Educating And Motivating African American Males To Succeed

One of the most vexing problems confronting educators today is the chronic achievement gap between black male students and their peers. In this inspiring and thought-provoking book, veteran educator Baruti K. Kafele offers a blueprint for lifting black males up and ensuring their success in the classroom and beyond. Motivating Black Males to Achieve in School and in Life offers proven strategies for getting black male students in middle school and high school to value learning, improve their grades, and maintain high standards for themselves. The author shows how simple but powerful measures to instill self-worth in young black males can not only raise these students' achievement, but also profoundly alter their lives for the better. This book will help you to help students * Reverse the destructive effects of negative influences, whether among peers or in the popular culture; * Surmount adverse conditions at home or in their communities; * Participate in mentorship programs with successful black male adults; and * Take pride in their heritage by learning about great figures and achievements in black history. Whether your school is urban or rural, all-black or mixed, you'll find this book to be an insightful resource that addresses the root causes of low achievement among young black males and offers a clear path to overcoming them.

Unlike the media would have you believe, most black males find great value in education. They want to believe that they have a special gift and that they can make a difference in the world. The problem is that they have ill feelings about how society has deprived them of the most qualified teachers and the best ways to be engaged in their own education. As a consequence of repeatedly being marginalized, criticized, and put down by society and teachers, they do not feel motivated to attend school or to produce outstanding academic work. The Secrets for Motivating, Educating, and Lifting the Spirit of African American Males contains essays that center on how to help educators and parents to equip young black males with the drive necessary to craft fulfilling lives for themselves so they dont slip through the cracks in the educational system. Historically, we are still dealing with what happens to the image of Black people in the minds of white people. A book like this helps to make certain that the information teachers provide to all studentsregardless of their racewill help them understand that the history of this country has made generation after generation of black students see themselves as academically and socially inferior to white people. Most importantly, its the teachersnot just black teachers, but all teachers who have to understand the power they have to change the mindset of society. Changing how society thinks about Black people, particularly Black males, is a task teachers can truly accomplish because they have the power to create lesson plans that challenge how students think about each other. For such lessons are important for changing the attitudes and beliefs of the entire community in which we live. REVEREND C.T. VIVIAN, A Pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement, Author, Educator, and a Close Friend of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This book provides a fresh perspective for understanding the problems associated with the education of Black males. As a minister, I have not encountered a project that gathers the collective wisdom of a group of over 20 Black male educators who are dedicated to helping the world save young Black males. When all their ideas come together, they are bound to create a storm of new thinking about how all of us can work together. As a spiritual leader, my role is to help young Black males understand that the same God that was in Dr. King is the same God that is in them. This is a difficult lesson for some Black males who have been brainwashed to see themselves as having no say about the outcome of their lives. This book will help us, including those in the ministry, to reevaluate the thinking patterns of our boys so that we can better prepare them for the critical thinking that is required for life in the 21st century. REVEREND ROBERT KILGORE, Assistant Pastor at Hillside International Truth Center, Atlanta, GA

Many African American males are headed down the wrong paths in school and society, but that's mostly because we as a community do not understand the challenges they face. In this guide, Dr. Alfred Brinkley, an African American studies scholar and alternative school administrator, explores how to boost the odds of success for at-risk, African American males. He focuses on helping teachers, parents, and students to promote a lifetime love of reading; narrow the achievement gap; encourage self-esteem and intrinsic motivation; and hone parenting and mentoring skills. Leaving your comfort zone and learning why this group of students needs support can better equip you to establish a relationship based on mutual respect. Educating, inspiring, and motivating at-risk African American males requires a support system that can prepare them to succeed. Students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community leaders can begin to do their part with Courageous Expectations.

The Nonnegotiable: Educating African-American Male Students K-12 will highlight several salient points that were stimulated from NCLB, better known as the No Child Left Behind Act. The book presents several alarming problems. One problem is the dropout rate. Research indicates 53 percent of African-American males nationwide drop out of school. Research indicates African-American high school students are notably falling behind their Caucasian counterparts in graduation rates, dropout rates, literacy rates, and college preparedness rates. According to the Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males, African-American and Hispanic twelfth-grade students read at approximately the same level as Caucasian eighth-grade students. The National Assessment of Educational Progress reports that 88 percent of African-American eighth graders read below grade level, compared to 62 percent of Caucasian eighth graders. The goal of the book is to afford each reader the opportunity to cultivate their educational outlook on African-American males and provide their schools with effective, culturally responsive reform. The overarching goal for this book is to bring enlightenment to a dark cloud that hovers over the success or lack of success of the African-American male student.

