none are presently more important than JAAME. My excitement and appreciation for JAAME are only surpassed by the height of my expectation for its rigor and relevance. I often make the point that no African American male student rises to low expectations. In this same way, I maintain here that the impact of the Journal depends on an enormously high expectation that prospective authors will submit methodologically rigorous, conceptually complex, theoretically sophisticated, and socially important manuscripts that help (re)shape education policy and practice. Anything short of this, I am afraid, will do little to disrupt the slow pace with which teachers, administrators, and policymakers foster the conditions necessary for correcting past and present wrongs in education. Current challenges concerning African American boys and men demand the publication and dissemination of good social science research that will oblige decision-makers and resource

The Journal of Pan-African Studies, 2015

2013

Much of the literature dedicated to the academic achievement o f African American males focuses on failure, obstacles, negative influences and explanations of factors that negatively impact their academic success. This qualitative research study provided an opportunity for African American male students at the high school level to articulate their experiences and speak to the factors that they perceived as contributing to their academic success. The constructs of identity and cultural capital were offered by this researcher as a conceptual framework into the insight o f factors that impacted the academic achievement of this student group. Through interviews, a classroom observation and document review, the perceptions of six African American male seniors from two public high schools located in southeastern Virginia were collected and analyzed. The themes derived from the data showed that these young men were successful due to the support they received from their teachers, parents and peers, their approach to challenging and difficult situations, and the opportunities that they were afforded that led to their use of the educational process to reach their goals and dreams. FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES: PERCEPTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS xiv Chapter 1: Statement of the Problem Historically, minority populations across the United States and the world have dealt with inequities that have included the denial of the right to vote, to own property, to be meaningfully employed, and to pursue an education. In the United States, many of these rights were restored through landmark cases such as Brown v. Board o f Education and the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Davis (2005) and Monroe (2005 a & b) suggested that there remains a residual effect of these inequities, which can be seen in education as manifested in issues of achievement, drop-out rates, discipline practices, over representation of minority student groups in categories such as special education, and under-representation in areas such as gifted and talented. Data provided by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for the state of Virginia illustrates the issue of inequities for African American males (Holzman, 2010). Data indicate that there are approximately 162,679 black males enrolled in K-12 programs in Virginia. The 2007-2008 graduation rate for African American males was 49% while the graduation rate for White males was found to be 73% (Holzman, 2010). The data revealed that out-of school-suspension rates for Black males was equivalent to 18% of Virginia's enrollment of African American males while White male students were suspended at a rate equivalent to seven percent of their enrollment. The data also indicated that African American males were expelled at a proportion that was twice that of their enrollment. While significant numbers o f African American males are removed

Journal of African American Males in …

This study explores the experiences of urban African American males at a first year singlegender charter school in the Southern region of the United States. The present case study was based on interviews and focus groups with parents, teachers, students, and the school administrator, and a participant observation of Excel Academy [pseudonym]. The findings of this study suggest that there were four critical instructional complexities that emerged: expectations dissonance, disguised engagement, differential engagement, and expectations overload. Remarkably, these issues were being addressed by a school value created by students and institutionalized by teachers-To Never Quit. Recommendations to address each instructional complexity are explored. In the preceding passage from the Souls of Black Folk, the renowned African American scholar W.E.B. Du Bois (1903) questioned the tendency to view African Americans as a naturally "weak" race, lacking the power to resist and transform their reality. Considered beset by both natural and cultural imperfections, African Americans were CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Directory of Open Access Journals JOURNAL OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES IN EDUCATION ©2010, James 168 labeled as unfit for full membership in a progressive society (Aguirre & Turner, 2004; Mckee, 1993). Another thought by Du Bois (1903) provides additional insights: Between me and the other world there is ever an unasked question: unasked by some through feelings of delicacy; by others through the difficulty of rightly framing it…, How does it feel to be a problem? (p. 1). African Americans were marked as a unique American problem, and subsequent attempts to integrate them into society were informed by this problem-centered perspective (Myrdal, 1944). As a result, African Americans were granted equality under the law, but were still viewed and treated as unfit citizens (Aguirre & Turner, 2004). Currently, this contradiction is perhaps most apparent within the U.S. public educational system, in which African American"s civil rights have yet to materialize into a system of high quality education (Lewis, James, Hancock & Hill-Jackson, 2008). The total failure of the American education system, particularly for African American males, is best illustrated in the following finding. The average African American male has performed below basic in every grade level and every subject on the National Assessment of Education Progress for at least the past 20 years (NEAP, 1990-2010). Well over a century ago, Du Bois critiqued efforts denying African Americans equal access to high quality education that rested upon a jaded praxis, referred to here as problemcentered education. Today, this complex system of educational philosophies and practices can be characterized by six themes: (1) Philosophies supporting the notion that African American children, communities, and cultures are inherently pathological (Feagin, 2006; Mckee, 1993); (2) Examining African American educational experiences through Eurocentric standards, philosophies, concepts, theories, and research methodologies (Skrla & Scheurich, 2001; Valencia, 1997; Winddance-Twine & Warren, 2000); (3) Crafting educational policies, interventions, educator and leadership preparation programs, and other measures designed to promote African American student achievement through these pathological and Eurocentric frameworks (Lewis et al., 2008); (4) The educational practice of labeling African American students as "at risk," and African American communities and cultures as the risk factors that must be circumvented in order to achieve academic success (Fordham & Ogbu, 1986; Ogbu, 1978; Waxman, Gray & Padron, 2003); (5) Creating school cultures characterized by low teacher expectations, a low sense of responsibility for student learning, and a lack of culturally responsive pedagogy

1994

This suggested blueprint for actions to promote academic and personal success for the African American male student begins with an analysis of cultural factors in the lives of these students, starting with family structure. The shortage of positive African American male role models, the perceptions of societal racism and victimization, and the existing African American male subculture work against academic achievement. To counter these forces, the blueprint recommends: (1) high but realistic expectations; (2) parent and family involvement; (3) parent centers; (4) emphasis on the whole child; (5) building self-esteem; (6) cooperative learning; (7) cross-age and peer tutoring; (8) learning-styles instruction; (9) prevention and assessment of chilly classroom environments; (10) integration of African American males into class activities; and (11) enrichment of the classroom with African American male role models. (Contains 38 references.) (SLD)