Saving Our Boys ... Lost in a Post-Masculine World

ADVISORY: There is one instance of profanity in this video and it does touch upon some uncomfortable subjects one of which shouldn't be how we treat our boys.

[VIDEO] Commentary from the YouTube channel Blue Collar Logic.

I've been sitting on this video since last month. It makes some good points as far as how we treat our boys now. The operative phrase when it comes to this subject is "boys are like defective girls".

How are boys "defective" girls when they aren't girls?

RELATED

• Where are the Black male teachers?
• Does public education ruin Black boys?

CPS CEO aims to do better for Black and brown boys

cps.edu

Another thing in this new school year to watch out for. How to improve academic performance for boys in CPS schools:

“I’m not satisfied,” Jackson said of the district’s performance. “I like the incremental growth, but we need to see exponential growth, particularly among our African-American male and Latino male students, if we’re going to meet the goals we’ve outlined in our vision.”

Her comments followed a stirring 20-minute speech Thursday afternoon to a gathering of business and civic leaders organized by the City Club of Chicago. In the speech, Jackson highlighted district investments in new programs and curriculum at neighborhood schools, a renewed focus on early career and college credentials, commitments to hiring more school support staff, and universal Pre-K expansion as ways to “level the playing field.”

Asked after the speech about the specific approaches the district is taking to close racial and gender disparities in graduation rates, Jackson said new attention to what students are being taught would be key. 

“I think in order to get to the 90 percent graduation rate that we’ve outlined in our vision, we have to have strong curriculum and academic programs in our schools, which is why we’re making a commitment around more IB and STEM programs, and a quality curriculum in every school,” she said. “I think by coupling the social emotional support with academic support, we’re going to get there.”

RELATED: Does public education ruin Black boys?

CPS dropout rate at an all-time low....

According to this recent Sun-Times article:

A smaller percentage of Chicago high school students dropped out last year than ever before, the city announced Thursday.

The all-time low 6% dropout rate touted by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS CEO Janice Jackson happened during the 2018-19 school year, under former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration. Students last year dropped out of school at almost half the rate they did in 2011.

“Through expanding access to rigorous academic programs, increasing staffing to support student needs and magnifying our focus on equity, social and emotional learning and restorative justice, CPS is keeping more students in the classroom year after year and creating strong, student-centered schools in every neighborhood across the city,” Jackson said in a press release.

Lightfoot attributed the lower rates — down .4% from last year’s 6.4% — to teachers and staff members “transforming the lives of our young people.”

I think the public would like to hear the examples of the exemplary work of CPS teachers and staff with regards to the young people at CPS.

On the other hand this was from back in March of this year:

But a WBEZ analysis found some troubling trends behind those improved numbers. Significantly fewer black boys — 2,600 fewer — are starting as freshmen now than five years ago. And an increasing number of graduates are getting their degrees from alternative second-chance schools, which are less demanding than traditional schools, but count toward the graduation rate.

Finally, there is an increase in the number of black boys who transfer out or die after starting as freshman in CPS. Black male high school students die at a higher rate than any other student racial and gender demographic group, according to CPS data.

After accounting for all these factors, just 48 percent boys at CPS ultimately earned a diploma from a traditional or charter Chicago high school in 2018. That’s only a six percentage point improvement from five years ago.

Experts say school district officials should be paying attention to trends behind the numbers.

Keisha Davis-Johnson is executive director of the Greater West Town Community Development Project, which runs an alternative school and a jobs training program that mostly serves men. She sees no reason to celebrate.

“We have a lot of work to do with our young people,” Davis-Johnson said.

She said she still sees many young men who have gone to under-resourced elementary schools, who struggle with the basics and feel disconnected from school.

So as far as the lower dropout rate, how many of them are Black males? 

Does public education ruin Black boys?

I feel this is on track with what you might have seen last month in another post, even if indirectly. Or if you want to talk about a so-called "war on boys". Does public education ruin Black males?

My history is a mixed bag. My time in public education could be view as could've been better. I don't think I ever found my groove. Perhaps it wasn't up to any of the teachers I had, perhaps it was more up to me. Then again as a child having an education provided for you is something you could take for granted while you have it.

I won't say it ruined me, but in the long run perhaps there was more that could've been gained by the experience. Perhaps for the day I finally have children something to think about for them.

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Business Insider: Here are all the ways being a public-school teacher has changed in the last 50 years

When I had graduated from Morehouse College in 2009 at least in the year or so after graduating I had considered going into education. Perhaps when my job situation improved go back to school and get a master's in teaching (and I also had someone who I barely know get in my ear and decide I couldn't handle). Either way it was something that was under consideration years ago.

So I find this article today about how being a public school teacher has changed. I wish I knew some current teachers who can speak on this article.

Chalkboards are now smart boards. Students are using standing desks and stability balls instead of chairs.

With changes in education, K-12 teachers must adapt to new initiatives and reforms.

Some changes to education, such as the increased use of technology, have made teachers' lives easier. But decreased investment in public school has left teachers with stagnant wages and limited resources, leading to waves of protests and strikes across the country.

Here is a look at all the ways being a teacher has changed over the last 50 years.

This part intrigues me, and have heard about this over the years and it begs the question. One change in the past 50 years:

The late 1970s is also when the number of female teachers began to increase. Women made up two in three teachers as of 1981. Today, they make up 76% of the teacher population, which has grown from 2.5 million to about 4.5 million since the '80s.

