Thursday, May 31, 2007
Francis L. Holland Blog: Black Louisiana Blogger Covers Jena Violence
Reginald M. graduated from Jena High School on May 14, 2004... Today, he writes:
RESPONDING TO THE CRISIS IN JENA, LOUISIANA
On the morning of September 1, 2006, three nooses dangled from a tree in the High School square in Jena, Louisiana... Read how role reversal turns criminal justice system upside on black victims in small Louisiana town.
[From Listen to Me for a Minute]
For the latest update on the Jena Black Boys facing a 100-year sentence, read
Jena Six Trial Continued to Next Month
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Are Black Boys Expected to Fail?
From the Baby Moses Project
From Tommy La'Pola, Teacer, Seattle Schools:
In those places around the country where black boys are succeeding, to what extent is this the result of “cultural segregation”? In other words are these schools where parents have had to apply or otherwise work to get their children enrolled, thereby indicating a family culture that puts a premium on education and where families are willing to work to assist their child with their education? A follow up question: can a school expect to be able to overcome the influences of a student’s family if the family and school have contradictory expectations of a student?
Michael Holzman:
Some are. Others are not. Those that are can be quite minimally so, with admission based just on application. A school can strive to become as positively influential an environment as possible: open evenings, on weekends and in the summer; offering challenging course with high expectations and a variety of other activities, including sports, field trips and technology.
Eddie Griffin:
Notice how the question is framed: Can a school expect… to be able… to overcome… influences of a student’s family?
Expectation begins in the mind. Ability relates to levels of skills and talents. Overcome signifies the challenge. In other words, do you think that you have what is takes to overcome the challenge?
What is the challenge? We assume, from the question above, that the challenge is a student’s family expectations that contradicts to the school’s expectations.
Instead of a Catch-22 scenario, this is an Escape-22 clause for a teacher’s expectation. In essence, no one expects the schools to do the impossible. The teacher here is absolved of taking on such a challenge, when the challenge is perceived as homegrown. Therefore, any difficulty in teaching a child is chalked up as a problem of poor parenting, poor home life, and socio-economic factors outside of the realm of teaching.
How can schools be expected to overcome these forces?
Maybe we see the problem through a distorted prism. Instead of being a home environment problem, it could very well be a learning problem and lack of socialization skills. A child with a limited vocabulary may not understand as readily as a literate student and his verbal expressions may be a bit cruder. It all depends on how we see the challenge and the expectation to surmount it. Like students, some teachers may perceive the problem as “too hard” and find creative ways to give up. (The dog ate my lesson plan).
Family and school should never have “contradictory expectations” of the student. Contradictory expectation presupposes the one group (parents) has high expectations of the black male child and the other group (school) has a low expectation, or visa versa. Universally speaking, the standard should always be high- therefore, no contradiction in expectation.
In terms of marked academic achievement in “class segregated” schools, this is obvious. The haves have always provided better for their children over the have-nots. It is not a matter of the elite black families placing a higher premium on education, as it is the upper-to-high middle-income families are usually more educated and have more of the financial wherewithal to send their children to better schools. Better schools usually equal higher academic achievement.
The lower-income student may have parents who equally appreciate the value of education and the student may reach the top of his class. However, he will still be qualitatively disadvantaged in not having access to the same resources provided to the upper-income class student.
We note here that the inequality is not necessarily the product of an unequally bias budget for educational materials and supplies. Educational spending must be proportionate, according to law. (No more "Separate but Equal" disparities in education funding). But the high-income parents is able to provide more supplemental resources in their schools, through PTAs and various other charitable and business groups. This disparity in resources makes equal achievement nearly impossible, which leaves us forever trying to close an ever-widening achievement gap.
It must be our conscientious effort to put the black boy ahead of the pact in achievement, by developing his innate skills and talents. The learning style of African-Americans is traditionally different from Middle America. I have found that some black students learn in clips, fragmented, and disjointedly. Simply trying to pound knowledge into the head of a student does not always penetrate. (I have explained this to you 100 times. Why can't you understand?) Therefore, another angle of delivery might be necessary.
Can the current instructional mode of delivery carry a student forward along an individualized learning path? One classroom teacher alone cannot do it. Such expectations are unrealistic because most teachers are too focused on classroom management, behavioral controls, curriculum, testing, staff issues, and a myriad of other distractions. Babysitting and spoon-feeding individualized curriculum is just not in the job description, otherwise the teacher may have bitten off more than he or she can chew. Such a challenge goes far above and beyond the personal expectations of the average teacher.
But then, expectations are relative, and challenges are the way they are perceived. Can it be that we expect more of the students and less of the teachers, or vice versa? If we expect more of the teacher, how can we expect more of them than they expect of themselves? When they expect failure, they can get it without even trying.
From Tommy La'Pola, Teacer, Seattle Schools:
In those places around the country where black boys are succeeding, to what extent is this the result of “cultural segregation”? In other words are these schools where parents have had to apply or otherwise work to get their children enrolled, thereby indicating a family culture that puts a premium on education and where families are willing to work to assist their child with their education? A follow up question: can a school expect to be able to overcome the influences of a student’s family if the family and school have contradictory expectations of a student?
Michael Holzman:
Some are. Others are not. Those that are can be quite minimally so, with admission based just on application. A school can strive to become as positively influential an environment as possible: open evenings, on weekends and in the summer; offering challenging course with high expectations and a variety of other activities, including sports, field trips and technology.
Eddie Griffin:
Notice how the question is framed: Can a school expect… to be able… to overcome… influences of a student’s family?
Expectation begins in the mind. Ability relates to levels of skills and talents. Overcome signifies the challenge. In other words, do you think that you have what is takes to overcome the challenge?
What is the challenge? We assume, from the question above, that the challenge is a student’s family expectations that contradicts to the school’s expectations.
Instead of a Catch-22 scenario, this is an Escape-22 clause for a teacher’s expectation. In essence, no one expects the schools to do the impossible. The teacher here is absolved of taking on such a challenge, when the challenge is perceived as homegrown. Therefore, any difficulty in teaching a child is chalked up as a problem of poor parenting, poor home life, and socio-economic factors outside of the realm of teaching.
How can schools be expected to overcome these forces?
Maybe we see the problem through a distorted prism. Instead of being a home environment problem, it could very well be a learning problem and lack of socialization skills. A child with a limited vocabulary may not understand as readily as a literate student and his verbal expressions may be a bit cruder. It all depends on how we see the challenge and the expectation to surmount it. Like students, some teachers may perceive the problem as “too hard” and find creative ways to give up. (The dog ate my lesson plan).
Family and school should never have “contradictory expectations” of the student. Contradictory expectation presupposes the one group (parents) has high expectations of the black male child and the other group (school) has a low expectation, or visa versa. Universally speaking, the standard should always be high- therefore, no contradiction in expectation.
In terms of marked academic achievement in “class segregated” schools, this is obvious. The haves have always provided better for their children over the have-nots. It is not a matter of the elite black families placing a higher premium on education, as it is the upper-to-high middle-income families are usually more educated and have more of the financial wherewithal to send their children to better schools. Better schools usually equal higher academic achievement.
The lower-income student may have parents who equally appreciate the value of education and the student may reach the top of his class. However, he will still be qualitatively disadvantaged in not having access to the same resources provided to the upper-income class student.
We note here that the inequality is not necessarily the product of an unequally bias budget for educational materials and supplies. Educational spending must be proportionate, according to law. (No more "Separate but Equal" disparities in education funding). But the high-income parents is able to provide more supplemental resources in their schools, through PTAs and various other charitable and business groups. This disparity in resources makes equal achievement nearly impossible, which leaves us forever trying to close an ever-widening achievement gap.
It must be our conscientious effort to put the black boy ahead of the pact in achievement, by developing his innate skills and talents. The learning style of African-Americans is traditionally different from Middle America. I have found that some black students learn in clips, fragmented, and disjointedly. Simply trying to pound knowledge into the head of a student does not always penetrate. (I have explained this to you 100 times. Why can't you understand?) Therefore, another angle of delivery might be necessary.
Can the current instructional mode of delivery carry a student forward along an individualized learning path? One classroom teacher alone cannot do it. Such expectations are unrealistic because most teachers are too focused on classroom management, behavioral controls, curriculum, testing, staff issues, and a myriad of other distractions. Babysitting and spoon-feeding individualized curriculum is just not in the job description, otherwise the teacher may have bitten off more than he or she can chew. Such a challenge goes far above and beyond the personal expectations of the average teacher.
But then, expectations are relative, and challenges are the way they are perceived. Can it be that we expect more of the students and less of the teachers, or vice versa? If we expect more of the teacher, how can we expect more of them than they expect of themselves? When they expect failure, they can get it without even trying.
Saving the Black Boy: Performance Based Litmus Test for Educators
From the Baby Moses Project
From Lorraine forte, Deputy Editor, Catalyst Chicago:
What teaching strategies are most effective with young black men? How do you get a large urban system to address the needs of these youth on a significant scale?
Michael Holzman:
Dr. Rosa Smith has suggested that making the success of African-American male students "the litmus test" for the success of the entire system is one approach to systemic change. We could take a leaf from the corporate handbook and tie administrative compensation to the value they add in this regard.
Eddie Griffin:
When educators focus as much importance on the bottom 10% of the student body as it does the top 10%, we might see a shift in resources and more concerted and collaborative educational effort, especially if administrators pay is tied to performance.
If an administrator lost 50% of his or her compensation for a 50% dropout rate for African-American male students (the “litmus test” group), there would probably be a shift in administrative priorities, policies, and strategies. But if failure is as well compensated as success, why succeed- which may be why we keep getting the same results.
Pay for Performance should be part of the overall reward strategy. As we reward our students for their performance, we should also reward our teachers and administrators, based on performance. In a school system with high expectations, our expectation of education professionals should also be high.
Merit base pay in Texas should be viewed from the financial standpoint that each student is allocated about $6,000 a year for the purpose of public education. The pro rata breaks out at so many days per year a student is enrolled in school. There is a hidden financial incentive to keep dropouts on the enrollment books, long after they have disappeared during the school year. The school still gets paid as if the child were present.
The school should be paid only for the days that the student attends classes, and whatever hours the student miss in school or class should be deducted from the school’s allocation. Maybe there would be more a financial incentive to lower the dropout rate.
From Lorraine forte, Deputy Editor, Catalyst Chicago:
What teaching strategies are most effective with young black men? How do you get a large urban system to address the needs of these youth on a significant scale?
Michael Holzman:
Dr. Rosa Smith has suggested that making the success of African-American male students "the litmus test" for the success of the entire system is one approach to systemic change. We could take a leaf from the corporate handbook and tie administrative compensation to the value they add in this regard.
Eddie Griffin:
When educators focus as much importance on the bottom 10% of the student body as it does the top 10%, we might see a shift in resources and more concerted and collaborative educational effort, especially if administrators pay is tied to performance.
If an administrator lost 50% of his or her compensation for a 50% dropout rate for African-American male students (the “litmus test” group), there would probably be a shift in administrative priorities, policies, and strategies. But if failure is as well compensated as success, why succeed- which may be why we keep getting the same results.
Pay for Performance should be part of the overall reward strategy. As we reward our students for their performance, we should also reward our teachers and administrators, based on performance. In a school system with high expectations, our expectation of education professionals should also be high.
Merit base pay in Texas should be viewed from the financial standpoint that each student is allocated about $6,000 a year for the purpose of public education. The pro rata breaks out at so many days per year a student is enrolled in school. There is a hidden financial incentive to keep dropouts on the enrollment books, long after they have disappeared during the school year. The school still gets paid as if the child were present.
The school should be paid only for the days that the student attends classes, and whatever hours the student miss in school or class should be deducted from the school’s allocation. Maybe there would be more a financial incentive to lower the dropout rate.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Texas Youth Commission Reform Passes
Texas Youth Commission Reform Bill Moves to Governor’s Desk
The Texas Legislature closed out its 80th session in a whirlwind of activities, among bitter and angry bickering, down to the midnight wire. As a result, some legislative proposals died on the operating table. Of the 10,854 proposals presented this session, only 5,023 passed, most during the waning hours of the deadline. Fortunately, the main series of Texas Youth Commission (TYC) bills won approval of both Houses before the logjam.
In a May 26 email from Jerry Madden, House Corrections Committee Chairman, He writes:
There is nothing in the TYC Bill that builds any prisons. We do have in the Appropriations act that 2 facilities, Marlin and San Saba will be turned over to TDCJ and so will not be used for incarcerating youth. We also expect that there will be added closings of facilities by TYC probably 2 or 3 units. We do have in Appropriations money to build one new unit close to a metropolitan area so that we can keep youth closer to home. I think that is a good idea and we would not have to house them in old worn out facilities that in some cases may not be safe; We have a lot more money for integration and juvenile probation to try to keep youth from being sent to TYC...We also have all the funding we requested for our diversion beds which will have a major positive effect on our communities. While there is still more to do we have come a long way in a short time this session.
At last, some of our juveniles are coming home from prison. Also, the legislators have put in place a safeguard to prevent youth offender with misdemeanor offenses from being incarcerated like Shaquanda Cotton, the 14-year old high school student locked away for up to seven years of her life for pushing a teacher’s aide. Cotton was among the first of 473 juveniles released, after it was discovered that she had been held past her sentence for a minor institutional infraction- to wit, possession of a contraband extra pair of socks.
TYC came under sharp criticism after it was discovered that high level administrators were coercing the children into sex- in some cases, by threatening their loss of freedom. When the scandal first came to light, there was a hurried response to cover the situation up. But a brave Texas Ranger, who originally investigated the allegation, persisted until he found justice.
Governor Rick Perry appointed a conservator Jay Kimbrough to get to the bottom of the scandal. In the process, the TYC board of directors was forced to resign and several top level administrators were ousted. In a May 2, 2007 reported, Kimbrough sums up his efforts.
Over the past two months we have taken numerous actions, including:
1. Conducted new background checks on all TYC employees.
2. Organized surprise inspections of all facilities.
3. Named a new TYC Inspector General.
4. Began a reorganization of agency leadership by requiring top executives and facility superintendents to reapply for their positions.
5. Banned the hiring of convicted felons.
6. Established a command post of special investigators, created a toll-free hotline that is answered around the clock, and documented 3,000 complaints.
7. Arrested 11 employees and suspended or fired others.
8. Released 473 youths who had met their sentencing requirements or were confined for misdemeanors.
9. Created an independent panel to review TYC’s process for sentence modifications.
10. Established a statewide hotline where youths in TYC facilities can call to request free counseling services.
11. Implemented an Agency Integrity Program and informed all employees how to report issues to appropriate state and federal oversight agencies.
12. Received input on the complaint and grievance policies through focus groups with parents, youths, and staff.
13. Established a health care task force with the assistance of Senators Ogden and Duncan. Experts from Texas Tech and the University of Texas Medical Branch will expedite recommendations for an integrated health care system.
14. Identified critical internal data that can provide an early warning of how individual units are functioning.
Source: http://www.tyc.state.tx.us/about/conservator_report.html
Correspondence: Before the TYC Scandal
Subject: Proposed Legislation to Reform Texas Prison System
Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2007 08:53:17 -0600
From: "District67 Madden"
To: "Evans Rosedale"
Eddie
We hope committees will be announced this week and we can get to work. We are working hard on rewriting chapter 37 of the Education code dealing with Alternative Education Programs. We are also advocating a wonderful program called CARY in the schools and are working on putting it in the Appropriations so TEA can implement it It will provide counseling for up to a year for kids sent to In School Suspension or the District Alternative Education programs. It is aimed at middle school and should be available to the FWISD when implemented. We are looking at a complete review of TDCJ and the TYC as part of our session. I also have HB277 which is the virtual school bill which would be a great assist for alternative education programs. That is part of our new and innovative delivery systems.
Jerry Madden
________________________________________
From: Eddie Griffin
Sent: Friday, January 19, 2007 5:01 PM
Subject: Proposed Legislation to Reform Texas Prison System
Dear Jerry,
Thank you for your continuing interest in the prison situation and for consideration of the young lives wasted through the cycle of crime and punishment.
As I have explained to Brother Tatum, we need a three-fold strategy___ before, during, and after incarceration. Successful re-entry into society is the back end component we are now working on, trying to build a community support system and provide a safety net against recidivism.
Another component is the preventative side, stopping young people from going into prison to begin with, by recognizing and dealing with delinquent behavior at its earliest stages and working with schools and parents to provide viable avenues into society and away from prisons.
The third component is what happens to the inmate while incarcerated, what programs and provisions are made available that will better enable him or her to seamlessly re-integrate in society. We have been looking at the role of Project RIO and what it was legislated to accomplish and how it is being implemented in the prison system.
The Tarrant County Re-entry Council is currently studying and working on these issues. Other organizations, such as the FWISD is playing a collaborative part in their dropout prevention initiatives. The FWPD is also playing a role in crime prevent among youth and gangs. In fact, our entire community is focused on solving these problems. We are also active in solving the problem of youth in the education system, why they are not making the grades, and why so many give up before graduation. As I have written before, we need a new education delivery system and more constructive ways to engage our youth. Technology education will help keep our kids engaged in the learning and discovery process, and maybe divert them away from illegal activity, or maybe attract them into a high tech field of interest.
Thanks again,
Eddie Griffin
District67 Madden wrote:
Eddie
Thank you. Actually we probably have a little luxury in that we still have some time to react to the problem. The great thing that is happening is that a majority of our state leaders now realize that we have many prisons and they cost a lot more than good community programs would cost. The alternatives to building are looking very attractive to most of the legislators. One of the big things we will have to do is provide the alternative treatments, and the other more difficult one is to change society to keep more young people from being tempted and caught in the drug cycle. These are the areas I am really looking closely at during the coming session and will need all the help I can get in making the cultural change at the state level.
Jerry Madden
________________________________________
From: Eddie Griffin
Sent: Friday, January 12, 2007 5:12 PM
TO: State Representative Jerry Madden
FROM: Eddie Griffin
RE: Proposed Legislation to Reform Texas Prison System
Friday, January 12, 2007
Dear Representative Madden:
I recently read about the reform plan for Texas ' crowded prison system and your comments in an AMERICAN-STATESMAN article entitled “Lawmakers Close to Proposal that Would Increase Prison Treatment Programs” by Mike Ward.
You are quoted on the purpose of the legislation: "Our goal is fewer prisoners in the next decade . . . slowing the growth of prisoners," Madden said. "If more inmates can successfully complete programs and successfully re-enter society, then we spend less on prisons and society is the better for it.”
