An Uphill Battle

On Tuesday, March 2 Teach For America hosted a panel discussion entitled, "Men of Color & Education: A Discussion on the Pursuit of Excellence." The conversation was centered around Black and Latino boys and the challenges they face in our school system. The star-studded panel included rapper Common, singer John Legend, former NBA player Eric Snow, Bronx Borough President Rueben Diaz, Jr., and professors Dr. Pedro Noguera and Dr. Marc Lamont Hill. The event was moderated by David C. Banks, founder and president of the Eagle Academy Foundation.

      

Each panelist brought something different to the table. Whether it was his experience as a teacher, father, mentor, researcher, musician, etc. each voice was unique. Dr. Noguera, Dr. Hill, and Mr. Diaz offered a number of eye-opening statistics including:

• Stuyvesant High School (one of the city's specialized high schools) accepted SIX Black boys this year.
• At Bronx High School of Science, only 5% of its students are actually from the Bronx.
• Last year, more money was spent on surveillance equipment for schools than for similar equipment in prisons.
• Indicators among 3rd and 4th grade Black and Latino boys (dropouts, suspensions, expulsions, failings) can forecast for state officials just how many prison spaces they will need when these boys are of age.

There were many more statistics and opinions offered, but these were particularly glaring. So, the question remained: What do we do? And, the answers came in many forms, offering different perspectives and solutions. We heard about eliminating failing schools, having one great teacher in every room, adding mentors, psychologists and social workers, scrapping No Child Left Behind as a failed program and starting over, holding our representatives responsible, increase parent involvement, and the list goes on.

These concepts have been debated - and, will continue to be debated - for quite some time. But, it was really moving to hear not only the pros and cons of making these changes, but also the passion with which these men wanted to see that change through. Some spoke more of institutional or systematic changes in government, others debated the efficacy of charter schools vs. public, and others spoke about the need to rejuvenate "the village" and love our kids better.

What was most clear is that there is no one answer. The problem needs to be addressed from all angles. Better teachers. Better schools. Better curriculum. Better policies. Question what privatizing prisons - i.e. making prisons profitable - means to those groups disproportionately populating them. Question why certain new schools are able to take kids from the same pool and make them succeed. Question everything... but, DO something.


Overall, the panel was a great success. If done in the future, they might wish to reduce the size of the panel as some voices overshadowed others, but there isn't too much else to change. And, definitely bring Mr. Banks back as moderator... Kudos to Jemina Bernard and all of the TFA team that made the event possible!

Highlight: During the audience open-mic portion, a 5th grader from Brooklyn stepped up to the mic and asked the panel, "We've been to the assemblies and heard all of the talks, but I still get bullied. How do we stop bullying in our schools?" (He received a huge applause for being the only audience member to be able to succinctly ask a question!) We've reached out to his principal immediately...

The Normalization Of Failure

The Black Male Donor Collaborative held an event this week to introduce potential funders to the great work the organization has undertaken. The program saw very passionate speakers addressing the problems Black males face in the public school system in America, particularly in New York City.

While there were many insights that evening, two ideas stood out. The first, offered by Dr. John Jackson, President and CEO of The Schott Foundation is that there is no "silver-bullet" to solve all of the inequities in public education. The solution is a combined effort that focuses on better resources, teacher accountability, funding for schools and programs that work, removing those that don't, and the list goes on.

The other idea appears in this entry's title: "the normalization of failure." Dr. Pedro Noguera of NYU is the lead researcher for the Collaborative. Among other things, his work has highlighted the fact that while the country may not be consciously steering Black males to fail in school or end up in prison, most Americans have come to view this as the norm; a position he refuses to accept.

It was refreshing to hear emphasis placed on the "whole child," which shows the importance programs like The Girls & Boys Projects have on our young people's full development. While testing is important, if a child is unhappy in school, he (or she) will eventually not want to be there. Obviously, it's going to take a real collaborative effort to turn our educational system around...

Mayor Bloomberg, I Need A Voucher

Are you a Black boy?

Do you want to graduate from high school?

Move to North Dakota.

It's a well-known mantra among Black Americans, especially older generations: "Black people have to work twice as hard to get half the chance."  The notion behind this sentiment is personified in an eye-opening study conducted by The Schott Foundation, "Given Half a Chance: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males."

The study uncovers glaring statistics and conclusions illustrating just how badly our school systems are failing Black males. Two that stood out most are:

1. North Dakota is the best performing state for Black males.  Upside? An 89% graduation rate.  Downside? Well, let's just say if you're looking to blend in, this may not be the place...

And, 2: Black males do better in White schools.  The report specifies that this is not due to proximity with White students, but rather enrollment in well-resourced schools (dedicated staff, libraries, textbooks and computers, science labs, etc.).

The question then becomes, can this mother really be in jail for sending her kids to a better school district? Maybe she read the report and knows that New York State ranked 45th (and New York City #1) on the "Lowest Performing" scale... Can't blame her for trying to give her kids the other half a chance, can you?

Are You Serious?

The opening line catches you right away: "A shocking statistic—teenagers are in more danger from sexual predators at their part time jobs than through the Internet." Seriously?

This piece from PBS (click to view the entire 26-minute segment) reveals a far too underreported trend among teenagers: sexual harassment  in the workplace.

One might wonder why a story like this is on Boy Chat, especially because it chronicles the plights of women in three different businesses.  It's always important to teach employees their rights and to offer victims support services . . . but, how are we addressing the harassers, i.e. (most often) the MEN? Too often, we focus on empowering the victims while neglecting to simultaneously teach the perpetrators to recognize their own inappropriate behaviors.

The line between flirting and harassment is often blurry.  Boys and men alike often need help in identifying when it's been crossed.  But, one practice is pretty safe: Keep your hands to yourself.