“Black males…were ending up in special ed”
Unsafe schools, stygma and a Black history void have lead more African American parents to homeschool their children, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. From 1999 to 2004, homeschooling has increased by a third and researchers say the number of African Americans who homeschool may be growing at a faster rate.
“Black public school students are three times as likely as white students to be categorized as needing special education services, a 2002 study by the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University found. “
September 25th, 2006 at 4:05 pm
This is a great development, if parents have the time and resources to home school. With very few exceptions, American schools have never provided the type of education that Black students need and deserve. Our schools have failed to enact the types of reforms that Carter G. Woodson preached about in 1933’s Miseducation of the Negro.
September 26th, 2006 at 12:30 am
Nadir: If “American schools have never provided the type of education that Black students need and deserve”, then:
(1) Why do Asian immigrant kids out-perform even honkey kids today? Are today’s USA schols anti-honkey in addition to being antiblack?
(2) Why did black kids in Harlem and similar all-black northern urban areas perform so well through the early 1960s?
(3) Why do black kids at the honkey schools perform better than do the black kids in black schools, on average?
(4) Why do white boys at honkey schools have a higher incidence of getting labled “special need” or “hyper active” less than black girls… and more than Asian boys?
The article about black parents home-schooling their kids does a much better job of demonstrating that black parents at white schools have the same frustrations as their white peers than it does showing that they have special anti-black problems. I’ve worked with hundreds of black male public school students, including hundreds who attend honkey-majority schools. I have found zero instances of academic-minded students failing to achieve academic success and respect at their honkey schools. Have you? I know you have had similar experiances to me, though perhaps with fewer parents describing to you their frustrations. Have any of these parents expressed these complaints to you? I have conferred with hundreds of black parents, and by far the number one frustration: My kid isn’t studying!
Are you aware that many white parents complain that their “active’ boys are getting mis-labled “hyperactive” and mis-prescribed ritilin by lazy and prejudiced (against males!) teachers, councilers, and admins?
I am tired of all the excuses, and I no longer accept them. On average, black kids are making poor academic choices; it is clear to me that is the number one problem, and one that renders all the rest insignificant.
September 26th, 2006 at 1:52 am
Okay. I shouldn’t have said “never”. I should have said “rarely”.
“(1) Why do Asian immigrant kids out-perform even honkey kids today? Are today’s USA schols anti-honkey in addition to being antiblack?”
This has to do with the Asian culture and work ethic. That culture and work ethic out performs American culture in schools, in the electronics industry, in the automotive industry, in the haircare industry, and probably in other arenas that I can’t think of right now.
“(2) Why did black kids in Harlem and similar all-black northern urban areas perform so well through the early 1960s?
(3) Why do black kids at the honkey schools perform better than do the black kids in black schools, on average?”
All kids perform better at better schools that challenge the student regardless of race. As I said above, I should have said “rarely”. I performed well in a honkey school with semi-racist, redneck classmates and teachers. My mother had a lot to do with that, and she set the tone by teaching me to read before I went to kindergarten, but I went to decent public schools.
My uncle went to a poorly funded segregated Black school in my hometown and went on to retire from the US State Department. It is the culture of learning at home and in the community that made the difference.
On average, kids who go to poor performing schools don’t do as well as kids who go to good schools. That’s the definition of a “poor performing school”, isn’t it? However, when parents instill discipline and a love of learning in their students, those students perform well in most instances.
“(4) Why do white boys at honkey schools have a higher incidence of getting labled “special need” or “hyper active” less than black girls… and more than Asian boys?”
Boys are rambunctious, and again, Asian culture is steeped in discipline. But as the article showed, Black boys are three times more likely to be labeled “special needs” than white boys. Kids in general are over medicated these days though and this is particularly true of Black kids in public schools. A couple of my nieces, who are very well-mannered children were medicated unnecessarily. Spoiled? Yes. But hyperactive, no. They were acting like children. Go figure.
“I am tired of all the excuses, and I no longer accept them. On average, black kids are making poor academic choices; it is clear to me that is the number one problem, and one that renders all the rest insignificant.”
I agree that many black kids make poor academic choices and that parents make poor academic choices on behalf of their students. I disagree that the other problems are “insignificant”, but the poor academic choices make those problems less significant.
A lack of African history (read “true history”) is significant, but can be rendered less significant if parents teach that history to their students like my mother did. I was teaching my high school history teacher about Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass.
What is missing from many black families is a culture of learning and scholarship. Where that is present, students do well. Where that is absent, they perform poorly regardless of the school environment.
September 27th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
Great post!
I feel the schools are failing all students now in many area’s.It’s only getting worse.I tried to do what they suggested to no avail.
When they want to drug your child,That’s where I draw the line.
I took my son out and now home school him.He now makes A’s and B’s and has a good outlook on life.