Shall I say, “Alas, the day is come that we do something about this trend of putting and keeping more and more people in prison." Again, we have reached the breaking limit with our prison population, and just to think we could depopulate one and a half prisons if there were accommodations on the outside world for them.
The Tarrant County Re-entry Council has also been studying ways to successful reintegrate ex-offenders back into society. I was also happy to hear that you have enlisted the help of two of our local ministers, Tatum and Franklin, to assist in finding the optimum ex-offender re-entry strategy.
I also have served on the Council since its inception and worked on Tatum’s Faith-Base Sub-Committee. To refresh your memory of our dialogue on this problem, I have included our last correspondence in September ‘05 about the plight of ex-offenders, and also attaching a copy of Mike Ward’s article, in case you missed it.
Thank you again, for your concern and commitment, and for your effort in getting this legislation passed.
Sincerely,
Eddie Griffin
P.S. We also ask your support House Bill 484 to give official recognition to the sector of US 287 to be permanently named Martin Luther King, Jr. Freeway, as proposed by Representative Marc Veasey, Fort Worth. Although this stretch of highway has been known as MLK Freeway since 1983, without official state recognition, the freeway could some day be renamed.
District67 Madden wrote:
Thank you for the good comments.
________________________________________
From: Eddie Griffin
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 12:51 PM
To: District67 Madden
Subject: Thank You For Relief with HB 2193
Dear Representative Jerry Madden:
Thank you so much for all of your hard work. You and your staff have contributed volumes of good legislation in this Congress, such as HB 2193 and the "Virtual School Network". In giving poor kids a chance to overcome past mistakes and opportunities to make good their hopes and dreams and expand their horizons, you in fact provide us with renewed strength not to give up. One day, we’ll be able to get in front of these kids and lead them, instead of always having to work from behind.
I have included a copy of my letter to Rep. Dan Gattis who opposed HB 2193. Why is it so hard for some people to even “think compassion”? We are not asking favors. We are asking the ex-prosecutor to have a “thought of mercy”, as you yourself have shown the way.
Thanks Again, Eddie Griffin
--------------------------------------------------------------
Representative Dan Gattis
Room EXT E2.804
P.O. Box 2910
Austin , TX 78768
Dear Honorable Dan Gattis:
In response to House Bill 2193, which would bring relief to the poor and the state’s overcrowded prison system in Texas , you are quoted as saying: "Years ago, when we had prison overcrowding, we just turned everybody loose."
Well sir, years ago, I would have been one of those “turned loose”. After serving 12 years for bank robbery, kidnapping, and hijacking a police squad car, I was released early on a 50-year sentence; otherwise, I would still be incarcerated till the year 2022. Since my release, I have successfully served a 10-year parole, which ended in 1994.
I began as a ditch digger in 1984 because there was pressure on me to find employment or return to prison. By 1990, I was Chief Operating Officer of a highly successful black engineering firm, all because another black man gave me a chance. I have since been a business consultant to over 12 companies, and some 25 or 30 tax clients. When I retired, I began volunteer community service. As a computer school volunteer, I trained and placed over 700 students from the ranks of the poor and unemployed, over 100 kids in advance computer skills, and some 20 senior citizens in restoring cognitive abilities through computer technology.
I have no reason, however, to boast of my personal accomplishments except to put my words into perspective. Everyday I thank God for the Ruiz ruling that brought relief to the Texas Prison System, A Few Years Ago.
Let’s go back A Few Years Ago to where the problem of overcrowding began.
Freedmen's Bureau Report of an Inspection of the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville , Walker County [Feb 26th 1867]
There are confined in the Prison in all including both white and black four hundred and eleven convicts. Of these two hundred and twenty five are freed people. Fourteen of the freed people are females and two hundred and eleven are males. There are no white female convicts (so considered) in the prison though two of the females that are classed as freed people are almost as white as any caucassian. They were however, before the war and until its close, slaves.
The Superintendent of the prison is Jas. Gillespie. By his permission I first examined the prison records. From these I could obtain nothing more definite than the general charge which is generally theft.
[For the rest of the report, see http://www.freedmensbureau.com/outrages.htm and http://www.freedmensbureau.com/texas/texasstateprison.htm]
A Few Years Ago, before the Confederate State of Texas surrendered to the U. S. Government forces, slave owners converted their plantations into prisons in order to preserve slavery. The plantation prisons were packed with “convicts”___ freed slaves who never got their freedom, but instead convicted on trumped up and fabricated charges. “Theft” charges usually grew out of black-white disputes over payment under the sharecropping system. To black people, at the time, if a man did not pay, the freedman took payment directly in terms of crop and livestock. This was usually their defense in court. [As an ex-prosecutor, you should know this history, since it is a living history behind the walls of TDC even today]…
The laws have since changed. The get-tough stance has led to 2.1 million people incarcerated, over 50% for minor drug possession. Along with petty thief and “joy-riding” crimes, 80% of our prison population is comprised primarily of our youth [not your kids, but our kids].
Recently, an undercover agent asked a young black kid on the street if he knew where he (the agent) could purchase some drugs. The kid punched him. The kid was arrested for assault. Back in the old days, the agent ran the risk of being shot by revolutionary street squads, whose job it was to keep drugs off the street and eliminate the traffickers.
In passing this way, let me say that I am opposed to “undercover drug operations”, not only because of the Dallas fiasco, but because agents sell on the one hand and buy back on the other. The kid who buys from undercover and turns around and sells to undercover is caught in the middle of a game he neither controls nor understands.
This is why I plead for mercy on behalf of these kids…
Sincerely, Eddie Griffin
Correspondence: Look under the Rock
Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2007 12:30:59 -0800 (PST)
From: Eddie Griffin
Subject: Safeguard Children in Criminal Justice System
To: "Jerry Madden"
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Dear Jerry,
I read the following release on AP Texas News and I realize how busy you must be at this time. Thank you for your concerns and actions.
YOUTH COMMISSION
Law officers would be stationed at Texas Youth Commission facilities to investigate abuse allegations and prevent employees from covering them up under proposals the governor put on the fast track Monday.
The legislation calls for establishing an inspector general's office at the troubled agency, where investigations showing agency officials molested young inmates went unheeded for years. A companion bill would allow counties to ask a special prosecution unit to help take the inspector general's cases to court.
Rep. Jerry Madden, a Richardson Republican and chairman of the House corrections committee, said the proposals would make it easier to bring abusers to justice.
Gov. Rick Perry declared the bills an emergency Monday to expedite the process of making them law. But several committee members said they weren't sure they could support the proposals if the inspector general reports to the commission's board.
"Are we putting the fox in charge of the hen house?" asked Rep. Pat Haggerty, a Republican from El Paso.
The Texas Senate asked Perry to fire the board and take over the troubled agency last week, after budget discussions drew attention to reports showing top officials covered up investigations showing employees had molested inmates.
Instead, Perry demoted the board's chairman, appointed a special master to conduct an independent investigation and ordered the agency's acting executive director to design and implement a rehabilitation plan.
I am reminded that we are talking here about juvenile offenders- children abused by law enforcement agents for their own personal and wanton pleasures. How many inmates in the prison system are assaulted, raped, and murdered each year? We will probably never get straight numbers, because there are cover-ups for obvious reasons. Look under the rock, you'll find the core of the problem with the Criminal Justice System.
Sincerely,
Eddie Griffin
Subject: Safeguard Children in Criminal Justice System
Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2007 08:08:09 -0600
From: "District67 Madden"
To: Eddie Griffin
Eddie
… We are looking under the rock at TYC and finding a lot of worms. We are at least moving forward with them. The one major difference we have with them at TDCJ is that their IG are commissioned cops and they have a legal requirement to investigate any criminal allegation. Doesn't mean they get great results but they have a lot more reported incidents than TYC had and I think that is due to the fact they are legally bound to do it. I can get you the number of deaths and we have the highest percentage of rape reports of any state which leads me to believe at least they are reported where other states are not.
Jerry Madden
The Texas Legislature closed out its 80th session in a whirlwind of activities, among bitter and angry bickering, down to the midnight wire. As a result, some legislative proposals died on the operating table. Of the 10,854 proposals presented this session, only 5,023 passed, most during the waning hours of the deadline. Fortunately, the main series of Texas Youth Commission (TYC) bills won approval of both Houses before the logjam.
In a May 26 email from Jerry Madden, House Corrections Committee Chairman, He writes:
There is nothing in the TYC Bill that builds any prisons. We do have in the Appropriations act that 2 facilities, Marlin and San Saba will be turned over to TDCJ and so will not be used for incarcerating youth. We also expect that there will be added closings of facilities by TYC probably 2 or 3 units. We do have in Appropriations money to build one new unit close to a metropolitan area so that we can keep youth closer to home. I think that is a good idea and we would not have to house them in old worn out facilities that in some cases may not be safe; We have a lot more money for integration and juvenile probation to try to keep youth from being sent to TYC...We also have all the funding we requested for our diversion beds which will have a major positive effect on our communities. While there is still more to do we have come a long way in a short time this session.
At last, some of our juveniles are coming home from prison. Also, the legislators have put in place a safeguard to prevent youth offender with misdemeanor offenses from being incarcerated like Shaquanda Cotton, the 14-year old high school student locked away for up to seven years of her life for pushing a teacher’s aide. Cotton was among the first of 473 juveniles released, after it was discovered that she had been held past her sentence for a minor institutional infraction- to wit, possession of a contraband extra pair of socks.
TYC came under sharp criticism after it was discovered that high level administrators were coercing the children into sex- in some cases, by threatening their loss of freedom. When the scandal first came to light, there was a hurried response to cover the situation up. But a brave Texas Ranger, who originally investigated the allegation, persisted until he found justice.
Governor Rick Perry appointed a conservator Jay Kimbrough to get to the bottom of the scandal. In the process, the TYC board of directors was forced to resign and several top level administrators were ousted. In a May 2, 2007 reported, Kimbrough sums up his efforts.
Over the past two months we have taken numerous actions, including:
1. Conducted new background checks on all TYC employees.
2. Organized surprise inspections of all facilities.
3. Named a new TYC Inspector General.
4. Began a reorganization of agency leadership by requiring top executives and facility superintendents to reapply for their positions.
5. Banned the hiring of convicted felons.
6. Established a command post of special investigators, created a toll-free hotline that is answered around the clock, and documented 3,000 complaints.
7. Arrested 11 employees and suspended or fired others.
8. Released 473 youths who had met their sentencing requirements or were confined for misdemeanors.
9. Created an independent panel to review TYC’s process for sentence modifications.
10. Established a statewide hotline where youths in TYC facilities can call to request free counseling services.
11. Implemented an Agency Integrity Program and informed all employees how to report issues to appropriate state and federal oversight agencies.
12. Received input on the complaint and grievance policies through focus groups with parents, youths, and staff.
13. Established a health care task force with the assistance of Senators Ogden and Duncan. Experts from Texas Tech and the University of Texas Medical Branch will expedite recommendations for an integrated health care system.
14. Identified critical internal data that can provide an early warning of how individual units are functioning.
Source: http://www.tyc.state.tx.us/about/conservator_report.html
Correspondence: Before the TYC Scandal
Subject: Proposed Legislation to Reform Texas Prison System
Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2007 08:53:17 -0600
From: "District67 Madden"
To: "Evans Rosedale"
Eddie
We hope committees will be announced this week and we can get to work. We are working hard on rewriting chapter 37 of the Education code dealing with Alternative Education Programs. We are also advocating a wonderful program called CARY in the schools and are working on putting it in the Appropriations so TEA can implement it It will provide counseling for up to a year for kids sent to In School Suspension or the District Alternative Education programs. It is aimed at middle school and should be available to the FWISD when implemented. We are looking at a complete review of TDCJ and the TYC as part of our session. I also have HB277 which is the virtual school bill which would be a great assist for alternative education programs. That is part of our new and innovative delivery systems.
Jerry Madden
________________________________________
From: Eddie Griffin
Sent: Friday, January 19, 2007 5:01 PM
Subject: Proposed Legislation to Reform Texas Prison System
Dear Jerry,
Thank you for your continuing interest in the prison situation and for consideration of the young lives wasted through the cycle of crime and punishment.
As I have explained to Brother Tatum, we need a three-fold strategy___ before, during, and after incarceration. Successful re-entry into society is the back end component we are now working on, trying to build a community support system and provide a safety net against recidivism.
Another component is the preventative side, stopping young people from going into prison to begin with, by recognizing and dealing with delinquent behavior at its earliest stages and working with schools and parents to provide viable avenues into society and away from prisons.
The third component is what happens to the inmate while incarcerated, what programs and provisions are made available that will better enable him or her to seamlessly re-integrate in society. We have been looking at the role of Project RIO and what it was legislated to accomplish and how it is being implemented in the prison system.
The Tarrant County Re-entry Council is currently studying and working on these issues. Other organizations, such as the FWISD is playing a collaborative part in their dropout prevention initiatives. The FWPD is also playing a role in crime prevent among youth and gangs. In fact, our entire community is focused on solving these problems. We are also active in solving the problem of youth in the education system, why they are not making the grades, and why so many give up before graduation. As I have written before, we need a new education delivery system and more constructive ways to engage our youth. Technology education will help keep our kids engaged in the learning and discovery process, and maybe divert them away from illegal activity, or maybe attract them into a high tech field of interest.
Thanks again,
Eddie Griffin
District67 Madden
Eddie
Thank you. Actually we probably have a little luxury in that we still have some time to react to the problem. The great thing that is happening is that a majority of our state leaders now realize that we have many prisons and they cost a lot more than good community programs would cost. The alternatives to building are looking very attractive to most of the legislators. One of the big things we will have to do is provide the alternative treatments, and the other more difficult one is to change society to keep more young people from being tempted and caught in the drug cycle. These are the areas I am really looking closely at during the coming session and will need all the help I can get in making the cultural change at the state level.
Jerry Madden
________________________________________
From: Eddie Griffin
Sent: Friday, January 12, 2007 5:12 PM
TO: State Representative Jerry Madden
FROM: Eddie Griffin
RE: Proposed Legislation to Reform Texas Prison System
Friday, January 12, 2007
Dear Representative Madden:
I recently read about the reform plan for Texas ' crowded prison system and your comments in an AMERICAN-STATESMAN article entitled “Lawmakers Close to Proposal that Would Increase Prison Treatment Programs” by Mike Ward.
You are quoted on the purpose of the legislation: "Our goal is fewer prisoners in the next decade . . . slowing the growth of prisoners," Madden said. "If more inmates can successfully complete programs and successfully re-enter society, then we spend less on prisons and society is the better for it.”
Shall I say, “Alas, the day is come that we do something about this trend of putting and keeping more and more people in prison." Again, we have reached the breaking limit with our prison population, and just to think we could depopulate one and a half prisons if there were accommodations on the outside world for them.
The Tarrant County Re-entry Council has also been studying ways to successful reintegrate ex-offenders back into society. I was also happy to hear that you have enlisted the help of two of our local ministers, Tatum and Franklin, to assist in finding the optimum ex-offender re-entry strategy.
I also have served on the Council since its inception and worked on Tatum’s Faith-Base Sub-Committee. To refresh your memory of our dialogue on this problem, I have included our last correspondence in September ‘05 about the plight of ex-offenders, and also attaching a copy of Mike Ward’s article, in case you missed it.
Thank you again, for your concern and commitment, and for your effort in getting this legislation passed.
Sincerely,
Eddie Griffin
P.S. We also ask your support House Bill 484 to give official recognition to the sector of US 287 to be permanently named Martin Luther King, Jr. Freeway, as proposed by Representative Marc Veasey, Fort Worth. Although this stretch of highway has been known as MLK Freeway since 1983, without official state recognition, the freeway could some day be renamed.
District67 Madden
Thank you for the good comments.
________________________________________
From: Eddie Griffin
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 12:51 PM
To: District67 Madden
Subject: Thank You For Relief with HB 2193
Dear Representative Jerry Madden:
Thank you so much for all of your hard work. You and your staff have contributed volumes of good legislation in this Congress, such as HB 2193 and the "Virtual School Network". In giving poor kids a chance to overcome past mistakes and opportunities to make good their hopes and dreams and expand their horizons, you in fact provide us with renewed strength not to give up. One day, we’ll be able to get in front of these kids and lead them, instead of always having to work from behind.
I have included a copy of my letter to Rep. Dan Gattis who opposed HB 2193. Why is it so hard for some people to even “think compassion”? We are not asking favors. We are asking the ex-prosecutor to have a “thought of mercy”, as you yourself have shown the way.
Thanks Again, Eddie Griffin
--------------------------------------------------------------
Representative Dan Gattis
Room EXT E2.804
P.O. Box 2910
Austin , TX 78768
Dear Honorable Dan Gattis:
In response to House Bill 2193, which would bring relief to the poor and the state’s overcrowded prison system in Texas , you are quoted as saying: "Years ago, when we had prison overcrowding, we just turned everybody loose."
Well sir, years ago, I would have been one of those “turned loose”. After serving 12 years for bank robbery, kidnapping, and hijacking a police squad car, I was released early on a 50-year sentence; otherwise, I would still be incarcerated till the year 2022. Since my release, I have successfully served a 10-year parole, which ended in 1994.
I began as a ditch digger in 1984 because there was pressure on me to find employment or return to prison. By 1990, I was Chief Operating Officer of a highly successful black engineering firm, all because another black man gave me a chance. I have since been a business consultant to over 12 companies, and some 25 or 30 tax clients. When I retired, I began volunteer community service. As a computer school volunteer, I trained and placed over 700 students from the ranks of the poor and unemployed, over 100 kids in advance computer skills, and some 20 senior citizens in restoring cognitive abilities through computer technology.
I have no reason, however, to boast of my personal accomplishments except to put my words into perspective. Everyday I thank God for the Ruiz ruling that brought relief to the Texas Prison System, A Few Years Ago.
Let’s go back A Few Years Ago to where the problem of overcrowding began.
Freedmen's Bureau Report of an Inspection of the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville , Walker County [Feb 26th 1867]
There are confined in the Prison in all including both white and black four hundred and eleven convicts. Of these two hundred and twenty five are freed people. Fourteen of the freed people are females and two hundred and eleven are males. There are no white female convicts (so considered) in the prison though two of the females that are classed as freed people are almost as white as any caucassian. They were however, before the war and until its close, slaves.
The Superintendent of the prison is Jas. Gillespie. By his permission I first examined the prison records. From these I could obtain nothing more definite than the general charge which is generally theft.
