African American male-only schools: is that the solution?
The Black Male: The New Bald Eagle bald eagle
Species of sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) that occurs inland along rivers and large lakes. Strikingly handsome, it is the only eagle native solely to North America, and it has been the U.S. national bird since 1782. The adult, about 40 in. (Johnson, 1989), The Black Male Teacher--A Vanishing Breed? (Barrow, 1991) and Reclaiming the African American African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race. Male (Black Collegian, 1992) are recent works whose descriptive titles aptly depict the condition of the African American male. Such phrases summarize conclusions that may be drawn from news broadcasts, newspaper stories and literature regarding the plight of the African American male.
These phrases are supported by statistical findings, such as the following:
* Indeed, if black males survive infant mortality rates infant mortality rate
The ratio of the number of deaths in the first year of life to the number of live births occurring in the same population during the same period of time. that are nearly double those for white infants, they are still more likely than females to succumb to infectious and noninfectious diseases in the first year of their lives. (Poinsett, 1991)
* Homicide is the leading cause of death for black males between ages 15-44. (Poinsett, 1991)
* Tragically, they |black males~ are more likely than other sex/race groups to die before age 20. (Poinsett, 1991)
* In 1990, only 1.2 percent of all of the elementary school elementary school: see school. teachers in the nation were black males. (U.S. Bureau of Labor, 1990)
* In 1989, 79.3 percent of African American females graduated from high school, compared with 72.2 percent of their male counterparts. (Carter & Wilson, 1991)
* Only 19.6 percent of all 18- to 24-year-old African American men were enrolled in college in 1989. (Carter & Wilson, 1991)
* For black male youths ages 16 to 19, the employment rate is approximately 35 percent. (National Urban League, 1988)
* Unemployment rates for 25- to 44-year-old black males is two to four times higher than that of white males. (National Urban League, 1988)
* Although black males comprise approximately 6 percent of the U.S. population, they are nearly 50 percent of the total prison population. (U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics Noun 1. Bureau of Justice Statistics - the agency in the Department of Justice that is the primary source of criminal justice statistics for federal and local policy makers
BJS , 1986)
* At the bottom of the longevity scale, black men are outsurvived about eight years by black women. (Poinsett, 1991)
Various projects have been established in different parts of the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. in response to these grim statistics. One project, establishing single gender/race schools for African American males, is attracting the greatest amount of controversy. Detroit, Baltimore, Milwaukee and Dade County Dade County can refer to the following places:
Proponents of educating African American males in single gender/race schools believe that such schools would facilitate building serf-esteem in the participants (Jones, 1991). They also maintain that African American male teachers serve as positive role models, are better able to interpret young males' behavior and can discipline them more effectively.
Arthur Carter, Interim Deputy Superintendent Deputy Superintendent, or Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), was a rank used by police forces of the British Empire. In some territories it was called Deputy District Superintendent of Police (DDSP). of Detroit Public Schools Detroit Public Schools (DPS) is a school district that covers all of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The student population of the Detroit Public Schools is 116,800. and a strong proponent of single gender/race schools, attempted to establish an all-male student body two years ago. Parents from all over Detroit and its suburbs deluged him with positive inquiries. Lawsuits by the National Organization for Women and the American Civil Liberties Union American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), nonpartisan organization devoted to the preservation and extension of the basic rights set forth in the U.S. Constitution. , however, prevented realization of that plan (Jones, 1991).
Spencer Holland, a leading proponent of segregated schooling for African American males, maintains that such schools can greatly benefit young African American males raised in single female-dominated, poverty-stricken homes surrounded by violence. He highlights the changes in students attending an all-male classroom taught by an African American male at Matthew Henson Elementary School on Baltimore's West Side. After a 10-month period, student attendance improved, visits to the principal's office declined and parental behavior changed markedly (Jones, 1991; Morgan, 1991).
Opponents of single gender/race schools object to this approach on the basis that such schools 1) violate the civil rights of young girls; 2) are contrary to the Brown v. Board of Education Brown v. Board of Education (of Topeka)
(1954) U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court ruled unanimously that racial segregation in public schools violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. decision (Jones, 1991); 3) are nothing more than a panacea; 4) have a limited impact because they serve a limited number of students and 5) will not compel legislatures, school boards and education systems to do anything for African Americans.