Bringing unique perspectives from the field, this resource offers multiple perspectives on African American male achievement from top scholars in the field of urban education.

In his new book, the author of the bestseller Why Race and Culture Matter in Schools examines the chronic under-performance of African American males in U.S. schools. Citing a plethora of disturbing academic outcomes for Black males, this book focuses on the historical, structural, educational, psychological, emotional, and cultural factors that influence the teaching and learning process for this student population. Howard discusses the potential and promise of Black males by highlighting their voices to generate new insights, create new knowledge, and identify useful practices that can significantly improve the schooling experiences and life chances of Black males. Howard calls for a paradigm shift in how we think about, teach, and study Black males. Book Features: Examines current structures, ideologies, and practices that both help and hinder the educational and social prospects of Black males. Translates frequently cited theoretical principles into research-based classroom practice. Documents teacher-student interactions, student viewpoints, and discusses the troubling role that sports plays in the lives of many Black males. Highlights voices and perspectives from Black male students about ways to improve their schooling experiences and outcomes. Identifies community-based programs that are helping Black males succeed. “Howard is more than a reformer. He seeks to dismantle a system that stifles dreams, devours hopes, and destroys opportunities. . . . He offers us a road map for how to do this and an invitation to join him in this venture. Let us hope that more than a few of those who read this book will enthusiastically accept his offer and join him in this important work.” —From the Foreword by Pedro A. Noguera, New York University “Black Male(d) is a timely, masterfully crafted contribution to an important conversation about one of our nation’s most misunderstood populations. Anyone who is troubled by the status of Black boys in schools and society will find much that is useful in this book. The author’s brilliance is apparent and praiseworthy.” —Shaun R. Harper, Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education, University of Pennsylvania “This book pushes educators to not only know more but to do more on behalf of Black males. This is the book that shows us how to reform practices, policies, and places in order to improve the human condition of Black males. Howard reminds us all that we absolutely must do better—our children’s lives depend on it!” —H. Richard Milner IV, Helen Faison Endowed Chair of Urban Education, University of Pittsburgh Tyrone C. Howard is professor of education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles.

Today, young Black men are more likely to be killed or sent to prison than to graduate from college. Yet, despite all the obstacles, some are achieving at the highest academic and professional levels. Beating the Odds tells their remarkable stories and shows us what African American families have done to raise academically successful sons, sons who are among the top two percent of African American males in terms of SAT scores and grades. The result of extensive and innovative research, Beating the Odds goes beyond mere analysis--and beyond the relentlessly negative media images--to show us precisely how young Black men can succeed despite the roadblocks of racism, the temptations of crime and drugs, and a popular culture that values being "cool" over being educated. By interviewing parents and children from a range of economic and educational backgrounds and from both single and two-parent homes, the authors identify those constants that contribute to academic achievement and offer step-by-step guidance on six essential strategies for effective parenting: child-focused love; strong limit-setting and discipline; continually high expectations; open, consistent, and strong communication; positive racial identity and positive male identity; and full use of community resources. The proof of the effectiveness of such strategies is in the sons themselves, who speak eloquently in these pages about their struggles and successes in both the classroom and the often hostile world that surrounds it. Essential reading for parents, teachers, and school administrators, Beating the Odds offers insight, guidance, and hope for anyone concerned about the plight of young African American men and the society they live in.

This volume brings together leading scholars and practitioners to address the theory and practice of African-centered education. The contributors provide (1) perspectives on the history, methods, successes and challenges of African-centered education, (2) discussions of the efforts that are being made to counter the miseducation of Black children, and (3) prescriptions for—and analyses of—the way forward for Black children and Black communities. The authors argue that Black children need an education that moves them toward leading and taking agency within their own communities. They address several areas that capture the essence of what African-centered education is, how it works, and why it is a critical imperative at this moment. Those areas include historical analyses of African-centered education; parental perspectives; strategies for working with Black children; African-centered culture, science and STEM; culturally responsive curriculum and instruction; and culturally responsive resources for teachers and school leaders.

Raising African American Males is comprised of strategies and interventions that can assist and improve African American males' achievement in all areas of academics as well as in their everyday lives. Theresa Harris and George Taylor provide pedagogical strategies that employ various instructional tools for teachers, parents, African American youth, and administrators. In addition, this book can be a guide to improve the educational outlook for African American males and to provide the necessary resources used for training of parents, teachers, and students. The "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001 and the Maryland Redesign of Teacher Education provides for the belief in the efficacy of all students. Many social inadequacies and injustices have resulted in social problems including the lack of resources for African American males to succeed.