[For the rest of the report, see http://www.freedmensbureau.com/outrages.htm and http://www.freedmensbureau.com/texas/texasstateprison.htm]
A Few Years Ago, before the Confederate State of Texas surrendered to the U. S. Government forces, slave owners converted their plantations into prisons in order to preserve slavery. The plantation prisons were packed with “convicts”___ freed slaves who never got their freedom, but instead convicted on trumped up and fabricated charges. “Theft” charges usually grew out of black-white disputes over payment under the sharecropping system. To black people, at the time, if a man did not pay, the freedman took payment directly in terms of crop and livestock. This was usually their defense in court. [As an ex-prosecutor, you should know this history, since it is a living history behind the walls of TDC even today]…
The laws have since changed. The get-tough stance has led to 2.1 million people incarcerated, over 50% for minor drug possession. Along with petty thief and “joy-riding” crimes, 80% of our prison population is comprised primarily of our youth [not your kids, but our kids].
Recently, an undercover agent asked a young black kid on the street if he knew where he (the agent) could purchase some drugs. The kid punched him. The kid was arrested for assault. Back in the old days, the agent ran the risk of being shot by revolutionary street squads, whose job it was to keep drugs off the street and eliminate the traffickers.
In passing this way, let me say that I am opposed to “undercover drug operations”, not only because of the Dallas fiasco, but because agents sell on the one hand and buy back on the other. The kid who buys from undercover and turns around and sells to undercover is caught in the middle of a game he neither controls nor understands.
This is why I plead for mercy on behalf of these kids…
Sincerely, Eddie Griffin
Correspondence: Look under the Rock
Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2007 12:30:59 -0800 (PST)
From: Eddie Griffin
Subject: Safeguard Children in Criminal Justice System
To: "Jerry Madden"
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Dear Jerry,
I read the following release on AP Texas News and I realize how busy you must be at this time. Thank you for your concerns and actions.
YOUTH COMMISSION
Law officers would be stationed at Texas Youth Commission facilities to investigate abuse allegations and prevent employees from covering them up under proposals the governor put on the fast track Monday.
The legislation calls for establishing an inspector general's office at the troubled agency, where investigations showing agency officials molested young inmates went unheeded for years. A companion bill would allow counties to ask a special prosecution unit to help take the inspector general's cases to court.
Rep. Jerry Madden, a Richardson Republican and chairman of the House corrections committee, said the proposals would make it easier to bring abusers to justice.
Gov. Rick Perry declared the bills an emergency Monday to expedite the process of making them law. But several committee members said they weren't sure they could support the proposals if the inspector general reports to the commission's board.
"Are we putting the fox in charge of the hen house?" asked Rep. Pat Haggerty, a Republican from El Paso.
The Texas Senate asked Perry to fire the board and take over the troubled agency last week, after budget discussions drew attention to reports showing top officials covered up investigations showing employees had molested inmates.
Instead, Perry demoted the board's chairman, appointed a special master to conduct an independent investigation and ordered the agency's acting executive director to design and implement a rehabilitation plan.
I am reminded that we are talking here about juvenile offenders- children abused by law enforcement agents for their own personal and wanton pleasures. How many inmates in the prison system are assaulted, raped, and murdered each year? We will probably never get straight numbers, because there are cover-ups for obvious reasons. Look under the rock, you'll find the core of the problem with the Criminal Justice System.
Sincerely,
Eddie Griffin
Subject: Safeguard Children in Criminal Justice System
Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2007 08:08:09 -0600
From: "District67 Madden"
To: Eddie Griffin
Eddie
… We are looking under the rock at TYC and finding a lot of worms. We are at least moving forward with them. The one major difference we have with them at TDCJ is that their IG are commissioned cops and they have a legal requirement to investigate any criminal allegation. Doesn't mean they get great results but they have a lot more reported incidents than TYC had and I think that is due to the fact they are legally bound to do it. I can get you the number of deaths and we have the highest percentage of rape reports of any state which leads me to believe at least they are reported where other states are not.
Jerry Madden
Friday, May 25, 2007
Want Milk?
Then Sign the new Minimum Wage Bill
President George Bush wants more funds for the troops in Iraq, people in hell want ice water, and the baby needs milk. So, what else is new?
George Bush may get his wish, however, and the baby may get milk with the new War Funding Bill- sorry, we can’t do anything for people in Hades, though.
According to an AP report, the new minimum wage increase is packaged in the latest war funding bill that passed the House 208-142 and the Senate 80-14. The provision provides for a $2.10 increase over a three-year span, from $5.15 an hour to $7.25, which will boast the earning of 5.6 million low-income workers.
The Republicans and Democrats have been wrangling over a minimum wage increase for the past several years. The last increase came September 1, 1997.
A jubilant Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) proclaimed the increase to be one of “the proudest achievements of this new Congress”, which had made the minimum wage raise one of its chief 100-day priorities for passage. President George Bush concurred that it was something amenable to him, but only after the Republicans lost both Houses in the November elections. However, the wage bill remained buried under the ruble of a bitter congressional bomb-shelling over the Iraq War. Now, as funding for the troops runs short, George Bush finds himself back at the trough- more milk, please.
I am not surprised to see some my friends and colleagues in Congress, who once vehemently opposed the wage hike, now change their votes- which goes to show that somewhere in all this, there is an area of compromise.
With the signature of the President of the United States, I can breathe a sigh of relief. The battle for a livable wage is over- at least, for now.
President George Bush wants more funds for the troops in Iraq, people in hell want ice water, and the baby needs milk. So, what else is new?
George Bush may get his wish, however, and the baby may get milk with the new War Funding Bill- sorry, we can’t do anything for people in Hades, though.
According to an AP report, the new minimum wage increase is packaged in the latest war funding bill that passed the House 208-142 and the Senate 80-14. The provision provides for a $2.10 increase over a three-year span, from $5.15 an hour to $7.25, which will boast the earning of 5.6 million low-income workers.
The Republicans and Democrats have been wrangling over a minimum wage increase for the past several years. The last increase came September 1, 1997.
A jubilant Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) proclaimed the increase to be one of “the proudest achievements of this new Congress”, which had made the minimum wage raise one of its chief 100-day priorities for passage. President George Bush concurred that it was something amenable to him, but only after the Republicans lost both Houses in the November elections. However, the wage bill remained buried under the ruble of a bitter congressional bomb-shelling over the Iraq War. Now, as funding for the troops runs short, George Bush finds himself back at the trough- more milk, please.
I am not surprised to see some my friends and colleagues in Congress, who once vehemently opposed the wage hike, now change their votes- which goes to show that somewhere in all this, there is an area of compromise.
With the signature of the President of the United States, I can breathe a sigh of relief. The battle for a livable wage is over- at least, for now.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Going to Jail
Thursday, May 24, 2007
This is not the way I like to start the day- in a heated exchange with a police officer. But that’s what happened this morning. And, I found myself on the brink of incurring the wrath of the Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD).
I got caught up in a boyfriend-girlfriend domestic dispute that had turned volatile and the FWPD was called in to resolve it. GEEZ! This is the story of my life, it seems- getting a late-night or early-morning phone call. A domestic situation is out of hand.
Last week, it was a 14-year boy getting kicked out of the house by an angry father and mother, and the boy refusing to go, having nowhere else to live. The FWPD was called first. I was called second.
This time it was a 43-year old boyfriend and his live-in girlfriend. A dispute between them escalated to the point where the boyfriend was throwing the girlfriend and her children out his house. The boyfriend in this case was my cousin.
The officer-in-charge was grilling my cousin Ben about the hostilities. I could see that Ben was nervous. After all, he was a black muscular ex-offender on parole- an intimidating figure to some. But he was trying to do the right thing, he said, by calling 911 before tension between he and his girlfriend got out of control. He was visibly shaking as the officer-in-charge questioned him. That’s when I tried to step in.
The officer immediately turned on me, as if to say, “Butt out”. I insisted on getting a word in edgewise. The officer informed me that I was interfering with him taking care of his duties.
“He’s on medication,” I blurted out in a short spurt.
“He seems to be talking very well for himself to me,” the officer persisted, even before my words could sink in. Here is where abnormal behavior looked normal to the officer.
“He may sound okay to you, but not to me. He is mentally incapacitated,” I replied.
If the officer had continued to insist, I would have told him that Ben had been adjudicated by the courts to be mentally incapacitated. The kid had been shot in the brain at an early age by the “silver bullet” (crack cocaine). He has never been the same since, which is why he receives a disability check each month. Had I let the officer-in-charge continue to badger him, Ben would have blown up and gone to jail.
Sad that anyone should have gone to jail in that situation. But the girlfriend did, because she had outstanding warrants. She had to leave her three children behind with her elderly mother.
Where does it end?
This is not the way I like to start the day- in a heated exchange with a police officer. But that’s what happened this morning. And, I found myself on the brink of incurring the wrath of the Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD).
I got caught up in a boyfriend-girlfriend domestic dispute that had turned volatile and the FWPD was called in to resolve it. GEEZ! This is the story of my life, it seems- getting a late-night or early-morning phone call. A domestic situation is out of hand.
Last week, it was a 14-year boy getting kicked out of the house by an angry father and mother, and the boy refusing to go, having nowhere else to live. The FWPD was called first. I was called second.
This time it was a 43-year old boyfriend and his live-in girlfriend. A dispute between them escalated to the point where the boyfriend was throwing the girlfriend and her children out his house. The boyfriend in this case was my cousin.
The officer-in-charge was grilling my cousin Ben about the hostilities. I could see that Ben was nervous. After all, he was a black muscular ex-offender on parole- an intimidating figure to some. But he was trying to do the right thing, he said, by calling 911 before tension between he and his girlfriend got out of control. He was visibly shaking as the officer-in-charge questioned him. That’s when I tried to step in.
The officer immediately turned on me, as if to say, “Butt out”. I insisted on getting a word in edgewise. The officer informed me that I was interfering with him taking care of his duties.
“He’s on medication,” I blurted out in a short spurt.
“He seems to be talking very well for himself to me,” the officer persisted, even before my words could sink in. Here is where abnormal behavior looked normal to the officer.
“He may sound okay to you, but not to me. He is mentally incapacitated,” I replied.
If the officer had continued to insist, I would have told him that Ben had been adjudicated by the courts to be mentally incapacitated. The kid had been shot in the brain at an early age by the “silver bullet” (crack cocaine). He has never been the same since, which is why he receives a disability check each month. Had I let the officer-in-charge continue to badger him, Ben would have blown up and gone to jail.
Sad that anyone should have gone to jail in that situation. But the girlfriend did, because she had outstanding warrants. She had to leave her three children behind with her elderly mother.
Where does it end?
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Will Dual Enrollment Help Black Boys?
Baby Moses Project looks at possible solutions
From Annie Pettway, Director Community College of Allegheny County:
Can High Schools integrate college course requirements for African American Males in the 9th grade? Allowing them to come to a college campus on a daily basis.
Eddie Griffin:
Allowing black boys in the 9th grade to visit college campuses on a daily basis is a grand idea, as far as socialization and acclamation into a post-secondary academic environment. Maybe it would affect their motivation and post-graduation aspirations. But every child is not cut out for traditional college and too many African-American boys are financially insecure… (There is no reason to go into debt in seeking a college education when there is no guarantee of post-graduation employment). Most of their needs are centered on the immediate future.
Since a technical and vocational education promises a more immediate reward of a 2-year technical degree, AA, or certification, it would seem that African-American boys should begin building foundational trade and career skills as early as possible. Dual enrollment and daily excursions to technical colleges and schools can become a “wonder world” experience for them.
Seeing also, that there is declining support for affirmative action and the Top 10% Rule, race-balancing education pushes black boys away from classic academicals careers toward hands-on trades, such as electronics over English Literature.
Since their needs are immediate, then we should also introduced them to early certification trades and professions, so that by the time they graduate high school, their accounting certification (for example) can lead them directly into internships and apprenticeship programs with an accounting firm.
Henry M. Levin:
I have seen many examples of dual enrollment programs that have shown effectiveness for black males. It is not only the content of the college courses, but familiarity with expectations for success and college role models seem to have very positive results on aspirations and behavior that lead to educational success. My colleague, Melissa Karp at the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University has done considerable research on the development of successful dual enrollment programs.
Melinda Merchur Karp
Research Associate
Community College Research Center,
Teachers College, Columbia University
Box 174, 439 Thorndike Hall
525 West 120th Street
New York, NY 10027
Phone: 212-678-3430
mjm305@columbia.edu
Dear Melinda Karp:
I read about your “dual enrollment” program idea designed for high school students from an online chat between Dr. Henry Levin and Annie Pettway, Director Community College of Allegheny County- although your name was misspelled in the article. (See Q&A Dialogue)
The discussion centered on Dr. Levin strategy for saving African-American male students from a life of poverty and self-destruction. Pettyway suggested that African-American boys should be acclimated to the college environment as early as the 9th grade.
Traditionally, African-American strengths have been in vocational fields, such as dress-making, cooking, woodshop, and metal shop, which are still very good vocations today. However, we, as a society, have not gone back and updated those vocational curricula at the high school level. Neither have we successfully integrated the high tech business world into today’s high school environment, nor explored technical curricula leading to student certification and immediate employability. We have not expanded office literacy skills and professional development courses at the high school level.
Here is where I believe daily excursions into the wonder world of a technical, vocational, and career development colleges can come into the picture. These trades and vocational schools, like DeVry Institute and others, can provide a different mode of educational delivery- the Over-the-Shoulder method of teaching and learning.
These schools cut away much of the academic rigor that impedes African-American boys whose aptitude could be more mechanically or artistically inclined.
I thought that this would be the perfect model for African-American boys. Not only would the child benefit, but the public school system and the vocational, trades, and professional development school with campuses could be well served by such a dual enrollment.
In fact, it would be best for middle or high school students to start the day on the college campus, where punctuality can be regimented. From there, students could be bussed back to their individual schools, for a half-day of high school academic curriculum required to pass state mandated testing.
In this scenario, the young student acquires safety net skills to fall back on. In case all else fails, he can still be a certified welder or plumber making better-than-average wages, even if he drops out or fail to graduate from high school.
What are your thoughts on the issue?
Eddie Griffin (BASG)
From Annie Pettway, Director Community College of Allegheny County:
Can High Schools integrate college course requirements for African American Males in the 9th grade? Allowing them to come to a college campus on a daily basis.
Eddie Griffin:
Allowing black boys in the 9th grade to visit college campuses on a daily basis is a grand idea, as far as socialization and acclamation into a post-secondary academic environment. Maybe it would affect their motivation and post-graduation aspirations. But every child is not cut out for traditional college and too many African-American boys are financially insecure… (There is no reason to go into debt in seeking a college education when there is no guarantee of post-graduation employment). Most of their needs are centered on the immediate future.
Since a technical and vocational education promises a more immediate reward of a 2-year technical degree, AA, or certification, it would seem that African-American boys should begin building foundational trade and career skills as early as possible. Dual enrollment and daily excursions to technical colleges and schools can become a “wonder world” experience for them.
Seeing also, that there is declining support for affirmative action and the Top 10% Rule, race-balancing education pushes black boys away from classic academicals careers toward hands-on trades, such as electronics over English Literature.
Since their needs are immediate, then we should also introduced them to early certification trades and professions, so that by the time they graduate high school, their accounting certification (for example) can lead them directly into internships and apprenticeship programs with an accounting firm.
Henry M. Levin:
I have seen many examples of dual enrollment programs that have shown effectiveness for black males. It is not only the content of the college courses, but familiarity with expectations for success and college role models seem to have very positive results on aspirations and behavior that lead to educational success. My colleague, Melissa Karp at the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University has done considerable research on the development of successful dual enrollment programs.
Melinda Merchur Karp
Research Associate
Community College Research Center,
Teachers College, Columbia University
Box 174, 439 Thorndike Hall
525 West 120th Street
New York, NY 10027
Phone: 212-678-3430
mjm305@columbia.edu
Dear Melinda Karp:
I read about your “dual enrollment” program idea designed for high school students from an online chat between Dr. Henry Levin and Annie Pettway, Director Community College of Allegheny County- although your name was misspelled in the article. (See Q&A Dialogue)
The discussion centered on Dr. Levin strategy for saving African-American male students from a life of poverty and self-destruction. Pettyway suggested that African-American boys should be acclimated to the college environment as early as the 9th grade.
Traditionally, African-American strengths have been in vocational fields, such as dress-making, cooking, woodshop, and metal shop, which are still very good vocations today. However, we, as a society, have not gone back and updated those vocational curricula at the high school level. Neither have we successfully integrated the high tech business world into today’s high school environment, nor explored technical curricula leading to student certification and immediate employability. We have not expanded office literacy skills and professional development courses at the high school level.
Here is where I believe daily excursions into the wonder world of a technical, vocational, and career development colleges can come into the picture. These trades and vocational schools, like DeVry Institute and others, can provide a different mode of educational delivery- the Over-the-Shoulder method of teaching and learning.
These schools cut away much of the academic rigor that impedes African-American boys whose aptitude could be more mechanically or artistically inclined.
I thought that this would be the perfect model for African-American boys. Not only would the child benefit, but the public school system and the vocational, trades, and professional development school with campuses could be well served by such a dual enrollment.
In fact, it would be best for middle or high school students to start the day on the college campus, where punctuality can be regimented. From there, students could be bussed back to their individual schools, for a half-day of high school academic curriculum required to pass state mandated testing.
In this scenario, the young student acquires safety net skills to fall back on. In case all else fails, he can still be a certified welder or plumber making better-than-average wages, even if he drops out or fail to graduate from high school.
What are your thoughts on the issue?
Eddie Griffin (BASG)
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
IMMIGRATION REFORM:
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
I admit that I hate to look, because every time I look at the proposed Immigration Reform Bill, it goes from worse to worse the closer it comes to a compromise in the Senate.
I received the WHITE HOUSE Fact Sheet: Fair and Secure Immigration Reform
The concept of “fairness” is relative. What may be fair to you could be unfair to me? Let’s not turn this illusion of “fairness” into a fact. Let’s look at the Whitehouse facts, and let’s judge if it’s fair or not.
In the life of a people, there is always a migration toward survival and human betterment. This is how I see the migration from poverty south of the border. It is a law of nature to migrate to higher ground, greener pastors, and fresher water. So, they migrate to the Land of Plenty- where there is plenty of work, plenty of food, and enough to spare.
President George said, “I cannot tell a lie”- that was George the First, this is George the Last. Guess what he said:
America is a welcoming nation, and the hard work and strength of our immigrants have made our Nation prosperous. Many immigrants and sons and daughters of immigrants have joined the military to help safeguard the liberty of America. Illegal immigration, however, creates an underclass of workers, afraid and vulnerable to exploitation. Current immigration law can also hinder companies from finding willing workers. The visas now available do not allow employers to fill jobs in many key sectors of our economy. Workers risk their lives in dangerous and illegal border crossings and are consigned to live their lives in the shadows. Without harming the economic security of Americans, reform of our Nation's immigration laws will create a system that is fairer, more consistent, and more compassionate.
