Creating “Boy Friendly” Schools

Welcome

A charter school recently asked me to work with them on improving the academic and social experiences for their boys. This coed, urban, 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. My work with them will be to assess and better understand the reasons why the boys have not done as well, and to develop specific programming and training designed to improve their approach with boys.

African American boys remain academically vulnerable in today’s schools. Parents and educators are too often stuck, unable to figure out the right mix of supports and interventions to support academic achievement and social adjustment. These boys are often stuck in the middle of a powerful tug of war between two forces. On one side is the importance of academic achievement that will launch them as players in mainstream society. To achieve and progress they need to be engaged with relevant curriculum and effective instruction. On the other side are the internalized cultural stereotypes of African American men, and environmental influences that communicate academic achievement and engagement is not cool.

This is not the first time I have consulted on a project like this. My experience tells me that it will probably unfold in stages.

1. Specific interventions with the adult community (parents and educators) to understand the specific needs of African American boys. Parents need effective strategies to encourage academic engagement and persistence. Educators need effective instructional strategies and relevant curricula.

2. Interventions with the boys which should focus on what University of Pennsylvania Psychologist Howard Stevenson calls “racial socialization” (racial coping strategies, cultural pride, etc), specific strategies to successfully navigate their academic and home communities, and developing their educational character,

3. Taking a critical look at the school environment and culture through the lens of the boys. Work to make the school inviting and empowering to boys.

Often overlooked are existing school models that have demonstrated success in this area. Years ago I worked with the Roxbury Preparatory Charter School in Boston  (www.roxburyprep.org/) with their boys programming and parent support. One of the founders of that school started a charter school in Brooklyn New York. The Excellence Charter School for Boys in Bedford Stuyvesant (www.excellenceboys.org) has incorporated many of the strategies I have mentioned.

 A colleague of mine was a long time principal at a private boy’s prep school.  He described several elements that made his school culture “boy friendly”.

• They allow boys to be physical with each other. He says that you can walk in the hallways and see roughhousing, wrestling, etc, that probably would not be tolerated in a coed public school. Fooling around like this was a way for the boys to show affection and closeness to each other.
• He also described an atmosphere of healthy competition in their academic and extracurricular activities. The boys tended to find areas where they excelled and stood out among their peers.
• There is a deliberate focus on character/honor. Students are encouraged to learn and grow beyond their academics. Students are encouraged to take pride in their school and themselves. There is a specific focus on their identity as young men and the grown men they will become.
• As a religious school there is also a focus on the notion that academic success is tied to a higher calling. The boys grow to believe they are preparing to do important work. The effort and sacrifices they make to be scholars is for a greater good.

With this specific project, I am encouraged that there is a commitment from top leadership to make improving the experiences of their male students a priority. School leadership has made sure that the right resources are available to support the project. Most importantly is the recognition that what they are doing is not working and that they need some new ideas.

At this point it is hard to identify what the eventual programming will look like for this school. I am excited about the potential impact successful programming will have on these boys. I am also excited about the potential lessons learned that can be applied to other schools dealing with similar issues.

I will periodically update this blog as this project evolves.