Educating Male Child

Educating the African American and Latino Male Child by Jawanza Kunjufu Aaron Shelby Descatur Potier Danny Lora Rebecca Johnson

Tufts Colleagues with Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu

Professions NBA

Doctors, Dentists, Engineers or Teachers 84%

African American Other

NFL

1%

African Americans Other

67% African American Other

NBA: What are the odds? 

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1,000,000 boys and girls wish to be in the NBA 400,000 make their high school basketball team 4,000 play in college 35 make it to the NBA ONLY 7 starters Average NBA career is 4 years

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What’s your back up plan? What’s your back up career?

African American Males in Penal System 1,500,000

1600000 1400000 1200000 1000000 800000 600000 400000

100,000

200000 0 1980

Today

70% drug related

Difference in spending 

United States

$28,000 annually per prisoner with 85% recidivism

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Europe

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$6,000 on drug treatment programs with 66% efficacy

What’s the cost? 

In Maryland…

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Mentoring one youth in a one-to-one program for $1000-$1500 per year Vs. Spending up to $80,000 a year to house one youth in a correctional or rehabilitation facility.

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Raising expectations for every student

Curriculum Create culturally relevant curriculum for all students in the classroom.  Use current trends and ideologies to your advantage in terms of lesson plans.  Have students play an active role in creating curriculum. 

How should you create your lessons? 

Tailor your lessons to the characteristics and needs of the young, Black male children:  High

activity  Hands-on learning  Non-verbal and verbal communication,  Colorful language  Link it to social context

What else should be in your lessons? 

Character education must be included in the curriculum

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Teachers must know the students are intelligent

Avoiding Special Education  Assessing

for right brain learners and plan a proportional amount of lessons them 

If 50% are right-brain learners then 50% of lessons should be right brain lessons

 Non-traditional 

forms of assessment

Oral presentation of knowledge for projects rather than written testing of knowledge

 Teach

how to study in groups  Looping Teachers  Incorporate Multicultural Curriculum

Application in School Multi-cultural history courses as electives  Incorporate multicultural perspectives into lessons when missing from current curriculum. 

 Help

plan and teach a non “white man’s history” course. Focuses on the contributions of African, African American, and Latin societies.

Application in School 

Cut achievement or curriculum gap?  Replace

questions with predetermined answers with open ended questions in all classes, not just the honors and AP classes

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Multicultural friendly atmosphere in school office makes parents more receptive to involvement.

What is the schools’ job? PSAT/NMSQT in the10th and 11th grades  Assure curriculum back mapping from high school to middle school  instructional supports first time AP students  professional development for middle and high school teachers 

Exposure to positive male role models

Mentoring Programs Be developmental in nature  Provide for the presence of competent adult Black males (mentors)  Capitalize on the strengths of African American families  Incorporate African/African American culture  Include a Celebratory/"Rites-of-Passage" experience 

What should be in the Rites of Passage Program?      

Culturally relevant curriculum that empowers students Teachers must re-teach what it means to be a man Developmentally appropriate Responsive to cultural diversity Provided by high-quality teachers Nurtures social-emotional competence

Nguzo Saba Unity  Self Determination  Collective Work and Responsibility  Cooperative Economics  Purpose  Creativity  Faith 

Results of Mentoring Program Better attendance  Improved academic performance,  Positive relationships with peers and adults  Reduced criminal acts, substance abuse, and suspensions from schools for youth who participated in mentor programs 

How to support mentoring programs? Become an ambassador for mentoring  Create a mentoring program through a club, association, fraternity/sorority, Faith-based institution or place of employment  Hold National Mentoring Month events on campus  Hold a Job/University Shadowing Day  Consider supporting mentoring programs with financial or in-kind resources 

Mentorship 

Call Me Mister Program 

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The Call Me MISTER program is an effort to address the critical shortage of African American male teachers particularly among the State's lowest performing schools. Program participants are selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities. The project provides:  Tuition assistance for admitted students pursuing approved programs of study at participating colleges.  An academic support system to help assure their success.  A cohort system for social and cultural support.

Booker T. Dubois Role Model Program 

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Schools can provide a time and space for Black and Latino males from a variety of professions to speak to and mentor students. Identify outside organizations and businesses to work with the schools in regards to a mentor/tutor program.

Understand your students Culture Learning

Strategies

Is this the Ideal student?                   

Quiet Can sit still for a long period of time Works independently Long attention span Likes ditto sheets Left- brain learner Passive Teacher pleaser Mastered reading before second grade Neat Well developed fine motor skills Well organized Likes multiple choice exams Mature White Female Middle-class Two parent home Mother works at home

Post- Traumatic Slavery Disorder: Is there a correlation between internalized racism (self hate) and black on black violence?  If so, how are schools as institutions perpetuating a “white is right” and or white is the norm culture? 

Hip Hop VOCAB: Can you identify at least five of these words?          

Bling Bling Audi 1812 Benjamins Buggin’ Crew Five finger discount Jack Juice Wack

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Glory Jimmy Hat Of the hook Crash Dog Frontin Ill or illin’ Forc’in Step off Up North

Hip Hop: Rank’in or the Dozens Yo mama so fat when she has wants someone to shake her hand, she has to give directions! Oh ok…  Yo mama so fat she got to iron her pants on the driveway  Yo mama so stupid that she tried to put M&M's in alphabetical order! 

Hip Hop: N…word Latin word for “Black.”  Used during slavery and Jim Crow by whites to insult African Americans.  Adults have not properly taught history so that is why HIP HOP artists use the word.  Hip Hop has tried to embrace the word as a term of endearment. 

Hip Hop: N…word 

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You know enough about the word to stop those outside of the race from using it! You use it to refer to people you don’t like, which is the same way white people used it 200 years ago.

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Questions: When people outside of the black race use the word, why do they feel comfortable enough to use it? Do you think you have the right to use it? Should you use the word in front of your elders?

Program Breakdown in Schools African Americans in School

... in Special Education ... in Gifted and Talented

African American Youth

3%

African American Youth

African American Youth

17% Other Other

Other

41%

Staff Training   

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Role Play Exercises Black Intelligence Tests/Teacher Opinion Survey As a staff, discuss and cultivate the strategies of a Master Teacher Reflect on personal beliefs versus your own practices Books to read: Black Students Middle Class Teachers and Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys (Vols. I-IV) Characteristics of at Risk Schools Develop a Fourth Grade Intervention Team Discuss solutions

What is a Master Teacher?       

Knowledgeable about subject matter 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.

What is a Master Teacher      

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.

Characteristics of At-Risk Schools          

Ineffective administrators Low expectations Incongruence between pedagogy and learning styles Irrelevant and inaccurate curriculum Tracking Lack of parental involvement and support Low student self-esteem and motivation Negative peer pressure Lack of African-American male teachers and role models Lack of safety

“Judge the success of your schools based on the success of your African American and Hispanic male students.” - Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu

The Mis-education of the Negro 

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“If you can control a mans thinking you do not have to worry about his action. When you determine what a man shall think you do not have to concern yourself about what he will do. If you make a man feel that he is inferior, you do not have to compel him to accept an inferior status, for he will seek it himself. If you make a man think that he is justly an outcast, you do not have to order him to the back door. He will go without being told; and if there is no back door, his very nature will demand one.” Dr. Carter G. Woodson

Critical Points 

Understand your students  Culture  Learning

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Raising expectations for every student  All

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styles

students graduate at college entry level

Exposure to positive male role models

Resources

https://www.education.umd.edu/institutesandc  Hip Hop Street – Curriculum: Author Dr. Juwanza Kunjufu 