“America is a welcoming nation” is an unqualified statement, especially in President Bush home state of Texas, where recently the city of Farmers Branch voted overwhelmingly to deny residency to undocumented Hispanic and Latinos. No, America is not a welcoming nation if we look at Farmers Branch, Texas. Unwelcoming is an understatement. Obstinate in accommodating their neighbors is a more accurate discription. Of course, what else can you expect from Texas where the governor declared people should be allowed to carry their guns everywhere, even to church. [O Ye of little faith]
The Whitehouse statement announced:
Today, President Bush proposed a new temporary worker program to match willing foreign workers with willing U.S. employers when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs. The program would be open to new foreign workers, and to the undocumented men and women currently employed in the U.S. This new program would allow workers who currently hold jobs to come out of hiding and participate legally in America's economy while not encouraging further illegal behavior.
President Bush also asked Congress to work with him to achieve significant immigration reform that protects the homeland by controlling the borders; serves America's economy by matching a willing worker with a willing employer; promotes compassion for unprotected workers; provides incentives for temporary workers to return to their home countries and families; protects the rights of legal immigrants while not unfairly rewarding those who came here unlawfully or hope to do so. This legislation must also meet the Nation's economic needs and live up to the promise and values of America.
The statement goes on to say:
President Bush does not support amnesty because individuals who violate America's laws should not be rewarded for illegal behavior and because amnesty perpetuates illegal immigration. The President proposes that the Federal Government offer temporary worker status to undocumented men and women now employed in the United States and to those in foreign countries who have been offered employment here. The workers under temporary status must pay a one-time fee to register in the program, abide by the rules, and return home after their period of work expires. There would be an opportunity for renewal. In the future, only people outside the U.S. may join the temporary worker program, and there will be an orderly system in place to address the needs of workers and companies.
Promotes compassion for unprotected workers? What is compassion- come out of hiding, pay a hefty fine, go back home, pay a hefty application fee to return to the States (at the whims of the government), and fight and kill each other at the border over few jobs and drug trade?
Come on, Mr. President.
Sincerely,
Eddie Griffin (BASG)
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
I admit that I hate to look, because every time I look at the proposed Immigration Reform Bill, it goes from worse to worse the closer it comes to a compromise in the Senate.
I received the WHITE HOUSE Fact Sheet: Fair and Secure Immigration Reform
The concept of “fairness” is relative. What may be fair to you could be unfair to me? Let’s not turn this illusion of “fairness” into a fact. Let’s look at the Whitehouse facts, and let’s judge if it’s fair or not.
In the life of a people, there is always a migration toward survival and human betterment. This is how I see the migration from poverty south of the border. It is a law of nature to migrate to higher ground, greener pastors, and fresher water. So, they migrate to the Land of Plenty- where there is plenty of work, plenty of food, and enough to spare.
President George said, “I cannot tell a lie”- that was George the First, this is George the Last. Guess what he said:
America is a welcoming nation, and the hard work and strength of our immigrants have made our Nation prosperous. Many immigrants and sons and daughters of immigrants have joined the military to help safeguard the liberty of America. Illegal immigration, however, creates an underclass of workers, afraid and vulnerable to exploitation. Current immigration law can also hinder companies from finding willing workers. The visas now available do not allow employers to fill jobs in many key sectors of our economy. Workers risk their lives in dangerous and illegal border crossings and are consigned to live their lives in the shadows. Without harming the economic security of Americans, reform of our Nation's immigration laws will create a system that is fairer, more consistent, and more compassionate.
“America is a welcoming nation” is an unqualified statement, especially in President Bush home state of Texas, where recently the city of Farmers Branch voted overwhelmingly to deny residency to undocumented Hispanic and Latinos. No, America is not a welcoming nation if we look at Farmers Branch, Texas. Unwelcoming is an understatement. Obstinate in accommodating their neighbors is a more accurate discription. Of course, what else can you expect from Texas where the governor declared people should be allowed to carry their guns everywhere, even to church. [O Ye of little faith]
The Whitehouse statement announced:
Today, President Bush proposed a new temporary worker program to match willing foreign workers with willing U.S. employers when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs. The program would be open to new foreign workers, and to the undocumented men and women currently employed in the U.S. This new program would allow workers who currently hold jobs to come out of hiding and participate legally in America's economy while not encouraging further illegal behavior.
President Bush also asked Congress to work with him to achieve significant immigration reform that protects the homeland by controlling the borders; serves America's economy by matching a willing worker with a willing employer; promotes compassion for unprotected workers; provides incentives for temporary workers to return to their home countries and families; protects the rights of legal immigrants while not unfairly rewarding those who came here unlawfully or hope to do so. This legislation must also meet the Nation's economic needs and live up to the promise and values of America.
The statement goes on to say:
President Bush does not support amnesty because individuals who violate America's laws should not be rewarded for illegal behavior and because amnesty perpetuates illegal immigration. The President proposes that the Federal Government offer temporary worker status to undocumented men and women now employed in the United States and to those in foreign countries who have been offered employment here. The workers under temporary status must pay a one-time fee to register in the program, abide by the rules, and return home after their period of work expires. There would be an opportunity for renewal. In the future, only people outside the U.S. may join the temporary worker program, and there will be an orderly system in place to address the needs of workers and companies.
Promotes compassion for unprotected workers? What is compassion- come out of hiding, pay a hefty fine, go back home, pay a hefty application fee to return to the States (at the whims of the government), and fight and kill each other at the border over few jobs and drug trade?
Come on, Mr. President.
Sincerely,
Eddie Griffin (BASG)
Early Intervention: Before the First Step
The Baby Moses Project Examines the Black Boy Crisis
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
From barry.golden@dpi.state.wi.us
To what extent do you think early intervention might help Black male students at ages: 0-3 working with families 3-5 working with families and classroom 3-5 just in classrooms
Henry M. Levin:
I think that early intervention is any extremely important part of the solution of addressing the needs of black males. Precisely what this looks like and at what ages is open to discussion. The Abecederian experiment provided unusually strong positive educational results that extend into adulthood. Further, pediatric neurologists such as Jack Shonkoff have written extensively on the evolution of brain development that supports the empirical evidence on learning. However, this does not mean that it is "too late" to begin at ages 3-5. My best guess is that earlier is better, but that development in the 3-5 year old age range can be very significant as we have learned from many evaluations of "high quality" programs in this age range (not only Perry Preschool or Chicago Child and Parent Centers).
Eddie Griffin
Let’s slip hairs between “early intervention” and “early childhood development”. I wish to concentrate first on Intervention. The primary objective is to save the black boy’s life. Therefore, all intervention must focus primarily on the preservation of life, and secondly, on the quality of the child’s learning experience.
A child born into a barren environment is not going to develop neurologically as fast as a child born into an enriched environment. Being born into a healthy environment is also a key factor. Malnutrition can slow the growth rate of a child’s brains. There are other economic factors that impede a black boy’s optimal growth, but a nurturing environment is paramount.
Of course, it is the primary responsibility of the parent to provide a nurturing environment to the child. But that is usually the first and last good advice given by would-be do-gooders. If the parent is incapable of nurturing the child- whether because of economic distress, mental stability, age maturity, or whatever- the child must still be provided for, independent of the parent’s situation.
Here, we tend to leave this gray area in the hands of the Child Protection agencies. And, this is where the major failure occurs in terms of neglected children- children who fall through the cracks of social services. Like Gypsies, they and their parent(s) wonder from charity to charity, trying to survive, where survival is measured day-by-day. These unstable homes are the subjects of most child abuse cases. What is amazing is that few people see the correlation between the child abused at home and the bruised attitude he brings to school.
It may be of interest to study these efforts for academic improvement- i.e. Abecederian experiment, Perry Preschool, and Chicago Child and Parent Centers- to discover new methods of early childhood development and find which tools work best for small African-American male children.
The fact that pediatric neurologists have discovered a correlation between early education and the brain’s development comes as no great surprise. This suggests that our head-start childhood development strategy must begin at the initial stage of cognition. In essence, when a child wakes up in life, what does he find himself surround by? Is it dark, bleak, and barren, full of angry voices and shouting and cursing and fighting, like with children born to parents on the skids? What happens when these kids go to school? Or, does the child wake up in life and finds a surrounding of a loving mother and father, plenty of good nutritional food, pictures and hangings around the wall, television, and games? What becomes of these children in comparison to the former?
There are small enrichments that can have a great impact on small children. Besides having basic food staples, being surrounded by books can generate curiosity and a desire to learn and read at an early age. Game Theory suggests that mind-building toys and challenging games enhances the complex neurological webs inside the child’s brain. Walls full of pictures can give a child a sense of identity must better than a mirror.
We, as educators, look more upon the macro things and ignore the significance of the micro things.
I have found in the case of my own “challenged” (step) children that providing an environment enriched with educational supports tend to supplement and reinforce what they learned in school. I subscribed to Popular Science and Popular Mechanics for my son, who was diagnosed with ADHD. For my daughter, with low self-esteem, I subscribed to Seventeen Magazine to help raise her level of literacy and boast her self-image. I also subscribed to a book club, purchased a set of encyclopedias, and bought a computer, reasoning that maybe a book would accidentally fall off the shelf and open, and maybe one of them might accidentally see and read something. It worked. They became readers well enough to get them out of high school and into college, otherwise they would never been considered college material, academically.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
From barry.golden@dpi.state.wi.us
To what extent do you think early intervention might help Black male students at ages: 0-3 working with families 3-5 working with families and classroom 3-5 just in classrooms
Henry M. Levin:
I think that early intervention is any extremely important part of the solution of addressing the needs of black males. Precisely what this looks like and at what ages is open to discussion. The Abecederian experiment provided unusually strong positive educational results that extend into adulthood. Further, pediatric neurologists such as Jack Shonkoff have written extensively on the evolution of brain development that supports the empirical evidence on learning. However, this does not mean that it is "too late" to begin at ages 3-5. My best guess is that earlier is better, but that development in the 3-5 year old age range can be very significant as we have learned from many evaluations of "high quality" programs in this age range (not only Perry Preschool or Chicago Child and Parent Centers).
Eddie Griffin
Let’s slip hairs between “early intervention” and “early childhood development”. I wish to concentrate first on Intervention. The primary objective is to save the black boy’s life. Therefore, all intervention must focus primarily on the preservation of life, and secondly, on the quality of the child’s learning experience.
A child born into a barren environment is not going to develop neurologically as fast as a child born into an enriched environment. Being born into a healthy environment is also a key factor. Malnutrition can slow the growth rate of a child’s brains. There are other economic factors that impede a black boy’s optimal growth, but a nurturing environment is paramount.
Of course, it is the primary responsibility of the parent to provide a nurturing environment to the child. But that is usually the first and last good advice given by would-be do-gooders. If the parent is incapable of nurturing the child- whether because of economic distress, mental stability, age maturity, or whatever- the child must still be provided for, independent of the parent’s situation.
Here, we tend to leave this gray area in the hands of the Child Protection agencies. And, this is where the major failure occurs in terms of neglected children- children who fall through the cracks of social services. Like Gypsies, they and their parent(s) wonder from charity to charity, trying to survive, where survival is measured day-by-day. These unstable homes are the subjects of most child abuse cases. What is amazing is that few people see the correlation between the child abused at home and the bruised attitude he brings to school.
It may be of interest to study these efforts for academic improvement- i.e. Abecederian experiment, Perry Preschool, and Chicago Child and Parent Centers- to discover new methods of early childhood development and find which tools work best for small African-American male children.
The fact that pediatric neurologists have discovered a correlation between early education and the brain’s development comes as no great surprise. This suggests that our head-start childhood development strategy must begin at the initial stage of cognition. In essence, when a child wakes up in life, what does he find himself surround by? Is it dark, bleak, and barren, full of angry voices and shouting and cursing and fighting, like with children born to parents on the skids? What happens when these kids go to school? Or, does the child wake up in life and finds a surrounding of a loving mother and father, plenty of good nutritional food, pictures and hangings around the wall, television, and games? What becomes of these children in comparison to the former?
There are small enrichments that can have a great impact on small children. Besides having basic food staples, being surrounded by books can generate curiosity and a desire to learn and read at an early age. Game Theory suggests that mind-building toys and challenging games enhances the complex neurological webs inside the child’s brain. Walls full of pictures can give a child a sense of identity must better than a mirror.
We, as educators, look more upon the macro things and ignore the significance of the micro things.
I have found in the case of my own “challenged” (step) children that providing an environment enriched with educational supports tend to supplement and reinforce what they learned in school. I subscribed to Popular Science and Popular Mechanics for my son, who was diagnosed with ADHD. For my daughter, with low self-esteem, I subscribed to Seventeen Magazine to help raise her level of literacy and boast her self-image. I also subscribed to a book club, purchased a set of encyclopedias, and bought a computer, reasoning that maybe a book would accidentally fall off the shelf and open, and maybe one of them might accidentally see and read something. It worked. They became readers well enough to get them out of high school and into college, otherwise they would never been considered college material, academically.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Baby Moses Project: Solving the Crisis of the Black Boy: Part III
Part III – What is behind Instructional Intent?
From Connie Collins, Program Specialist K-12, Fort Wayne Community Schools:
Are there specific methods or classroom practices that motivate students to perform to their potential? For example, do small groups work better than whole group discussions, or does the instructional intent still play a large role in method choice with diverse students.
Henry M. Levin:
I am not sure that one can generalize about group size and pedagogy for black males since it depends upon the subject, teacher skills in different instructional modes, and the use of balancing different approaches rather than relying on a single one.
However, any approach that more nearly personalizes instruction is helpful.
Personalization can be based upon small group or even tutoring approaches. But, it can also draw upon guided independent study on topics of interest or of curiosity to the learner. My own experience suggests that personal mentoring has a very positive effect for the education of black males. If we can get members of the school staff or the larger community to take on mentoring tasks for individuals or small groups (advice, friendship, guidance, connections to employment and other opportunities, assistance with homework and assignments), we can get some very good results.
Eddie Griffin:
Well said by Levin, insofar as addressing Collins’ ambiguous reference to “instructional intent”. There is an implied recognition the some teachers motivate some children and de-motivate others in one and the same process, by selective delivery of educational content.
It’s as if you cannot please everybody; you cannot teach to everybody’s style; so, the style of teaching is more comparable to the bias of suburbia middle-American children, not inner-city. Where a teacher may motivate one student in a particular subject with a certain delivery system, it may completely turn off an African-American student… hence, reference to “balancing different approaches”.
Where the teacher fails to “personalize” instructions in an effective discernable mode for the African-American male student’s digestion, Levin suggests that mentors should help bridge that learning gap, rather than the teacher change the mode of instructional delivery.
Of course, there are other modes of instructional delivery, more effective than the tools and systems we now use. For example, there is less need for hardcover books nowadays, because there are CDs, DVDs, Podcasts, and online curriculum loaded with quality curricula contents, some are interactive in a way that reinforces learning. But book publishers would block any effort if public schools starting utilizing multimedia learning tools (except the ones manufactured by book publishing companies).
Different students need different amounts of reflective time to absorb information and arrive at a comprehension. Some students may need to divert to an online dictionary for the meaning of a word that will unlock meaning on a subject. African-American male students need more leeway and freedom in exploratory learning. The process of teaching changes into a guidance mode of instructional delivery.
Essentially, an African-American boy should be “guided”, rather than “taught” (in the old traditional sense of the word). Through guidance, he is able to preserve his self-esteem from the embarrassment and humiliation of being stigmatized as a “slow learner”, when it may be a problem a delay in processing information in a particular subject matter. For students that come to school hungry, it may be hard to impossible to concentrate on an empty stomach- a symptom a trained-eye professional should be able to detect.
Teacher training should include multi-tasking and individual observation techniques, so that he or she can tell when a child is not absorbing classroom information and following instructions. That a child is often lost in the middle of a class and diverts his attention to some other distraction is not always disciplinary offence.
From Connie Collins, Program Specialist K-12, Fort Wayne Community Schools:
Are there specific methods or classroom practices that motivate students to perform to their potential? For example, do small groups work better than whole group discussions, or does the instructional intent still play a large role in method choice with diverse students.
Henry M. Levin:
I am not sure that one can generalize about group size and pedagogy for black males since it depends upon the subject, teacher skills in different instructional modes, and the use of balancing different approaches rather than relying on a single one.
However, any approach that more nearly personalizes instruction is helpful.
Personalization can be based upon small group or even tutoring approaches. But, it can also draw upon guided independent study on topics of interest or of curiosity to the learner. My own experience suggests that personal mentoring has a very positive effect for the education of black males. If we can get members of the school staff or the larger community to take on mentoring tasks for individuals or small groups (advice, friendship, guidance, connections to employment and other opportunities, assistance with homework and assignments), we can get some very good results.
Eddie Griffin:
Well said by Levin, insofar as addressing Collins’ ambiguous reference to “instructional intent”. There is an implied recognition the some teachers motivate some children and de-motivate others in one and the same process, by selective delivery of educational content.
It’s as if you cannot please everybody; you cannot teach to everybody’s style; so, the style of teaching is more comparable to the bias of suburbia middle-American children, not inner-city. Where a teacher may motivate one student in a particular subject with a certain delivery system, it may completely turn off an African-American student… hence, reference to “balancing different approaches”.
Where the teacher fails to “personalize” instructions in an effective discernable mode for the African-American male student’s digestion, Levin suggests that mentors should help bridge that learning gap, rather than the teacher change the mode of instructional delivery.
Of course, there are other modes of instructional delivery, more effective than the tools and systems we now use. For example, there is less need for hardcover books nowadays, because there are CDs, DVDs, Podcasts, and online curriculum loaded with quality curricula contents, some are interactive in a way that reinforces learning. But book publishers would block any effort if public schools starting utilizing multimedia learning tools (except the ones manufactured by book publishing companies).
Different students need different amounts of reflective time to absorb information and arrive at a comprehension. Some students may need to divert to an online dictionary for the meaning of a word that will unlock meaning on a subject. African-American male students need more leeway and freedom in exploratory learning. The process of teaching changes into a guidance mode of instructional delivery.
Essentially, an African-American boy should be “guided”, rather than “taught” (in the old traditional sense of the word). Through guidance, he is able to preserve his self-esteem from the embarrassment and humiliation of being stigmatized as a “slow learner”, when it may be a problem a delay in processing information in a particular subject matter. For students that come to school hungry, it may be hard to impossible to concentrate on an empty stomach- a symptom a trained-eye professional should be able to detect.
