1. A Conversation About What we
Must Do to Enhance African
American Male Students’
Achievement
Baltimore County Public Schools
December 15, 2010

3. • Describe the context (using data) of the state of
African American male students’ (AAMS)
achievement
• Describe the implications of AAMS
underachievement
• Share information on best practices (locally and
nationally) for improving AAMS

4. >

5.  “Oneever feels his twoness - an
American, a Negro, two souls, two
thoughts, two unreconciled strivings, two
warring ideals in one dark body, whose
dogged strength alone keeps it from
being torn asunder.”
• W.E.B. DuBois

6.  Do not have the same  Are less likely to
opportunities as their participate in early
male or female childcare programs
counterparts  Are less likely to be
 Have higher infant raised in a household
mortality rates with a fully employed
 Have limited access to adult
health care  Are more likely to live in
 Are more likely to live in poverty
single-parent homes  Are less likely than their
Council on Great Schools, 2010 peers to be employed

7. The Urgency of Now

8.  The achievement gap and the economy
 “We would recover what we lost
during this economic recession if we
effectively addressed the achievement
gap”
 The Lumina Foundation, National College Access Conference,
2010

9. Mr. Joshua Parker
Windsor Mills Middle School

10. The Schott Report

11. New York 25%
Florida 37%
South Carolina 39%
11

12. Maine 98%
North Dakota 93%
New Hampshire 83%
Maryland 55%
12

13. Newark, NJ 75%
Fort Bend, IN 68%
Baltimore County, MD 67%
13

14. The College Board

15. Men Women
20
18
Percentage
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
White Black Hispanic AA-PI NA-AN
Source: Devoe, NCES, 2008

16. Percentage of Male Inmates in State or Federal Prisons and
L ocal Jails, by Race, Hispanic Origin, and A ge: June 30, 2006
Total includes American Indians, Alaska
Natives, Asians, Native Hawaiians, and
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, other Pacific Islanders.
Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2006

17. In Maryland, 10% of AA males
are proficient or advanced in
literacy on NAEP

18. BCPS Grade 4 AA Md. Grade 8 AA BCPS
students at or below students at or below AA Students
Basic Basic
81% 90% 86%

19. % Pass HSA AMO % Pass HSA AMO
English (first Algebra (first
try) try)
61% 72.7% 68% 71.7%

20.  AA student participation - 7%
 AA student composition of BCPS - 42%
 AA students earning 3 or higher on AP
tests
• English 67%
• Math 72%

21.  Mean Writing
Avg. score- 498 out of 800

23. Apathetic
toward
education Overly
aggressive
Menacing Athletic

27. Curriculum Instruction School
Support
The Counter-Narrative Culturally Responsive Relationships
Instruction

28. Mr. Robert Murphy
Maryland State Department of Education

29.  Nationally, AfricanAmerican Males
having a 47% graduation rate.
 Lowest among any student group.
 BCPS Graduation Rate is 67%- Schott
Report, 2010.

31.  It’s
important to remember we are only
45 yrs from the original Voting Rights Act
(VRA) of 1965
 Gave African American’s the right to vote.
 VRA has been renewed 4 times since 1965.
 Most recently authorized by President George Bush
for another 25 yrs of the act.

32.  ManyAfrican Americans’ development of
peoplehood/ community was in direct
opposition to white social identity.
 Thus various boundaries and boundary maintaining
behaviors developed.
 Because of rejection of the larger society through
segregation, lack of enforcement of laws, and
violence blacks created coping strategies to survive.
Ogbu, 2003

33.  Management in the instructional
process
 Capitalizing in instructional process

34. What the Alternative Culture
looks like in the schooling
process

35.  Class clown
 Aggressive “hard” character
 Athletic character
 Invisible character
 The blend character

36.  Wants attention
 Often just likes to make people happy
 Doesn’t have bad intentions
 “Clowning” behavior is engaged in for
fun or status

37.  Feels isolated
 Has been hurt
 Efforts
come from a defensive, self-
protective posture
 Sometimes can’t turn off the character