Nonsupporters of single gender/race schools also maintain that African American males "may feel stigmatized because they are being singled out for special classes" (Morgan, 1991). Critics cite James Comer's successes at Baldwin School and King School in New Haven as longstanding demonstrations that African American at-risk males can be effectively educated without being segregated (Corner, 1980).
Others note that even if the program does work, it may be difficult to find enough African American male teachers. In 1990, only 1.2 percent of the elementary school teachers in the United States were African American males. Attorney Janell Byrd, from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund In 1940 the organization formerly known as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and now called the NAACP launched the Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF). Since its founding, the organization has been involved in more cases before the U.S. , expressed concern about an anti-female component to the philosophy underlying the single gender/race education approach (Morgan, 1991).
Obviously, the single gender/race school has advantages and disadvantages as a means of addressing the education needs of African American males. A review of the introductory statistics, however, illustrates that the African American male plight is an American societal crisis that is not solely an education issue.
From conception to death, the African American male is at dire risk in the United States. The sources of such risks are reflective of ills that plague the entire American social system. Given the pervasiveness of this longstanding problem, single gender/race schools can, at best, provide a mere Band-aid for a deadly disease requiring a heart as well as a liver and lung transplant lung transplant Surgery Transplant of a lung allograft into a Pt with failing lungs; 90 US centers perform LT; 35 centers perform ≥ 10/yr Mean wait time 18 months Indications COPD–eg, emphysema due to α1 .
Every institution, including education systems, must become involved. Community organizations must take action to heal the sicknesses of social attitude and action that prevent society from nurturing the potential of African American males. New federal and state legislation must be established and existing regulations strengthened and enforced to ensure that African American males' civil rights are protected. African American males must have equal access to quality education, adequate health care, sufficient food and decent housing.
All schools must be restructured to provide a quality education experience for all children, youth and adults, regardless of gender or race. A few schools, regardless of gender, race or quality of education, cannot resolve this societal crisis.
Betty Greathouse is Professor and Dean of the School of Education, California State University, Bakersfield As of fall 2002, some 7,700 undergraduate and graduate students attended CSUB, at either the main campus in Bakersfield or the satellite campus, Antelope Valley Center in Lancaster, California of Los Angeles County. . Saundra Sparling spar·ling
1. The common European smelt (Osperus eperlanus).
2. A young or immature herring.
[Middle English sperlinge, from Old French esperlinge, is Associate Professor and Director of the Elementary Education Program, California State University, Bakersfield.
Barrow, L. C. (1991). The black male teacher: A vanishing breed? Crises, 98 (8), 20-22.
Carter, D., & Wilson, R. (1991). Ninth annual status report on minorities in higher education. American Council on Education Established in 1918, the American Council on Education (ACE) is a United States organization comprising over 1,800 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher education-related associations, organizations, and corporations. .
Comer, J. (1980). School power. New York New York, state, United States
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of : Free Press/Macmillan.
Johnson, J. (1989). The black male: The new bald eagle. Management Plus.
Jones, P. (1991). Education for black males: Several solutions. Crises, 98(8), 12-13, 16-18.
Leake, D., & Leake, B. (1992). Islands of hope: Milwaukee's African-American immersion schools. Journal of Negro Education The Journal of Negro Education (JNE) is a refereed scholarly periodical founded at Howard University in 1932 to fill the need for a scholarly journal that would identify and define the problems that characterized the education of Black people in the United States and elsewhere, , 61(1), 24.
Morgan, J. (1991). All-black male classrooms run into resistance. Black Issues in Higher Education, 7(23), 1, 21-22.
National Urban League. (March 1988). Fact Sheet. The black male. National Urban League Research Department. Washington, DC.
Poinsett, A. (1991). Why women live longer than men (and what men can do about it). Ebony, 46(4), 141.
Reclaiming the African American male. (1992, January-February). The Black Collegian, 42, 44-46.
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
A research agency of the U.S. Department of Labor; it compiles statistics on hours of work, average hourly earnings, employment and unemployment, consumer prices and many other variables. . (1990, April). Outlook 2000. Bulletin 2352.