Teacher training should include multi-tasking and individual observation techniques, so that he or she can tell when a child is not absorbing classroom information and following instructions. That a child is often lost in the middle of a class and diverts his attention to some other distraction is not always disciplinary offence.
From Connie Collins, Program Specialist K-12, Fort Wayne Community Schools:
Are there specific methods or classroom practices that motivate students to perform to their potential? For example, do small groups work better than whole group discussions, or does the instructional intent still play a large role in method choice with diverse students.
Henry M. Levin:
I am not sure that one can generalize about group size and pedagogy for black males since it depends upon the subject, teacher skills in different instructional modes, and the use of balancing different approaches rather than relying on a single one.
However, any approach that more nearly personalizes instruction is helpful. Personalization can be based upon small group or even tutoring approaches. But, it can also draw upon guided independent study on topics of interest or of curiosity to the learner. My own experience suggests that personal mentoring has a very positive effect for the education of black males. If we can get members of the school staff or the larger community to take on mentoring tasks for individuals or small groups (advice, friendship, guidance, connections to employment and other opportunities, assistance with homework and assignments), we can get some very good results.
Eddie Griffin:
Well said by Levin, insofar as addressing Collins’ ambiguous reference to “instructional intent”. There is an implied recognition the some teachers motivate some children and de-motivate others in one and the same process, by selective delivery of educational content.
It’s as if you cannot please everybody; you cannot teach to everybody’s style; so, the style of teaching is more comparable to the bias of suburbia middle-American children, not inner-city. Where a teacher may motivate one student in a particular subject with a certain delivery system, it may completely turn off an African-American student… hence, reference to “balancing different approaches”.
Where the teacher fails to “personalize” instructions in an effective discernable mode for the African-American male student’s digestion, Levin suggests that mentors should help bridge that learning gap, rather than the teacher change the mode of instructional delivery.
Of course, there are other modes of instructional delivery, more effective than the tools and systems we now use. For example, there is less need for hardcover books nowadays, because there are CDs, DVDs, Podcasts, and online curriculum loaded with quality curricula contents, some are interactive in a way that reinforces learning. But book publishers would block any effort if public schools starting utilizing multimedia learning tools (except the ones manufactured by book publishing companies).
Different students need different amounts of reflective time to absorb information and arrive at a comprehension. Some students may need to divert to an online dictionary for the meaning of a word that will unlock meaning on a subject. African-American male students need more leeway and freedom in exploratory learning. The process of teaching changes into a guidance mode of instructional delivery.
Essentially, an African-American boy should be “guided”, rather than “taught” (in the old traditional sense of the word). Through guidance, he is able to preserve his self-esteem from the embarrassment and humiliation of being stigmatized as a “slow learner”, when it may be a problem a delay in processing information in a particular subject matter. For students that come to school hungry, it may be hard to impossible to concentrate on an empty stomach- a symptom a trained-eye professional should be able to detect.
Teacher training should include multi-tasking and individual observation techniques, so that he or she can tell when a child is not absorbing classroom information and following instructions. That a child is often lost in the middle of a class and diverts his attention to some other distraction is not always disciplinary offence.
Are there specific methods or classroom practices that motivate students to perform to their potential? For example, do small groups work better than whole group discussions, or does the instructional intent still play a large role in method choice with diverse students.
Henry M. Levin:
I am not sure that one can generalize about group size and pedagogy for black males since it depends upon the subject, teacher skills in different instructional modes, and the use of balancing different approaches rather than relying on a single one.
However, any approach that more nearly personalizes instruction is helpful. Personalization can be based upon small group or even tutoring approaches. But, it can also draw upon guided independent study on topics of interest or of curiosity to the learner. My own experience suggests that personal mentoring has a very positive effect for the education of black males. If we can get members of the school staff or the larger community to take on mentoring tasks for individuals or small groups (advice, friendship, guidance, connections to employment and other opportunities, assistance with homework and assignments), we can get some very good results.
Eddie Griffin:
Well said by Levin, insofar as addressing Collins’ ambiguous reference to “instructional intent”. There is an implied recognition the some teachers motivate some children and de-motivate others in one and the same process, by selective delivery of educational content.
It’s as if you cannot please everybody; you cannot teach to everybody’s style; so, the style of teaching is more comparable to the bias of suburbia middle-American children, not inner-city. Where a teacher may motivate one student in a particular subject with a certain delivery system, it may completely turn off an African-American student… hence, reference to “balancing different approaches”.
Where the teacher fails to “personalize” instructions in an effective discernable mode for the African-American male student’s digestion, Levin suggests that mentors should help bridge that learning gap, rather than the teacher change the mode of instructional delivery.
Of course, there are other modes of instructional delivery, more effective than the tools and systems we now use. For example, there is less need for hardcover books nowadays, because there are CDs, DVDs, Podcasts, and online curriculum loaded with quality curricula contents, some are interactive in a way that reinforces learning. But book publishers would block any effort if public schools starting utilizing multimedia learning tools (except the ones manufactured by book publishing companies).
Different students need different amounts of reflective time to absorb information and arrive at a comprehension. Some students may need to divert to an online dictionary for the meaning of a word that will unlock meaning on a subject. African-American male students need more leeway and freedom in exploratory learning. The process of teaching changes into a guidance mode of instructional delivery.
Essentially, an African-American boy should be “guided”, rather than “taught” (in the old traditional sense of the word). Through guidance, he is able to preserve his self-esteem from the embarrassment and humiliation of being stigmatized as a “slow learner”, when it may be a problem a delay in processing information in a particular subject matter. For students that come to school hungry, it may be hard to impossible to concentrate on an empty stomach- a symptom a trained-eye professional should be able to detect.
Teacher training should include multi-tasking and individual observation techniques, so that he or she can tell when a child is not absorbing classroom information and following instructions. That a child is often lost in the middle of a class and diverts his attention to some other distraction is not always disciplinary offence.
Solving the Crisis of the Black Boy: Part II
Baby Moses Project: Solving the Crisis of the Black Boy
Part II – Reading the Questions
Monday, May 21, 2007
Frame the question in the direction of a solution, not toward a scapegoat. The questions below seem to sincerely seek an answer to the crisis among young black boys. It is important to look at the situation through the eyes of the one who asks the questions. Sometimes there are subtle implied assumptions that may or may not be true.
Martha King:
Can you compare the success of African American boys with that of Latino boys and Asian American boys? Key differences, similarities.
Henry M. Levin:
Asian boys do better than Latino or African American boys on all educational measures. Latino boys show higher dropout rates than African American boys, the exact numbers depending on which of the many competing measures of dropouts are used. The consequences of dropping out are greater for black males in terms of the probability of being employed, annual earnings, and crime. For example, only about half of black males who are high school dropouts are employed compared to about 70 percent of the other dropout groups (white, Latino, Asian). Partially, as a consequence, African American male dropouts receive only about $13,500 in average annual earnings compared to about $ 22,000 for the other male dropout groups.
Eddie Griffin commentary:
Notice there are “many competing measures of dropouts”… The issue of defining the problem of Drop-Outs is nobody really knows when a black boy drops out of school. At what point, do we say, this child has completely withdrawn from school, and why are so many GEDs showing up after drop-out? Is it 50% absences?
Fact is: Dropouts slip away, as if through our fingers. The Big Question is: Why didn’t we see them slipping away from us?
This past winter I appeared on a panel at Tarrant County College with the Fort Worth ISD new head of the Dropout Prevention specialist, Dr. Danna Dia Joseph. The panel was shared with the three high school dropouts. The 21-year old young (white) man described how he “just slipped away”, out of the school system, as if nobody cared.
I have seen dropping out in process, myself. I have seen elementary school (black) boys riding their bicycles in front of the schoolhouse when they should be inside. They were truant, and there were no truant officers to rein them in. Whose neglect? And, why can’t we arrive at a common measure for “dropout”.
In the work world we can track workers in and out of industry by a time clock. Ringing bells are for cattle. Time clocks are for measuring productivity. Dropping out should be defined as a loss of measurable productivity. We can know a dropout by the number of man-hours (or lack thereof) that they put into school. But man-hours alone do not measure productivity. And, hour units of productivity can be transferred and shouldered by other education or training institutes, such as dual enrollment.
“African-American male dropouts” (now an average of 50%) will earn only about $13,500 in annual earnings”… At current minimum wage, working day labor, he would earn roughly $10,000 before taxes.
Even dropouts become fathers. How can they bear fatherly responsibilities on this kind of earnings? Even the currently proposed minimum wage hike would raise him up to about $14,000 a year, at max.
The solution is high paying jobs for highly trained dropouts. But poring in quality resources to train and empower, post-dropout programs channel youth to the lowest end of the wage scale. A retrained, reeducated, re-socialized African-American child can reinvest their time best by trying to get ahead in the job market and through certified trades and entrepreneurship.
Part II – Reading the Questions
Monday, May 21, 2007
Frame the question in the direction of a solution, not toward a scapegoat. The questions below seem to sincerely seek an answer to the crisis among young black boys. It is important to look at the situation through the eyes of the one who asks the questions. Sometimes there are subtle implied assumptions that may or may not be true.
Martha King:
Can you compare the success of African American boys with that of Latino boys and Asian American boys? Key differences, similarities.
Henry M. Levin:
Asian boys do better than Latino or African American boys on all educational measures. Latino boys show higher dropout rates than African American boys, the exact numbers depending on which of the many competing measures of dropouts are used. The consequences of dropping out are greater for black males in terms of the probability of being employed, annual earnings, and crime. For example, only about half of black males who are high school dropouts are employed compared to about 70 percent of the other dropout groups (white, Latino, Asian). Partially, as a consequence, African American male dropouts receive only about $13,500 in average annual earnings compared to about $ 22,000 for the other male dropout groups.
Eddie Griffin commentary:
Notice there are “many competing measures of dropouts”… The issue of defining the problem of Drop-Outs is nobody really knows when a black boy drops out of school. At what point, do we say, this child has completely withdrawn from school, and why are so many GEDs showing up after drop-out? Is it 50% absences?
Fact is: Dropouts slip away, as if through our fingers. The Big Question is: Why didn’t we see them slipping away from us?
This past winter I appeared on a panel at Tarrant County College with the Fort Worth ISD new head of the Dropout Prevention specialist, Dr. Danna Dia Joseph. The panel was shared with the three high school dropouts. The 21-year old young (white) man described how he “just slipped away”, out of the school system, as if nobody cared.
I have seen dropping out in process, myself. I have seen elementary school (black) boys riding their bicycles in front of the schoolhouse when they should be inside. They were truant, and there were no truant officers to rein them in. Whose neglect? And, why can’t we arrive at a common measure for “dropout”.
In the work world we can track workers in and out of industry by a time clock. Ringing bells are for cattle. Time clocks are for measuring productivity. Dropping out should be defined as a loss of measurable productivity. We can know a dropout by the number of man-hours (or lack thereof) that they put into school. But man-hours alone do not measure productivity. And, hour units of productivity can be transferred and shouldered by other education or training institutes, such as dual enrollment.
“African-American male dropouts” (now an average of 50%) will earn only about $13,500 in annual earnings”… At current minimum wage, working day labor, he would earn roughly $10,000 before taxes.
Even dropouts become fathers. How can they bear fatherly responsibilities on this kind of earnings? Even the currently proposed minimum wage hike would raise him up to about $14,000 a year, at max.
The solution is high paying jobs for highly trained dropouts. But poring in quality resources to train and empower, post-dropout programs channel youth to the lowest end of the wage scale. A retrained, reeducated, re-socialized African-American child can reinvest their time best by trying to get ahead in the job market and through certified trades and entrepreneurship.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Baby Moses Project: Solving the Crisis of the Black Boy
Part I – The Intellectual Challenge
Friday, May 18, 2007
I believe that there is a place in the world for black boys if we teach them the right things and allow them to develop their natural aptitude, skills, and talents.
One of the most interesting and intelligently written questions came from a stakeholder in Bell Curves LLC:
The Supreme Court of the U.S., arguably, seems to implicitly concede that there are barriers to entry at prestigious institutions that require the use carefully tailored affirmative action policies/preferences to redress. To the extent that any given standardized test represents such a barrier, how, in your opinion, does the current climate of increased standardized testing exacerbate the discrepancy in performance between African-American male and female students? Between African-Americans and other racial groups?
[Re-Edit]
The Supreme Court seems to “implicitly concede” that there are barriers to entry… To the extent that any given standardized test represents such a barrier, how… doe the current climate of increased standardized testing exacerbate the discrepancy in performance between African-American male and… other racial groups?
Eddie Griffin ANSWERS:
Standardize testing is not one of the “barriers” for which affirmative action was created. The fact the African-Americans score lower on standardized tests and are helped into prestigious institutions, despite their white counterpart scoring higher, does not supplant the fact that African-Americans are still trying to make up for past discriminations. Affirmative Action college entrance programs were created to overcome the age-old practices of keeping blacks illiterate and uneducated.
The Supreme Court has consistently upheld this principal. But some would pull the early plug on Affirmative Action like the abrupt end to antebellum Reconstruction. The African-American family is still only two generations removed from total illiteracy.
Does standardized testing widen the performance gap between African-American male and other racial groups? Of course!
Now if the standardized test was basketball and performance measured by how many shots you make, then the performance levels would be reversed. If performance were based upon how well you read and understand Shakespeare, then the aristocratic child would have the advantage. And, I believe this is where the disparities come in.
Put a child in a classroom with a teacher that spoke ghetto slang with a Jamaican accent, then it would be easier to see and understand how an African-American child might struggle to understand Euro-Germanic dialect with $10 words. Disparities are manufactured through inadvertencies and misreads and misunderstandings.
Whose responsibility is it to insure that every child understands instructions?
A technician sometimes makes a better teacher because the tech is hands-on. Most public school teachers take a hands-off approach to teaching. With techs, the level of engagement is higher and there is a greater appreciation for learning because the some students learn better by See-Do learning.
The methodology now being used for teaching African-American boys is different from the way they learn at home. Even the vocabulary is radically different.
What is the greater potential for this African-American young generation?
Cutting-edge Nanotechnology, Multimedia design, micro-science and system modeling are skill sets of tomorrow, which many black boys now have the mechanical and creative aptitudes for. Applied math and physics should conjoin with their natural knack for inventing, tinkering and discovering. For example, more useful information can be learned in musical science (sound waves, amplitude, sine waves, trigonometry, etc., than by simply listening to the classics and guessing at the author. A study in spatial science, computer drafting, graphic arts, and animations are new and exciting fields that many African-American kids would probably enjoy if offered such a curriculum.
After watching how easily they adapt to new technology and how they explore the computer in the idle time, gives an indication of their interest, aptitude, and latent skills. Core curriculum, such as reading, writing, and math should be integrated into the technical and professional development program, not the other way around. Abstract learning and memorization skills (as now required by the public school system for standardized test taking) cannot build a foundation inside the head of Africa-American boys in the same way as with other children who have reinforcement support by more educated parents. The first major hurdle in learning for many African-American children, I found, was the concept of abstraction when the child first encounters Algebra and no one at home can help him.
Henry M. Levin (partial) response to the Question
African-American male students do not do as well on the tests as African-American females. My guess is that much of this is attitudinal. It seems more difficult for African-American males to accept the regimen of middle schools and high schools, and some of the influences in inner-city communities such as gangs encourage resistance to school demands.
Eddie Griffin reflections on the Statement Above
What middle school and high school regimen? That is the problem: There is no regimentation or discipline. Most middle and high schools are ruled by chaos. Teachers are not trained in multi-tasking, nor can they orchestrate multiple learning challenges, whereby he or she can track all students’ progress at the same time.
The public school teacher uses one of the following ineffective delivery systems: The dictator approach where the teacher stands in front of the classroom and pounds the knowledge into the kids’ heads, or jumping from student to student in the over-the-shoulder guidance mode. In both scenarios, the teacher is disengaged from the student, which allows for the student to disengage with the teacher.
If there is an attitudinal divide, then it is due to alienation between student and teacher. In the case of black boys, alienation precedes a 50% dropout rate.
Henry M. Levin concluded:
I think that the deeper and more meaningful improvements will come only from a focus on the quality of instruction and learning, and not the present focus on test scores.
On this, I agree.
Friday, May 18, 2007
I believe that there is a place in the world for black boys if we teach them the right things and allow them to develop their natural aptitude, skills, and talents.
One of the most interesting and intelligently written questions came from a stakeholder in Bell Curves LLC:
The Supreme Court of the U.S., arguably, seems to implicitly concede that there are barriers to entry at prestigious institutions that require the use carefully tailored affirmative action policies/preferences to redress. To the extent that any given standardized test represents such a barrier, how, in your opinion, does the current climate of increased standardized testing exacerbate the discrepancy in performance between African-American male and female students? Between African-Americans and other racial groups?
[Re-Edit]
The Supreme Court seems to “implicitly concede” that there are barriers to entry… To the extent that any given standardized test represents such a barrier, how… doe the current climate of increased standardized testing exacerbate the discrepancy in performance between African-American male and… other racial groups?
Eddie Griffin ANSWERS:
Standardize testing is not one of the “barriers” for which affirmative action was created. The fact the African-Americans score lower on standardized tests and are helped into prestigious institutions, despite their white counterpart scoring higher, does not supplant the fact that African-Americans are still trying to make up for past discriminations. Affirmative Action college entrance programs were created to overcome the age-old practices of keeping blacks illiterate and uneducated.
The Supreme Court has consistently upheld this principal. But some would pull the early plug on Affirmative Action like the abrupt end to antebellum Reconstruction. The African-American family is still only two generations removed from total illiteracy.
Does standardized testing widen the performance gap between African-American male and other racial groups? Of course!
Now if the standardized test was basketball and performance measured by how many shots you make, then the performance levels would be reversed. If performance were based upon how well you read and understand Shakespeare, then the aristocratic child would have the advantage. And, I believe this is where the disparities come in.
Put a child in a classroom with a teacher that spoke ghetto slang with a Jamaican accent, then it would be easier to see and understand how an African-American child might struggle to understand Euro-Germanic dialect with $10 words. Disparities are manufactured through inadvertencies and misreads and misunderstandings.
Whose responsibility is it to insure that every child understands instructions?
A technician sometimes makes a better teacher because the tech is hands-on. Most public school teachers take a hands-off approach to teaching. With techs, the level of engagement is higher and there is a greater appreciation for learning because the some students learn better by See-Do learning.