38.  Gifted athletically
 Oftenwill coast through school
(particularly football or basketball)
 Getsconnection needs met through
athletic prowess

39.  Unless
something happens you won’t
know he exists
 Survival skills
 Typicallythose who perform reasonably
well academically but not up to their
potential

40.  Exhibits characteristics of
the athletic and invisible
 Survival skills
 Performs reasonably well
academically
 Perceived well by his peers and his
teachers
 Understands DuBois’ concept of duality

43.  30-50% of students suspended are
repeat offenders
◦ “Suspension functions as a reinforcer...rather
than as a punisher” (Tobin, Sugai & Colvin,1996)
 Use of suspension correlates with
◦ School dropout (school level) (Raffaele-Mendez;
Ekstrom, 1986)
◦ Juvenile incarceration (state level) (Skiba et al)

44.  Do black students misbehave more?
◦ No supporting evidence
◦ May in fact be treated more
severely for same offenses

45. Of 32 infractions, only 8 significant differences:
 White students  Black students
referred more for: referred more for:
Smoking Disrespect
Vandalism Excessive Noise
Leaving w/o Threat
permission Loitering
Obscene Language

46.  Classroom Management
◦ “Violations of implicit interactional codes”
(Vavrus & Coles, 2002)
◦ Interactions of some teachers/some students?
 Cultural Disparities
◦ Cultural misinterpretations
◦ Lower or different expectations
 Influence of stereotypes
◦ How are African American boys perceived?
◦ Different standards of “boys will be boys”
◦ Differential standards for “respect”, “loitering”,
“threat”

47. Source: ayiak, LLC

48. Dr. Michial Gill

49.  Build relationships

50.  Know and access available resources

51.  Acknowledge the difference that
differences make

52.  Utilize meaningful/relevant curriculum

53.  Observe, Listen, Think

54.  Expect the best

55.  Build cultural competency

56. Mentoring
Partnerships
Single-GenderSchooling
Male Role Models
Wraparound Services

57. Mr. James Martin
Program Coordinator

58. Why this can’t wait
Woodlawn High School’s AAMI

59. 2400 Total Possible SAT score
 1707: Students who had taken  1421: Students who did not take
relevant AP or honors courses
 1702 : Students reporting family PSAT/NMSQT
incomes of more than $200,000 a
 1416: Students who did not take
year core curriculum
 1623: Asians  1414: Students who did not take
 1581: Whites relevant AP or honors courses
 1551: Students who took core  1364: Latinos (excluding
curriculum Mexicans, Mexican-Americans
 1542: Students who previously took and Puerto Ricans)
PSAT/NMSQT  1362: Mexicans and Mexican
 1523: Boys Americans
 1509: National average  1345: Puerto Ricans
 1506: Students reporting family  1321: Students reporting family
incomes of $60,000 to $80,000 incomes of less than $20,000 a
 1496: Girls year
 1448: American Indian or Alaskan  1276: Blacks
natives

60.  Key principles of the program
• Relationships
• Learning what is relevant
• Building students’ ownership in learning
• Culturally relevant field trips and speakers
• Taking time to point out student
accomplishments

62. Support Systems
 African American male AVID teacher:
academic coach and mentor
 College tutors
 College visits
 Parent meetings
 Business and community speakers and role
models

63. Vocabulary is the number ONE
predictor of school success

64.  Improving writing skills
 Improving time management skills
 Improving organizational skills
 Improving study skills
 Improving speaking skills

65. WHAT COURAGEOUS
CONVERSATIONS DOES YOUR
SCHOOL NEED TO HAVE??

66.  Dr. Kendra Johnson, Office of Title I
 Mr. Joshua Parker, Department Chair, Windsor Mill
Middle
 Mr. Robert Murphy, Drop Out Prevention Specialist,
MSDE
 Dr. Michial Gill, Deputy Director for Governmental
Relations and Minority Achievement Specialist
 Mr. James Martin, Program Coordinator, Woodlawn
High School’s AAMI
 Dr. Lisa Williams, Office of Equity and Assurance