Update: Improving the Acedemic Achievement of African American Boys

Welcome

I am happy to report on the progress of one of my consulting projects. In previous posts I explained how I am working with a charter school to improve the academic achievement and overall school adjustment of their African American boys and young men. This coed, urban, middle and high school has had tremendous success over the years in educating their students and preparing them for college. The student population is 100% African American. They recognize that they have had significantly more success with their girls. They have targeted improving the academic achievement for their boys/young men as a major goal for the coming school year.

Following a review of school data and a series of focus groups, I presented a report to the school that included recommendations for future programming. The report was well received and it appears that I will continue to work with them to develop specific programming for their boys/young men. At this point the programming will include:

1. Developing a series of student empowerment workshops that target the social and emotional issues that the young men are navigating. These workshops will be a venue for the young men to discuss and better understand their home and community issues. They will benefit from learning strategies to better navigate these issues and increase their cultural socialization (understanding the issues confronting African American men, paths to success, coping strategies, etc). This workshop will include a structured curriculum with training for the facilitators.
2. Developing a series of parent empowerment workshops. Along with developing specific parenting skills, parents will benefit from having an opportunity to connect with other parents and discuss the challenges of raising African American young men. A structured curriculum for this workshop will include core components of how parents can be change agents for themselves, their child, and their school/community.
3. Developing and facilitating a faculty workshop or “think tank” to critically look at the curriculum and teaching practices through the lens of multicultural education and culturally responsive teaching. The goal of this workshop will be for the school to develop specific curricula and instructional techniques that improve the academic experiences of their African American young men.

 I continue to be impressed by this school leader’s vision and commitment to this issue. In these tough economic times the school has found a way to make resources available for this to move forward. This is a great example of a school leader who “walks the walk”. I will continue to periodically provide updates on the progress of this project.