The methodology now being used for teaching African-American boys is different from the way they learn at home. Even the vocabulary is radically different.
What is the greater potential for this African-American young generation?
Cutting-edge Nanotechnology, Multimedia design, micro-science and system modeling are skill sets of tomorrow, which many black boys now have the mechanical and creative aptitudes for. Applied math and physics should conjoin with their natural knack for inventing, tinkering and discovering. For example, more useful information can be learned in musical science (sound waves, amplitude, sine waves, trigonometry, etc., than by simply listening to the classics and guessing at the author. A study in spatial science, computer drafting, graphic arts, and animations are new and exciting fields that many African-American kids would probably enjoy if offered such a curriculum.
After watching how easily they adapt to new technology and how they explore the computer in the idle time, gives an indication of their interest, aptitude, and latent skills. Core curriculum, such as reading, writing, and math should be integrated into the technical and professional development program, not the other way around. Abstract learning and memorization skills (as now required by the public school system for standardized test taking) cannot build a foundation inside the head of Africa-American boys in the same way as with other children who have reinforcement support by more educated parents. The first major hurdle in learning for many African-American children, I found, was the concept of abstraction when the child first encounters Algebra and no one at home can help him.
Henry M. Levin (partial) response to the Question
African-American male students do not do as well on the tests as African-American females. My guess is that much of this is attitudinal. It seems more difficult for African-American males to accept the regimen of middle schools and high schools, and some of the influences in inner-city communities such as gangs encourage resistance to school demands.
Eddie Griffin reflections on the Statement Above
What middle school and high school regimen? That is the problem: There is no regimentation or discipline. Most middle and high schools are ruled by chaos. Teachers are not trained in multi-tasking, nor can they orchestrate multiple learning challenges, whereby he or she can track all students’ progress at the same time.
The public school teacher uses one of the following ineffective delivery systems: The dictator approach where the teacher stands in front of the classroom and pounds the knowledge into the kids’ heads, or jumping from student to student in the over-the-shoulder guidance mode. In both scenarios, the teacher is disengaged from the student, which allows for the student to disengage with the teacher.
If there is an attitudinal divide, then it is due to alienation between student and teacher. In the case of black boys, alienation precedes a 50% dropout rate.
Henry M. Levin concluded:
I think that the deeper and more meaningful improvements will come only from a focus on the quality of instruction and learning, and not the present focus on test scores.
On this, I agree.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
UPDATE! Helping African-American Boys Succeed
An Invitation from Education Week Teacher Magazine Research Center
Source: www.edweek-chat.org
Last Chat:
Thursday, May 17, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time
The academic problems of African-American boys are well documented. Their high school graduation rate is well below that of white boys. They generally perform worse in school than African-American girls. And they are far more likely than white boys to be placed in special education classes.
Their academic struggles are often exacerbated by behavior problems in and out of school. They have higher suspension rates than other groups and are more likely to be involved in criminal activity outside of school.
Background:
Despite the bleak statistics, African-American boys have made progress in many places around the country, raising their academic achievement and performing quite well compared with their peers from other racial and ethnic groups.
• What needs to be done to ensure that such success stories are replicated in other places?
• What are the best approaches for helping African-American boys in school?
• And why are they still struggling academically in most places?
We are currently accepting questions for this chat. Please submit questions now. Send a copy of your question to Eddie Griffin (BASG) at eddiegriffin_basg@yahoo.com.
UPDATED: Friday, May 18, 2007
QUESTIONS
*Martha King:
Can you compare the success of African American boys with that of Latino boys and Asian American boys? Key differences, similarities.
*Connie Collins, Program Specialist K-12, Fort Wayne Community Schools:
Are there specific methods or classroom practices that motivate students to perform to their potential? For example, do small groups work better than whole group discussions, or does the instructional intent still play a large role in method choice with diverse students.
*barry.golden@dpi.state.wi.us:
To what extent do you think early intervention might help Black male students at ages: 0-3 working with families 3-5 working with families and classroom 3-5 just in classrooms
*Annie Pettway, Director Community College of Allegheny County:
Can High Schools integrate college course requirements for African American Males in the 9th grade? Allowing them to come to a college campus on a daily basis.
*Jack Walden, Board Menber, OESD#2:
On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your opinion of the value of "Motivation"? (mine is 10)
*Hashim Bello, Stakeholder, Bell Curves LLC:
The Supreme Court of the U.S., arguably, seems to implicitly concede that there are barriers to entry at prestigious institutions that require the use carefully tailored affirmative action policies/preferences to redress. To the extent that any given standardized test represents such a barrier, how, in your opinion, does the current climate of increased standardized testing exacerbate the discrepancy in performance between African-American male and female students? Between African-Americans and other racial groups?
*David Millwe, CVO , Urban Leadership Institute:
What role does teacher development and preparation play in addressing academic and social deficits among African American males?
*Gwen Lavert, Asst. Professor Education, Indiana Wesleyan University:
There is reserach that shows that some children come to in cognitive confusion. If this is true, why do so many schools put so much empahasis on rote and recall? Why do many schools spend time teaching to the test instead of teaching students how to think?
*Judy Puglisi, Facilitator, New Haven Public Schools:
What is the single most influencial factor in increasing academic acheivement for African-American boys?
*Janice E. Jones, Retired Educator:
When and why do so many African American males lose hope in the educational system of their community?
*Nancy deProsse:
What roles have teacher unions been able to play in working on this issue?
*Diane Proctor, first grade teacher, R.F. Kennedy Elementary School, Providence, RI:
I have a number of African American boys in my inner-city school, who have many social problems such as incarcerated fathers, mothers who have drug-related issues, and multiple psychiatric problems. Because their family structure is falling apart so much, there are very few positive male role models to guide these children out of trouble. What can I do as a teacher to help them?
*Aline Hill-Ries, Dir of Program, Studio in a School:
At what age do problems generally tend to arise? How important is it to have a male African-American as a teacher? How can the rate of recruitment of more African-Amercian males into the teaching profession be increased? Do African-American males tend to leave the teaching profession or stay, compared to other ethnic groups? If so, why?
*Geniese Ligon, Dean of Students:
Are there specific issues we need to consider as studnets are transitioning from one grade span to the enxt. specifically elem. to middle school.
*Sarah, Social Studies teacher:
How can technology be used to promote positive outcomes in academic and personal achievement in African American boys?
*Judy Puglisi, Facilitator, New Haven Public Schools:
What research can you direct me to that identifies the characteristics of high schools that have been successful in increasing academic outcomes for African-American boys.
*Barbara Montgomery, Training Specialist, Ombudsman Educational Services:
With all that is going on in the world today, including peer preseeure, how do we get our young, African-American men to change their mindset to see the importance of having an education?
*Alison Moya Teacher CMSD:
What do you think is the root of this problem? Does the problem stems from the absence of male role models?
*Nikki Myers, teacher and graduate student, Colorado Springs:
Do you know of any research or strategies that are being used to help identify and cultivate the abilities of gifted/talented African American boys?
*Latisha Price, Teacher, Community Action School:
How can we get boys who have almost giving up on school back on track and help them see a successful future.
*Charles, Teacher:
Do you believe that the race of the teacher of black students makes a difference in terms of their personal achievement?
*Dr. Monica Roache, Assistant Principal Arlington Public Schools:
What strategies can be used to motivate African American Boys to be successful in school. Often African American Boys feel that it is "Cool to be a Fool". They dont want to be recognized for their academic achievements.
*Veronica Bloomfield, Elementary Language Arts Program Specialist, Los Angeles County Office of Education:
Do you know of specific programs (strategy based approaches) that are especially helpful for teachers in need of culturally responsive teaching practices?
*Kenya Easton, Parent:
If so many articles and studies exist regarding the state of emergency on Black Boys failing in school, gang violence, being fatherless and a whole lot of others problems that black boys face. Please tell me why laws and other prevention programs, schools, clubs are not put into place to help them help thems? Contrary tn popular belief. Black boys would love to succeed if they know they have a chance in life. Taught how to reach their goals, by developing social skills and wanting to get their education. and gaining knowledge on how to do it effectively. Please tell me how I can help? How to open up an organization for black boys? Unfortunately we have too mny people in power who don't belive that. I wnat to help, I need to help. I need to find out how I can do more.
*Walt Gardner, education writer:
What specifically is unique about African-American boys that accounts for their dismal academic performance overall?
*Hashim Bello, Stakeholder, Bell Curves LLC:
Do you feel that African-American (AA) boys are conditioned to be underperformers, by virtue of lower expectations, and that the underperformance is currently the result of a self-fulfilling prophecy? To the extent that AA boys (as a subset of AAs in general) are conditioned to be underperformers, how can the educational system compensate?
*Mary Thomas, teacher District of Columbia Public Schools:
I am a teacher and mother of two black males, ages 12 and 13. Oftentimes black adolescent males are perceived as more threatening, which negatively impacts the relationship between the school and the students/parents--adversely affecting quality of instruction and student academic performance. How can parents encourage schools to institute training for teachers and administrators to increase their awareness of age-appropriate behavior and racial sensitivity?
*Verna Smith, Education Services Coordinator, Mingo CAP, Inc. Head Start:
Head Start is concious of culture in regards to center environment (books, posters, learning materials,etc.) and promoting acceptance of diversity including gender. What can we do in our role as early interventionist to help our young African-American boys in their academic struggles?
*Tommy La'Pola, Teacer, Seattle Schools:
In those places around the country where black boys are succeeding, to what extent is this the result of “cultural segregation”? In other words are these schools where parents have had to apply or otherwise work to get their children enrolled, thereby indicating a family culture that puts a premium on education and where families are willing to work to assist their child with their education? A follow up question: can a school expect to be able to overcome the influences of a student’s family if the family and school have contradictory expectations of a student?
*Lorraine forte, Deputy Editor, Catalyst Chicago:
What teaching strategies are most effective with young black men? How do you get a large urban system to address the needs of these youth on a significant scale?
*NGrant, Math Coach, NYCDOE:
What are the effects of immigrants of African descent, as teachers, on the teaching and learning of African-American students?
*Dotti Shelton, Ed. D., Independent Educational Consultant:
What strategies, tools, activities in particular have been shown to be appropriate and effective with black students, especially at the middle school and high school?
*Amy Westfield, Spanish Teacher, Champaign Centennial High School:
Can you speak on any differences in achievement between African American boys and mixed (African American/White) boys. Is there any correlation between achievement and how these boys identify themselves? (ie. higher rate of achievement for those who identify themselves as white vs. those who identify themselves as black?)
*Mattie E. Curry, Teacher, Dooly County High, GA:
African American males tend to be targeted from the time they enter the school doors. Do you think that a separate institution for them might be the answer as based upon my 20 years of teaching experience, even African American teachers appear to be more antagonistic toward them?
*Danny Martin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Education and Mathematics, University of Illinois at Chicago:
While I agree that we need to give focused attention to the needs of African Ameircan males, I am always very troubled by the ways in which these these boys, and their needs, are framed. I am particularly troubled that the needs of African American boys are determined based on how they differ from white boys and African American girls. Comparisons such as these produce the damaging message that African American boys are changeworthty and that there is something wrong with them rather than something being wrong with the practices and systems that devalue their very being. A comparison with white boys, for example, carries with it an assumption that outcomes for white boys should the norm and goal for black boys. I would argue that this is an artificially low standard and that black boys should be allowed to develop and thrive to their full potential, not based on what is deemed acceptable or good for white boys. Comparing black boys to black females carries with it a dangerous and pernicious assault on black masculinity. The assumptions under both comparisons seem to be that, in order to be successful, black boys must become less black (more like white boys) and that they must become more feminine (more like African American girls). What I also find troubling is how many so-called experts and policy-makers proliferate this rhetoric without ever questioning the very premises on which they operate. Anyone who frames the needs of black boys in terms of how they differ from white boys is in no way an expert. To begin your discussion here says that you, a priori, accept the inferiority of African American boys. In my view, there is nothing inherently wrong with black boys. Many of the behaviors of these young boys are responses to systems of oppression that continue to mount vicious assaults on them everyday. My comments are not meant to romanticize the state of black males. However, I question the very way that the so-called "problem of black boys" is framed. Black boys don't need to be like white boys and black boys don't need to be like African American girls. Black boys need to be cared for, loved, and respected. The truth is that too many people who work in schools and other societal institutions do not care about black boys. I'd like your guests to comment on my assertions. If the above issues are too heavy-hitting, I'd like your guests to address the following question: How much day-to-day work do you do with African American boys, outside of research? Thank you. Danny Martin, Ph.D.
*Jessica Thumser, Teacher, Needwood Middle School:
I'm looking for ways to make "school is cool" relevant to 8th graders. This years' kids seemed to delight getting suspended, etc. They loose ground by being out of the classroom due to behavior problems. PS: I will probably miss the Live Chat due to the fact I teach until 3:20! I wish the chats could be later in the day . . .
*Cindy Friday Beeman, student teacher in kinder, Harrison Elementary:
Is there any research that shows whether the ethnicity or the sex of the teacher matters in the success of African-American boys in school? If so, does this factor matter more in a student's early years, just before middle school, or later? I can count on one hand the African-American teaching students I have met through the course of my program, male and female. This concerns me, but I wonder what research finds about whether it should. Thank you.
*Trish Steele, Kindergarten Teacher, Fox Chapel Elementary:
How do we get African American boys to listen and not talk back to adults when they are corrected for mistakes? Also related... How do we get them to be responsible for their actions when they deny that they have done anything wrong?
*Linda Stiles, Speech Language Pathologist:
Do you feel that the evaluation methods and criteria used to place students into special education programs are not considering the background and culture of African American boys and that is contributing to the over-referral of African American boys into special education programs? For example the tests that are used, what population are they normed and standardized on? Are they valid for students from all cultures and economic backgrounds?
*June Bernabucci, Sr. Director, Unified Arts, Hartford, CT:
Breaking the cycle of teen mothers who don't have father figures plays significantly in the development of african-american boys. what can be done to assist teen moms to be better mothers and find proper role models for their sons?
*Kevin A. Dougherty, Hall Director, The University of Arizona:
What do the achieving African American males say? Is there any research that explores the experiences of how or why the few African American males are able to academically achieve?
*Arthur Jarman, Head of Membership and Communications at the National Union of Teachers for England and Wales:
I hope you will find of interest the work we have done in respect of the educational performance of black Caribbean boys in the UK. You can find it on our website,www.teachers.org.uk. On the home page, click on:"Born to be Great A Charter on Promoting the Achievement of Black Caribbean Boys"
*David Battle, Doctoral Learner, Capella University:
What are some options that are available that an individual can participate in helping African-American boys in academics? I am an African-American male myself. Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in this chat due to my schedule demands.
*LuAnn Stout, Math Teacher, Smallwood MS:
I have been studying the success of charter schools, particularly KIPP Academies, that have shown remarkable success with below grade level African-American boys. Can public schools be flexible enough to incorporate their strategies (for example,greater autonomy for Principal's, longer school days, and parent-supported behavior contracts)?
*Karen Brown, Special Education Teacher, P.S. 398, Brooklyn:
Does the education system at large feel a sense of responsibility to incorporate social education within the curriculum?
*Celestine Candida, teacher, St. Mark's Episcopal School:
I have a 5th grade student who is very capable of doing passing work, but is doing D work. He is very polite and helpful, but he has anger issues and this gets him in trouble at school. How do I motivate him and get him to do his work
*Q. Davis, children's pastor, Southbay community Church:
Is their any particular curriculum that has been effective for young african american males
*Diane Haney CEO San Diego County Title I parents:
How many schools throughout the United States lack African American Teachers as role models?
*Jeffrey Lewis, Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison:
We live in a society that has historically and continually constructed its collective image of Black males based on fear and aversion, and not love and caring. I believe Black male identities and behaviors (individual and group) are at least partly, and probably significantly the result of their attempts to survive what many experience as hostile, suffocating environments. How do we intervene to help adults move beyond their fear and aversion of Black males, and create more inclusive educational environments?
*Sonya Gray,Director, RWOC After school at-risk program:
What is the biggest problem you see with our African American young men? What can we as African American adults do to help them succeed in todays society? How can we get the fathers and mothers more involved in the young mens lives?
*Tiombe Kendrick, School Psychologist, Miami-Dade County Public Schools:
I read the report on conducted by the Schott foundation and found it to be interesting. How does a school district take that report and consider applying the recommendations, especially in a large urban district
*Tisha Markette, principal, Amistad Academy Elementary School:
How can we get parents to be open about concerns and advocate for their children?
*Beth Robins, Doctoral Student Researcher , Aurora University:
Could the answer to the illiteracy rates among African American boys simply be to teach them (and indeed all students)the basic 42 to 44 phonemes of the English language, and how to blend them "first and fast", i.e. in Kindergarten, as recommended by the research-based National Reading Panel(2000)?
*Timothy Nevels, Co-Founder, Onyx House, Inc.:
Why aren't schools adopting single gender classes? It clearly works and it cost next to nothing to deploy. Only requires some retraining of teachers.
*Clara M. Moulds, Independent Educational Consultant:
As a prevention strategy, what can we do to assist parents of Africa-American toddlers and preschoolers with knowing how to help their childlren learn at home that could help prevent school failure of so many black boys?
*Edward M. Trusty, Jr., teacher, Gilman School:
Is there any research addressing the performance of African American males in private/independent schools compared to their public school counterparts? Which variables for this population prove to facilitate achievement?
*Peter Meyer, Contributing Editor, Education Next:
Could it be that the racial achievement gap is no more than a proxy for the "background knowledge" gap that E.D. Hirsch has so eloquently described. And instead of focusing our attentions on "black," shouldn't we be directing our attentions to content?
*Rashid Johnson,Curriculum Specialist, Bruce-Monroe Elementary School:
How does home and school discipline impact urban, African-American males; why is there a disparity between home and school rules?
*Jennifer Charles, Ed.D, Educational Technology Consultant, New York City:
How has American society and history shaped the cultural behavior and academic problems of black boys? Do we need to address these factors as we attempt to help black boys to succeed academically?
*Karen Washington, Character Education Manager:
I would like to know what other school districts are doing to address the issue. Houstin Independent School District has assembled a task force to address the issue, right now we are compiling research.
*Alberta English, Educator:
What can we as educators do to encourage are young people to learn in and outside the classroom? Comment: As a teacher I have noticed that students do not encourage the peers to achieve in the classroom. Why?
*Melvin Lars/CEO Brighter Futures Academic, VIolence intervention/Prevention, Academic Enhamcement Company:
When are we going to step up to the plate and stop allowing our "Black" boys from making excuses as to why they do not succeed? Single mom, Rap about what I live, etc. I am from a single parent/HS dropout mom's home and can sight person after successful "Black" person form my neighbor hood that lived the same plight. Yes it was difficult but not impossible...
