How To Improve Academic Achievement In African American Males

Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu working with Prospective Teachers

By:  Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu

Since 1954 and the Landmark Decision Brown vs. Topeka, there has been a 66 percent decline in African American teachers.  Presently, African American students are 17 percent of the total population, but only 6 percent of the teachers are African Americans.  Black males are only one percent!  There are schools where there is not one African American male in the building!  Unfortunately, if a male is present, he is probably a custodian, security guard, physical education teacher, administrator, or teacher assistant.  The least probability is a classroom teacher and if so, an upper grade, middle school, junior high or high school.  The chances of African American students experiencing an African American male in the primary or intermediate grades is abysmal.

In contrast white female teachers are 83 percent of the elementary teaching force.  Is the future of African Americans in the hands of white female teachers?  Could this explain why white girls are placed in special education the least and African American males the greatest?  Have they designed a female pedagogy for male students?

Gender Differences

Is there a correlation between the race, of the teacher and their expectations?  Thomas Dee a white professor at Swarthmore College conducted research and wrote an article titled “Teacher’s Race and Student Achievement”.  He determined test score evaluations indicate that student exposure to teachers of the same race generated a 4-percentile increase in math, and reading scores.

As a consultant to numerous schools my role is to provide strategies for white teachers to maximize African American students’ potential.  The program called TESA (TeacherExpectations Student Achievement) documents the correlation between expectations and academic achievement.  The good news is if you increase the former you will increase the latter.  The unfortunate reality is that many teachers lower expectations based on race, income, gender, appearance, parental involvement and education.  Therefore, if a child is African American, low-income, male, poorly dressed, and parents are not involved and do not possess a college degree, there is a strong probability that the teacher will lower expectations.

• Teachers wait less time for lows to answer.
• Teachers give lows the answer or call on someone else rather than trying to improve lows’ responses by giving clues or repeating or rephrasing the question.
• Teachers reward inappropriate behavior or incorrect answers by lows.
• Teachers criticize lows more often for failure.
• Teachers praise lows less frequently than highs for success.
• Teachers fail to give feedback to the public responses for lows.
• Teachers pay less attention to lows or interact with them less frequently.
• Teachers call on lows less often to respond to questions.
• Teachers seat lows farther away from themselves.
• Teachers demand less from lows by teaching them less, by giving less extended explanations and definitions, and by accepting poor quality and often inaccurate responses.
• Teachers interact with lows more privately than publicly.
• Teachers grade lows more harshly, giving highs the benefit of the doubt in borderline cases.
• Teachers are less friendly to lows, smiling less often in interactions with them.
• Teachers give briefer and less informative feedback to the questions of lows.
• Teachers provide less direct instruction to lows, giving them more opportunity to practice independently
• Teachers provide more meaningful discussion of stories with highs.

In my bestseller Black Students Middle Class Teachers I also explore the phenomenon of not just race but class.  Many principals have shared with me that some of their African American staff have lowered expectations not based on race but class.  There is a schism between the black middle and lower class.  Twenty-five percent of African Americans earn greater than $75,000 and 33 percent live below the poverty line.  Many African American teachers send their children to private schools, but are not in favor of low-income families taking advantage of vouchers.

Our Children need Master Teachers regardless of race. Listed below are traits of effective teachers:

• Provides congruent lessons plans between pedagogy and learning styles using written, oral pictures, artifacts, and fine arts.
• Bonds, motivates, enhances self-esteem, listens to students, and is in close proximity to all students.
• Décor of classroom is inspirational and culturally reinforcing.
• High level of self-respect; therefore students are not distracting or sleeping.
• High expectations transcending race, income, gender, and appearance.
• Equitable response opportunities for all students.
• Equitable feedback for all students.
• Maximizes time on task.
• Assertive, consistent, complimentary and clearly established rules and consequences.
• Provides cooperative learning experiences.
• Attempts to make curriculum relevant, provides practical experiences, field trips and role models.
• Students ask more questions than the teacher.
• Develops critical thinking skills by asking open-ended questions.
• If you are serious about closing the racial achievement gap, the following recommendations must be implemented:
• Raise teacher’s expectations.
• Improve teacher training.
• Increase African American staff especially African American Males.
• Expand the school day to increase time on task.
• Offer a more relevant Afro centric-Multicultural curriculum.
• More right-brain lesson plans.
• Offer cooperative learning to diffuse the logic that being smart is acting white.
• Looping effective teachers.
• Principals need to spend less time in the office and more time monitoring teachers.
• Reduce the disproportionate percentage of African American males in Special Education.  If they have a reading problem offer phonics and more relevant materials.
• Create an atmosphere that encourages parental involvement.

Related Information:
Uncovering the “Secrets” of High Poverty, High Success Schools
Douglas B Reeves

Black Boys and Special Education – Change Is Needed!
By  Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu

Experts Call for More Black Male Teachers 11/3/09

Call Me Mister on Teachers Of Color