*Jill Hunter-Williams, Legislative Director, Congressman Danny K. Davis:
Based on the research regarding what works, what are the top changes needed during the reauthorization of NCLB to help African American boys succeed?
*Jeanne Surface, Project Director, AIM Institute, Omaha NE:
Are there any programs that recruit young African-American males to the teaching profession? IF so, has this made an impact on the graduation rate?
*John DeVleming, Mercer Island school board director:
I am a school board director in a high performing suburban school district with less than 2% African-American enrollment. We intend to open enrollment to out of district students and one objection offered has been that we will get inner city kids who will be unable to keep up in class and disruptive to boot. We think we do a great job of teaching all the students who enroll here and welcome the challenge of teaching ambitious children from a somewhat different cultural background. Can you offer me any advice on how to deal with skeptical current parents or how to deal with the culture shock our new students may feel?
*George Guy, assistant principal Hartford Upper Elementary School:
How do building level administrators get teachers to "buy into" the fact that they have to differentiate how they "connect" with African American males in order to get greater soci-emotive and academic results in our schools?
*Ricardo Cooke, Teacher, Capuchino High School:
How do we create a learning environment where African American Boys feel that academics are worthwhile and will not have to face social scrutiny from their peers for striving for academic success?
*Cynthia Battle, Outreach Specialist, Beginning with Books:
What age do you see African-American boys starting to struggle in school, and how can earily educators help prevent poor performance in school?
*Education researcher:
In addition to working on all the systemic problems that African-American boys face, how can we help them overcome the peer pressure they sometimes face that discourages achievement (i.e., being accused of "acting white")?
*Moira Cameron, Teacher, Rochester City Shool District:
What documented evidence exists that an African-Centered pedagogy is effective with African-American boys? In which U.S. urban districts has it been either been 'launched' or attempted?
*Marion Smith Jr.,English Teacher & Curriculum Specialist, Clark County School District:
Too many American public schools fail to confront the racial, class, gender, and language biases woven into our social fabric, so where do K-12 teachers begin to enable students that look like me (Black males) to transgress boundaries and institutionalized limits?
*Shanickwa Spencer, parent:
How successful are African American boys in private schools?
*Rebecca Rumsey, Consultant, IER @ JCU:
Please comment on the recent report from PolicyBridge, a Cleveland-based think-tank, regarding the influence of the media, parents and culture (i.e., influence other than just schools) on the attitude toward education held by African American boys.
*Janet Riley, Principal, Elkhart, Indiana Evening High School:
How can an alternative type of school be structured to meet the needs of African-American boys? How can we give a different spin to the importance of education to let Black males know it is cool to be smart?
*Judy Beemer, Literacy Coach, Junction City (KS) High School:
How can we help African-American boys over-ride the peer attitude that says doing well in school or reading is not important or socially acceptable?
*Sam SMith, School COunselor, University High School:
What are the differences in working with African AMerican boys in remedial, mainstream and gifted and talented programs? Same approach?
*Stephanie Nimene, Mathematic Teacher at a Detroit, Michigan Charter School:
How do we as educators get parents of young black males involved in their children's education? What kind of programs do you know work in schools to pull young black males and their parents into educational success?
*Matt Skoczen, Teacher, St. Gabriel's Hall School:
I teach at a boys juvenile residential placement facility. The majority of the boys are African American and many are struggling readers/learners. What, if any, strategies seem to work to improve African American boys' reading processes?... and how does a teacher "fight" their deep-rooted thinking on things that music videos and the like are the "dream" to be chasing rather than a good education?
*M. Wong, Parent, San Diego:
What percentage of male African-American dropouts come from families with substance abuse problems?
*(Unknown):
Will you address special considerations for African American boys who are incarcerated? Specifically, violent felons who are in a treatment facility with an educational component? How to best serve?
*Jesse Willard, Education Advocate, Modesto, Ca.:
We recently attended a conference in Milwauke for the NEA. Most of what was discussed centered around NCLB and the major changes needed to the law. As parent advocates we are concerned that not enough attention is given to the horrendous disciplinary policies that exist in most districts.(Zero Tolerance) These policies are a large contributer to the achievement gap. What can be done nationally to convince the Teachers and Administrators that these policies have to go?
*Sarah, Social Studies teacher:
What can teachers do on the high school level to help African American boys, many who have been passed through the system due to behavioral issues, when they enter high school to ensure that they will stay until 12th grade and graduate?
Source: www.edweek-chat.org
Last Chat:
Thursday, May 17, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time
The academic problems of African-American boys are well documented. Their high school graduation rate is well below that of white boys. They generally perform worse in school than African-American girls. And they are far more likely than white boys to be placed in special education classes.
Their academic struggles are often exacerbated by behavior problems in and out of school. They have higher suspension rates than other groups and are more likely to be involved in criminal activity outside of school.
Background:
Despite the bleak statistics, African-American boys have made progress in many places around the country, raising their academic achievement and performing quite well compared with their peers from other racial and ethnic groups.
• What needs to be done to ensure that such success stories are replicated in other places?
• What are the best approaches for helping African-American boys in school?
• And why are they still struggling academically in most places?
We are currently accepting questions for this chat. Please submit questions now. Send a copy of your question to Eddie Griffin (BASG) at eddiegriffin_basg@yahoo.com.
UPDATED: Friday, May 18, 2007
QUESTIONS
*Martha King:
Can you compare the success of African American boys with that of Latino boys and Asian American boys? Key differences, similarities.
*Connie Collins, Program Specialist K-12, Fort Wayne Community Schools:
Are there specific methods or classroom practices that motivate students to perform to their potential? For example, do small groups work better than whole group discussions, or does the instructional intent still play a large role in method choice with diverse students.
*barry.golden@dpi.state.wi.us:
To what extent do you think early intervention might help Black male students at ages: 0-3 working with families 3-5 working with families and classroom 3-5 just in classrooms
*Annie Pettway, Director Community College of Allegheny County:
Can High Schools integrate college course requirements for African American Males in the 9th grade? Allowing them to come to a college campus on a daily basis.
*Jack Walden, Board Menber, OESD#2:
On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your opinion of the value of "Motivation"? (mine is 10)
*Hashim Bello, Stakeholder, Bell Curves LLC:
The Supreme Court of the U.S., arguably, seems to implicitly concede that there are barriers to entry at prestigious institutions that require the use carefully tailored affirmative action policies/preferences to redress. To the extent that any given standardized test represents such a barrier, how, in your opinion, does the current climate of increased standardized testing exacerbate the discrepancy in performance between African-American male and female students? Between African-Americans and other racial groups?
*David Millwe, CVO , Urban Leadership Institute:
What role does teacher development and preparation play in addressing academic and social deficits among African American males?
*Gwen Lavert, Asst. Professor Education, Indiana Wesleyan University:
There is reserach that shows that some children come to in cognitive confusion. If this is true, why do so many schools put so much empahasis on rote and recall? Why do many schools spend time teaching to the test instead of teaching students how to think?
*Judy Puglisi, Facilitator, New Haven Public Schools:
What is the single most influencial factor in increasing academic acheivement for African-American boys?
*Janice E. Jones, Retired Educator:
When and why do so many African American males lose hope in the educational system of their community?
*Nancy deProsse:
What roles have teacher unions been able to play in working on this issue?
*Diane Proctor, first grade teacher, R.F. Kennedy Elementary School, Providence, RI:
I have a number of African American boys in my inner-city school, who have many social problems such as incarcerated fathers, mothers who have drug-related issues, and multiple psychiatric problems. Because their family structure is falling apart so much, there are very few positive male role models to guide these children out of trouble. What can I do as a teacher to help them?
*Aline Hill-Ries, Dir of Program, Studio in a School:
At what age do problems generally tend to arise? How important is it to have a male African-American as a teacher? How can the rate of recruitment of more African-Amercian males into the teaching profession be increased? Do African-American males tend to leave the teaching profession or stay, compared to other ethnic groups? If so, why?
*Geniese Ligon, Dean of Students:
Are there specific issues we need to consider as studnets are transitioning from one grade span to the enxt. specifically elem. to middle school.
*Sarah, Social Studies teacher:
How can technology be used to promote positive outcomes in academic and personal achievement in African American boys?
*Judy Puglisi, Facilitator, New Haven Public Schools:
What research can you direct me to that identifies the characteristics of high schools that have been successful in increasing academic outcomes for African-American boys.
*Barbara Montgomery, Training Specialist, Ombudsman Educational Services:
With all that is going on in the world today, including peer preseeure, how do we get our young, African-American men to change their mindset to see the importance of having an education?
*Alison Moya Teacher CMSD:
What do you think is the root of this problem? Does the problem stems from the absence of male role models?
*Nikki Myers, teacher and graduate student, Colorado Springs:
Do you know of any research or strategies that are being used to help identify and cultivate the abilities of gifted/talented African American boys?
*Latisha Price, Teacher, Community Action School:
How can we get boys who have almost giving up on school back on track and help them see a successful future.
*Charles, Teacher:
Do you believe that the race of the teacher of black students makes a difference in terms of their personal achievement?
*Dr. Monica Roache, Assistant Principal Arlington Public Schools:
What strategies can be used to motivate African American Boys to be successful in school. Often African American Boys feel that it is "Cool to be a Fool". They dont want to be recognized for their academic achievements.
*Veronica Bloomfield, Elementary Language Arts Program Specialist, Los Angeles County Office of Education:
Do you know of specific programs (strategy based approaches) that are especially helpful for teachers in need of culturally responsive teaching practices?
*Kenya Easton, Parent:
If so many articles and studies exist regarding the state of emergency on Black Boys failing in school, gang violence, being fatherless and a whole lot of others problems that black boys face. Please tell me why laws and other prevention programs, schools, clubs are not put into place to help them help thems? Contrary tn popular belief. Black boys would love to succeed if they know they have a chance in life. Taught how to reach their goals, by developing social skills and wanting to get their education. and gaining knowledge on how to do it effectively. Please tell me how I can help? How to open up an organization for black boys? Unfortunately we have too mny people in power who don't belive that. I wnat to help, I need to help. I need to find out how I can do more.
*Walt Gardner, education writer:
What specifically is unique about African-American boys that accounts for their dismal academic performance overall?
*Hashim Bello, Stakeholder, Bell Curves LLC:
Do you feel that African-American (AA) boys are conditioned to be underperformers, by virtue of lower expectations, and that the underperformance is currently the result of a self-fulfilling prophecy? To the extent that AA boys (as a subset of AAs in general) are conditioned to be underperformers, how can the educational system compensate?
*Mary Thomas, teacher District of Columbia Public Schools:
I am a teacher and mother of two black males, ages 12 and 13. Oftentimes black adolescent males are perceived as more threatening, which negatively impacts the relationship between the school and the students/parents--adversely affecting quality of instruction and student academic performance. How can parents encourage schools to institute training for teachers and administrators to increase their awareness of age-appropriate behavior and racial sensitivity?
*Verna Smith, Education Services Coordinator, Mingo CAP, Inc. Head Start:
Head Start is concious of culture in regards to center environment (books, posters, learning materials,etc.) and promoting acceptance of diversity including gender. What can we do in our role as early interventionist to help our young African-American boys in their academic struggles?
*Tommy La'Pola, Teacer, Seattle Schools:
In those places around the country where black boys are succeeding, to what extent is this the result of “cultural segregation”? In other words are these schools where parents have had to apply or otherwise work to get their children enrolled, thereby indicating a family culture that puts a premium on education and where families are willing to work to assist their child with their education? A follow up question: can a school expect to be able to overcome the influences of a student’s family if the family and school have contradictory expectations of a student?
*Lorraine forte, Deputy Editor, Catalyst Chicago:
What teaching strategies are most effective with young black men? How do you get a large urban system to address the needs of these youth on a significant scale?
*NGrant, Math Coach, NYCDOE:
What are the effects of immigrants of African descent, as teachers, on the teaching and learning of African-American students?
*Dotti Shelton, Ed. D., Independent Educational Consultant:
What strategies, tools, activities in particular have been shown to be appropriate and effective with black students, especially at the middle school and high school?
*Amy Westfield, Spanish Teacher, Champaign Centennial High School:
Can you speak on any differences in achievement between African American boys and mixed (African American/White) boys. Is there any correlation between achievement and how these boys identify themselves? (ie. higher rate of achievement for those who identify themselves as white vs. those who identify themselves as black?)
*Mattie E. Curry, Teacher, Dooly County High, GA:
African American males tend to be targeted from the time they enter the school doors. Do you think that a separate institution for them might be the answer as based upon my 20 years of teaching experience, even African American teachers appear to be more antagonistic toward them?
*Danny Martin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Education and Mathematics, University of Illinois at Chicago:
While I agree that we need to give focused attention to the needs of African Ameircan males, I am always very troubled by the ways in which these these boys, and their needs, are framed. I am particularly troubled that the needs of African American boys are determined based on how they differ from white boys and African American girls. Comparisons such as these produce the damaging message that African American boys are changeworthty and that there is something wrong with them rather than something being wrong with the practices and systems that devalue their very being. A comparison with white boys, for example, carries with it an assumption that outcomes for white boys should the norm and goal for black boys. I would argue that this is an artificially low standard and that black boys should be allowed to develop and thrive to their full potential, not based on what is deemed acceptable or good for white boys. Comparing black boys to black females carries with it a dangerous and pernicious assault on black masculinity. The assumptions under both comparisons seem to be that, in order to be successful, black boys must become less black (more like white boys) and that they must become more feminine (more like African American girls). What I also find troubling is how many so-called experts and policy-makers proliferate this rhetoric without ever questioning the very premises on which they operate. Anyone who frames the needs of black boys in terms of how they differ from white boys is in no way an expert. To begin your discussion here says that you, a priori, accept the inferiority of African American boys. In my view, there is nothing inherently wrong with black boys. Many of the behaviors of these young boys are responses to systems of oppression that continue to mount vicious assaults on them everyday. My comments are not meant to romanticize the state of black males. However, I question the very way that the so-called "problem of black boys" is framed. Black boys don't need to be like white boys and black boys don't need to be like African American girls. Black boys need to be cared for, loved, and respected. The truth is that too many people who work in schools and other societal institutions do not care about black boys. I'd like your guests to comment on my assertions. If the above issues are too heavy-hitting, I'd like your guests to address the following question: How much day-to-day work do you do with African American boys, outside of research? Thank you. Danny Martin, Ph.D.
*Jessica Thumser, Teacher, Needwood Middle School:
I'm looking for ways to make "school is cool" relevant to 8th graders. This years' kids seemed to delight getting suspended, etc. They loose ground by being out of the classroom due to behavior problems. PS: I will probably miss the Live Chat due to the fact I teach until 3:20! I wish the chats could be later in the day . . .
*Cindy Friday Beeman, student teacher in kinder, Harrison Elementary:
Is there any research that shows whether the ethnicity or the sex of the teacher matters in the success of African-American boys in school? If so, does this factor matter more in a student's early years, just before middle school, or later? I can count on one hand the African-American teaching students I have met through the course of my program, male and female. This concerns me, but I wonder what research finds about whether it should. Thank you.
*Trish Steele, Kindergarten Teacher, Fox Chapel Elementary:
How do we get African American boys to listen and not talk back to adults when they are corrected for mistakes? Also related... How do we get them to be responsible for their actions when they deny that they have done anything wrong?
*Linda Stiles, Speech Language Pathologist:
Do you feel that the evaluation methods and criteria used to place students into special education programs are not considering the background and culture of African American boys and that is contributing to the over-referral of African American boys into special education programs? For example the tests that are used, what population are they normed and standardized on? Are they valid for students from all cultures and economic backgrounds?
*June Bernabucci, Sr. Director, Unified Arts, Hartford, CT:
Breaking the cycle of teen mothers who don't have father figures plays significantly in the development of african-american boys. what can be done to assist teen moms to be better mothers and find proper role models for their sons?
*Kevin A. Dougherty, Hall Director, The University of Arizona:
What do the achieving African American males say? Is there any research that explores the experiences of how or why the few African American males are able to academically achieve?
*Arthur Jarman, Head of Membership and Communications at the National Union of Teachers for England and Wales:
I hope you will find of interest the work we have done in respect of the educational performance of black Caribbean boys in the UK. You can find it on our website,www.teachers.org.uk. On the home page, click on:"Born to be Great A Charter on Promoting the Achievement of Black Caribbean Boys"
*David Battle, Doctoral Learner, Capella University:
What are some options that are available that an individual can participate in helping African-American boys in academics? I am an African-American male myself. Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in this chat due to my schedule demands.
*LuAnn Stout, Math Teacher, Smallwood MS:
I have been studying the success of charter schools, particularly KIPP Academies, that have shown remarkable success with below grade level African-American boys. Can public schools be flexible enough to incorporate their strategies (for example,greater autonomy for Principal's, longer school days, and parent-supported behavior contracts)?
*Karen Brown, Special Education Teacher, P.S. 398, Brooklyn:
Does the education system at large feel a sense of responsibility to incorporate social education within the curriculum?
*Celestine Candida, teacher, St. Mark's Episcopal School:
I have a 5th grade student who is very capable of doing passing work, but is doing D work. He is very polite and helpful, but he has anger issues and this gets him in trouble at school. How do I motivate him and get him to do his work
*Q. Davis, children's pastor, Southbay community Church:
Is their any particular curriculum that has been effective for young african american males
*Diane Haney CEO San Diego County Title I parents:
How many schools throughout the United States lack African American Teachers as role models?
*Jeffrey Lewis, Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison:
We live in a society that has historically and continually constructed its collective image of Black males based on fear and aversion, and not love and caring. I believe Black male identities and behaviors (individual and group) are at least partly, and probably significantly the result of their attempts to survive what many experience as hostile, suffocating environments. How do we intervene to help adults move beyond their fear and aversion of Black males, and create more inclusive educational environments?
*Sonya Gray,Director, RWOC After school at-risk program:
What is the biggest problem you see with our African American young men? What can we as African American adults do to help them succeed in todays society? How can we get the fathers and mothers more involved in the young mens lives?
*Tiombe Kendrick, School Psychologist, Miami-Dade County Public Schools:
I read the report on conducted by the Schott foundation and found it to be interesting. How does a school district take that report and consider applying the recommendations, especially in a large urban district
*Tisha Markette, principal, Amistad Academy Elementary School:
How can we get parents to be open about concerns and advocate for their children?
*Beth Robins, Doctoral Student Researcher , Aurora University:
Could the answer to the illiteracy rates among African American boys simply be to teach them (and indeed all students)the basic 42 to 44 phonemes of the English language, and how to blend them "first and fast", i.e. in Kindergarten, as recommended by the research-based National Reading Panel(2000)?
*Timothy Nevels, Co-Founder, Onyx House, Inc.:
Why aren't schools adopting single gender classes? It clearly works and it cost next to nothing to deploy. Only requires some retraining of teachers.
*Clara M. Moulds, Independent Educational Consultant:
As a prevention strategy, what can we do to assist parents of Africa-American toddlers and preschoolers with knowing how to help their childlren learn at home that could help prevent school failure of so many black boys?
*Edward M. Trusty, Jr., teacher, Gilman School:
Is there any research addressing the performance of African American males in private/independent schools compared to their public school counterparts? Which variables for this population prove to facilitate achievement?
*Peter Meyer, Contributing Editor, Education Next:
Could it be that the racial achievement gap is no more than a proxy for the "background knowledge" gap that E.D. Hirsch has so eloquently described. And instead of focusing our attentions on "black," shouldn't we be directing our attentions to content?
*Rashid Johnson,Curriculum Specialist, Bruce-Monroe Elementary School:
How does home and school discipline impact urban, African-American males; why is there a disparity between home and school rules?
*Jennifer Charles, Ed.D, Educational Technology Consultant, New York City:
How has American society and history shaped the cultural behavior and academic problems of black boys? Do we need to address these factors as we attempt to help black boys to succeed academically?
*Karen Washington, Character Education Manager:
I would like to know what other school districts are doing to address the issue. Houstin Independent School District has assembled a task force to address the issue, right now we are compiling research.
*Alberta English, Educator:
What can we as educators do to encourage are young people to learn in and outside the classroom? Comment: As a teacher I have noticed that students do not encourage the peers to achieve in the classroom. Why?
*Melvin Lars/CEO Brighter Futures Academic, VIolence intervention/Prevention, Academic Enhamcement Company:
When are we going to step up to the plate and stop allowing our "Black" boys from making excuses as to why they do not succeed? Single mom, Rap about what I live, etc. I am from a single parent/HS dropout mom's home and can sight person after successful "Black" person form my neighbor hood that lived the same plight. Yes it was difficult but not impossible...
*Jill Hunter-Williams, Legislative Director, Congressman Danny K. Davis:
Based on the research regarding what works, what are the top changes needed during the reauthorization of NCLB to help African American boys succeed?
*Jeanne Surface, Project Director, AIM Institute, Omaha NE:
Are there any programs that recruit young African-American males to the teaching profession? IF so, has this made an impact on the graduation rate?
*John DeVleming, Mercer Island school board director:
I am a school board director in a high performing suburban school district with less than 2% African-American enrollment. We intend to open enrollment to out of district students and one objection offered has been that we will get inner city kids who will be unable to keep up in class and disruptive to boot. We think we do a great job of teaching all the students who enroll here and welcome the challenge of teaching ambitious children from a somewhat different cultural background. Can you offer me any advice on how to deal with skeptical current parents or how to deal with the culture shock our new students may feel?
*George Guy, assistant principal Hartford Upper Elementary School:
How do building level administrators get teachers to "buy into" the fact that they have to differentiate how they "connect" with African American males in order to get greater soci-emotive and academic results in our schools?
*Ricardo Cooke, Teacher, Capuchino High School:
How do we create a learning environment where African American Boys feel that academics are worthwhile and will not have to face social scrutiny from their peers for striving for academic success?
*Cynthia Battle, Outreach Specialist, Beginning with Books:
What age do you see African-American boys starting to struggle in school, and how can earily educators help prevent poor performance in school?
*Education researcher:
In addition to working on all the systemic problems that African-American boys face, how can we help them overcome the peer pressure they sometimes face that discourages achievement (i.e., being accused of "acting white")?
*Moira Cameron, Teacher, Rochester City Shool District:
What documented evidence exists that an African-Centered pedagogy is effective with African-American boys? In which U.S. urban districts has it been either been 'launched' or attempted?
*Marion Smith Jr.,English Teacher & Curriculum Specialist, Clark County School District:
Too many American public schools fail to confront the racial, class, gender, and language biases woven into our social fabric, so where do K-12 teachers begin to enable students that look like me (Black males) to transgress boundaries and institutionalized limits?
*Shanickwa Spencer, parent:
How successful are African American boys in private schools?
*Rebecca Rumsey, Consultant, IER @ JCU:
Please comment on the recent report from PolicyBridge, a Cleveland-based think-tank, regarding the influence of the media, parents and culture (i.e., influence other than just schools) on the attitude toward education held by African American boys.
*Janet Riley, Principal, Elkhart, Indiana Evening High School:
How can an alternative type of school be structured to meet the needs of African-American boys? How can we give a different spin to the importance of education to let Black males know it is cool to be smart?
*Judy Beemer, Literacy Coach, Junction City (KS) High School:
How can we help African-American boys over-ride the peer attitude that says doing well in school or reading is not important or socially acceptable?
*Sam SMith, School COunselor, University High School:
What are the differences in working with African AMerican boys in remedial, mainstream and gifted and talented programs? Same approach?
*Stephanie Nimene, Mathematic Teacher at a Detroit, Michigan Charter School:
How do we as educators get parents of young black males involved in their children's education? What kind of programs do you know work in schools to pull young black males and their parents into educational success?
*Matt Skoczen, Teacher, St. Gabriel's Hall School:
I teach at a boys juvenile residential placement facility. The majority of the boys are African American and many are struggling readers/learners. What, if any, strategies seem to work to improve African American boys' reading processes?... and how does a teacher "fight" their deep-rooted thinking on things that music videos and the like are the "dream" to be chasing rather than a good education?
*M. Wong, Parent, San Diego:
What percentage of male African-American dropouts come from families with substance abuse problems?
*(Unknown):
Will you address special considerations for African American boys who are incarcerated? Specifically, violent felons who are in a treatment facility with an educational component? How to best serve?
*Jesse Willard, Education Advocate, Modesto, Ca.:
We recently attended a conference in Milwauke for the NEA. Most of what was discussed centered around NCLB and the major changes needed to the law. As parent advocates we are concerned that not enough attention is given to the horrendous disciplinary policies that exist in most districts.(Zero Tolerance) These policies are a large contributer to the achievement gap. What can be done nationally to convince the Teachers and Administrators that these policies have to go?
*Sarah, Social Studies teacher:
What can teachers do on the high school level to help African American boys, many who have been passed through the system due to behavioral issues, when they enter high school to ensure that they will stay until 12th grade and graduate?
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Mad Science use in Race Suppression
Commentary by Eddie Griffin
[Pseudo-science created scientific racism]
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
There have always been mad scientists in the world. Think tanks are full of them. They are called mad scientists because they try to reshape the world to the liking of the elite establishment. Whenever kings and lords of Europe were overthrown, the people also beheaded the “great thinkers” of that day whose ideals and philosophies had justified and rationalized the oppression of the masses by the monarchial government.
Mad scientists came up with some of the most ingenious pseudo-sciences of their day, such as the Science of Eugenics, which prognosticated a person’s social status and human potential by the shape of their heads, the width of the nose, and the thickness of their lips.
Eugenics is a social philosophy which advocates the improvement of human hereditary traits through various forms of intervention. The goals of various groups advocating eugenics have included the creation of healthier, more intelligent people, to save society's resources, and lessen human suffering, as well as racially based goals or desires to breed for other specific qualities, such as fighting abilities.
Earlier proposed means of achieving these goals focused on selective breeding, while modern ones focus on prenatal testing and screening, genetic counseling, birth control, in vitro fertilization, and genetic engineering. Opponents argue that eugenics is immoral and is based on, or is itself, pseudoscience. Historically, eugenics has been used as a justification for coercive state-sponsored discrimination and human rights violations, such as forced sterilization of persons who appear to have - or are claimed to have - genetic defects, the killing of the institutionalized and, in some cases, outright genocide of races perceived as inferior or undesirable.
Eugenics was an academic discipline at many colleges and universities. Funding was provided by prestigious sources such as the Rockefeller Foundation, the Carnegie Institute of Washington, and the Harriman family.
Because of its normative goals and historical association with scientific racism, as well as the development of the science of genetics, the western scientific community has mostly disassociated itself from the term "eugenics", although one can find advocates of what is now known as liberal eugenics.
Scientific racism refers to scientific theories of the 19th century, which drew on physical anthropology, anthropometry, craniometry, phrenology, physiognomy and other now-discredited disciplines, in order to provide a typology of different human races, based on a biological conception of the race. Such theories, which have been now discredited as pseudo-sciences or proto-sciences, have provided ideological justifications to racism, slavery and colonialism during the New Imperialism period in the second half of the 19th century. Unsurprisingly, their popularity coincide with this period of European expansion in the world. These scholarly theories sometimes worked in conjunction with racism, for example in the case of the "human zoos", during which various human beings were presented in cages during colonial exhibitions. They were strongly denounced after World War II and the Holocaust, in particular by the UNESCO 1950 statement, signed by internationally renowned scholars, and titled The Race Question.
Eugenics was invented by Francis Galton and popularized at the turn of the 20th century, such theories, which often postulated a "master race", usually "Nordic" and "Aryan".
QUESTION: Is ADHD a return to pseudo-science since it largely affects on black children?
The National Institute of Mental Health symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):
Historical Background
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was first described by Dr. Heinrich Hoffman in 1845. In 1902 that Sir George F. Still published a series of lectures to the Royal College of Physicians in England in which he described a group of impulsive children with significant behavioral problems, caused by a genetic dysfunction and not by poor child rearing—children who today would be easily recognized as having ADHD.
Symptoms
The principal characteristics of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. These symptoms appear early in a child's life… Different symptoms may appear in different settings, depending on the demands the situation may pose for the child's self-control. A child who "can't sit still" or is otherwise disruptive will be noticeable in school, but the inattentive daydreamer may be overlooked. The impulsive child who acts before thinking may be considered just a "discipline problem," while the child who is passive or sluggish may be viewed as merely unmotivated. Yet both may have different types of ADHD. All children are sometimes restless, sometimes act without thinking, sometimes daydream the time away. When the child's hyperactivity, distractibility, poor concentration, or impulsivity begin to affect performance in school, social relationships with other children, or behavior at home, ADHD may be suspected.
Hyperactivity-Impulsivity
Hyperactive children always seem to be "on the go" or constantly in motion. They dash around touching or playing with whatever is in sight, or talk incessantly. Sitting still at dinner or during a school lesson or story can be a difficult task. They squirm and fidget in their seats or roam around the room…
Impulsive children seem unable to curb their immediate reactions or think before they act. They will often blurt out inappropriate comments, display their emotions without restraint, and act without regard for the later consequences of their conduct.
Some signs of hyperactivity-impulsivity are:
Feeling restless, often fidgeting with hands or feet, or squirming while seated.
Running, climbing, or leaving a seat in situations where sitting or quiet behavior is expected.
Blurting out answers before hearing the whole question.
Having difficulty waiting in line or taking turns.
Inattention
Children who are inattentive have a hard time keeping their minds on any one thing and may get bored with a task after only a few minutes. If they are doing something they really enjoy, they have no trouble paying attention. But focusing deliberate, conscious attention to organizing and completing a task or learning something new is difficult.
The DSM-IV-TR gives these signs of inattention:
Often becoming easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds.
Often failing to pay attention to details and making careless mistakes.
Rarely following instructions carefully and completely losing or forgetting things like toys, or pencils, books, and tools needed for a task.
Often skipping from one uncompleted activity to another.
Children diagnosed with the Predominantly Inattentive Type of ADHD are seldom impulsive or hyperactive, yet they have significant problems paying attention. They appear to be daydreaming, "spacey," easily confused, slow moving, and lethargic. They may have difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as other children. When the teacher gives oral or even written instructions, this child has a hard time understanding what he or she is supposed to do and makes frequent mistakes. Yet the child may sit quietly, unobtrusively, and even appear to be working but not fully attending to or understanding the task and the instructions.
These children don't show significant problems with impulsivity and overactivity in the classroom, on the school ground, or at home. They may get along better with other children than the more impulsive and hyperactive types of ADHD, and they may not have the same sorts of social problems so common with the combined type of ADHD. So often their problems with inattention are overlooked. But they need help just as much as children with other types of ADHD, who cause more obvious problems in the classroom.
FOOTNOTE:
These symptoms are appear so arbitrary that the diagnosis can be made to apply to any normal child. So, why are a disproporate number of black (particulary male) children are diagnosis ADHD and prescribed to a life-long regimen of Ritalin?
[Pseudo-science created scientific racism]
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
There have always been mad scientists in the world. Think tanks are full of them. They are called mad scientists because they try to reshape the world to the liking of the elite establishment. Whenever kings and lords of Europe were overthrown, the people also beheaded the “great thinkers” of that day whose ideals and philosophies had justified and rationalized the oppression of the masses by the monarchial government.
Mad scientists came up with some of the most ingenious pseudo-sciences of their day, such as the Science of Eugenics, which prognosticated a person’s social status and human potential by the shape of their heads, the width of the nose, and the thickness of their lips.
Eugenics is a social philosophy which advocates the improvement of human hereditary traits through various forms of intervention. The goals of various groups advocating eugenics have included the creation of healthier, more intelligent people, to save society's resources, and lessen human suffering, as well as racially based goals or desires to breed for other specific qualities, such as fighting abilities.
Earlier proposed means of achieving these goals focused on selective breeding, while modern ones focus on prenatal testing and screening, genetic counseling, birth control, in vitro fertilization, and genetic engineering. Opponents argue that eugenics is immoral and is based on, or is itself, pseudoscience. Historically, eugenics has been used as a justification for coercive state-sponsored discrimination and human rights violations, such as forced sterilization of persons who appear to have - or are claimed to have - genetic defects, the killing of the institutionalized and, in some cases, outright genocide of races perceived as inferior or undesirable.
Eugenics was an academic discipline at many colleges and universities. Funding was provided by prestigious sources such as the Rockefeller Foundation, the Carnegie Institute of Washington, and the Harriman family.
Because of its normative goals and historical association with scientific racism, as well as the development of the science of genetics, the western scientific community has mostly disassociated itself from the term "eugenics", although one can find advocates of what is now known as liberal eugenics.
Scientific racism refers to scientific theories of the 19th century, which drew on physical anthropology, anthropometry, craniometry, phrenology, physiognomy and other now-discredited disciplines, in order to provide a typology of different human races, based on a biological conception of the race. Such theories, which have been now discredited as pseudo-sciences or proto-sciences, have provided ideological justifications to racism, slavery and colonialism during the New Imperialism period in the second half of the 19th century. Unsurprisingly, their popularity coincide with this period of European expansion in the world. These scholarly theories sometimes worked in conjunction with racism, for example in the case of the "human zoos", during which various human beings were presented in cages during colonial exhibitions. They were strongly denounced after World War II and the Holocaust, in particular by the UNESCO 1950 statement, signed by internationally renowned scholars, and titled The Race Question.
Eugenics was invented by Francis Galton and popularized at the turn of the 20th century, such theories, which often postulated a "master race", usually "Nordic" and "Aryan".
QUESTION: Is ADHD a return to pseudo-science since it largely affects on black children?
The National Institute of Mental Health symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):
Historical Background
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was first described by Dr. Heinrich Hoffman in 1845. In 1902 that Sir George F. Still published a series of lectures to the Royal College of Physicians in England in which he described a group of impulsive children with significant behavioral problems, caused by a genetic dysfunction and not by poor child rearing—children who today would be easily recognized as having ADHD.
Symptoms
The principal characteristics of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. These symptoms appear early in a child's life… Different symptoms may appear in different settings, depending on the demands the situation may pose for the child's self-control. A child who "can't sit still" or is otherwise disruptive will be noticeable in school, but the inattentive daydreamer may be overlooked. The impulsive child who acts before thinking may be considered just a "discipline problem," while the child who is passive or sluggish may be viewed as merely unmotivated. Yet both may have different types of ADHD. All children are sometimes restless, sometimes act without thinking, sometimes daydream the time away. When the child's hyperactivity, distractibility, poor concentration, or impulsivity begin to affect performance in school, social relationships with other children, or behavior at home, ADHD may be suspected.
Hyperactivity-Impulsivity
Hyperactive children always seem to be "on the go" or constantly in motion. They dash around touching or playing with whatever is in sight, or talk incessantly. Sitting still at dinner or during a school lesson or story can be a difficult task. They squirm and fidget in their seats or roam around the room…
Impulsive children seem unable to curb their immediate reactions or think before they act. They will often blurt out inappropriate comments, display their emotions without restraint, and act without regard for the later consequences of their conduct.
Some signs of hyperactivity-impulsivity are:
Feeling restless, often fidgeting with hands or feet, or squirming while seated.
Running, climbing, or leaving a seat in situations where sitting or quiet behavior is expected.
Blurting out answers before hearing the whole question.
Having difficulty waiting in line or taking turns.
Inattention
Children who are inattentive have a hard time keeping their minds on any one thing and may get bored with a task after only a few minutes. If they are doing something they really enjoy, they have no trouble paying attention. But focusing deliberate, conscious attention to organizing and completing a task or learning something new is difficult.
The DSM-IV-TR gives these signs of inattention:
Often becoming easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds.
Often failing to pay attention to details and making careless mistakes.
Rarely following instructions carefully and completely losing or forgetting things like toys, or pencils, books, and tools needed for a task.
Often skipping from one uncompleted activity to another.
Children diagnosed with the Predominantly Inattentive Type of ADHD are seldom impulsive or hyperactive, yet they have significant problems paying attention. They appear to be daydreaming, "spacey," easily confused, slow moving, and lethargic. They may have difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as other children. When the teacher gives oral or even written instructions, this child has a hard time understanding what he or she is supposed to do and makes frequent mistakes. Yet the child may sit quietly, unobtrusively, and even appear to be working but not fully attending to or understanding the task and the instructions.
These children don't show significant problems with impulsivity and overactivity in the classroom, on the school ground, or at home. They may get along better with other children than the more impulsive and hyperactive types of ADHD, and they may not have the same sorts of social problems so common with the combined type of ADHD. So often their problems with inattention are overlooked. But they need help just as much as children with other types of ADHD, who cause more obvious problems in the classroom.
FOOTNOTE:
These symptoms are appear so arbitrary that the diagnosis can be made to apply to any normal child. So, why are a disproporate number of black (particulary male) children are diagnosis ADHD and prescribed to a life-long regimen of Ritalin?
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