Where are the men? We need them in the classroom also. Especially for those boys who have no strong male influence in their life.

RELATED: Where are the Black male teachers?

h/t Newsalert 

Where are the Black male teachers?

Black men - I suppose this could be directed at myself - where are you? We need you in our classrooms for the boys. We need you to help them with their academic success.

UIC wants to help train and recruit Black male teachers. Perhaps it's a program who's time has come.

The University of Illinois at Chicago is investing about $1 million to recruit and train male elementary education majors of color to help spur black boys' academic success.

"This is not just becoming a teacher. This is becoming a leader."https://t.co/HlwjAP0XYw pic.twitter.com/n2D1sK8Deb

— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) July 25, 2018

h/t Newsalert

BTW, I started this blog as something of an education blog named blatantly for one my old elementary schools. While the emphasis seems to have changed over the years it's still a subject of interest as I do believe a good education will lift people in more ways than one. I'm not just talking about getting a college degree, I'm simply talking about going thru K-12 and graduating with a high school diploma.

If I may share this video, it may show why I would support such a program. It makes me wonder if these are issues faced by many boys in the current education system. [VIDEO]

Atlanta Blackstar: 6 Reasons Black Boys Without Disability Wind Up In Special Education

This is a subject I'm often concerned about Black boys in education especially K-12 education. If they already had problems through the 12th grade they will certainly have problems in an undergrad college. The problem to consider: how do they wind up in special education without a disability?

It’s Their Behavior, Not a Disability
Many Black boys who end up in special education do not have a disability. Rather, they have circumstances that spur behavior patterns that are not compatible with the school environment, according to researcher Ivory Toldson. This behavior usually can be corrected by changing something about their surroundings. Researchers divide students into five categories: a true negative — children who do not have a disability and have never been diagnosed; a true positive — children who have a disability and have been accurately diagnosed; a false negative — children who have a disability but have never been diagnosed; a false positive — children who do not have a disability but have been diagnosed with one; or have a specific disability and are diagnosed with the wrong one.

Of course there is more to this than that, but it's something that is of concern. Especially with the news in CPS that Black male students faces a greater possibility of disciplinary action than students of other ethnicities in the public schools here.

BTW, I couldn't find as of this writing of a more recent article. It's an issue of concern especially if we want to figure out why more Black male students in CPS get suspended or expelled. This article I read is from June 2010.

Black Enterprise: Morehouse College President Talks ‘Education Crisis’ Facing Young Black Men

I'm sorry about missing this article from March 2014. Black Enterprise magazine interviewed the President of Morehouse College Dr. John S. Wilson. He discusses the education crisis amongst Black males:

BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke to Dr. Wilson about the crisis that faces young black men and what role HBCUs like Morehouse can fill to change the direction. Here’s what he had to say:

When you speak of the cradle-to-prison pipeline, what are some of the things that can be done?

The first thing we have to do is recognize that it’s a very serious issue—some would call it a crisis—and something needs to be done. You may think that goes without saying but it’s not. There’s a numbness that people in this country—black and white and around the world—have to what’s going on with the African American male. If other groups had the kind of educational data profile that the African American male has, it would be nothing short of a crisis. But for some reason, too many people find it tolerable or natural in some way.

So, I think recognizing that it is a critical issue that goes to the productivity and security of this country is step one. Step two is developing a sense of urgency once you recognize it; and step three is organizing to get better data about it and exchange a best practices designed to do something about the challenge. In the midst of all that, we need what we haven’t had and that’s a shining beacon on the hill—an institution that’s recognized worldwide as the destination of choice for men in general and in particular African American men and that’s Morehouse College.

What can be done on a personal level?

First, I think the steps that I outlined are relevant for individuals as well as institutions. Number two, parents can address the cycle by ensuring that their sons are exceptions to the general rule. And even if you’re not a parent, there are many organizations that care about this issue and you can align yourself with them and you can become involved— politically and otherwise.

I was very pleased that the President of the United States announced a “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative designed to get at this. I think some people have recognized that. I think the President is making an attempt to sound an alarm that there is a crisis.

It's worth reading the whole interview although it seems relatively short and there are two other published questions that Dr. Wilson was asked. What more do we need to do to keep our young men out of jail and keep them in school?

While I'm sure Dr. Wilson and others want to see more young men go on to achieve that undergrad degrees, what can we do to ensure our young men will achieve their high school diplomas?

15 African-American Male Teachers Explain the Inspiring Reasons Why They Teach

Photos and comments from 15 Black male teachers are worth sharing. Where are the men in our classrooms?

What our schools need? A few good men...

I couldn't agree more! As I saw in another 60 Minutes story years ago, "where are the men?". Some statistics:

Despite some inroads by men, teaching remains a female-dominated profession. This is especially true for younger children. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 2% of pre-K and kindergarten teachers and 18% of elementary and middle-school teachers are men.

The situation is more balanced, but not evenly balanced, in secondary school, where 42% of teachers are men.

There are three points to be made here, but I think the third one is key:

Third, we especially need black male teachers in the classroom. As Education Secretary Arne Duncan has argued, "All of our students benefit from having a black male in the classroom. But particularly our young black males." Yet black males represent a mere 2% of the K-12 teaching workforce. If this were to change, we might begin to see better educational outcomes and life outcomes for young black males.

That point is very important. Young Black males are struggling and they get into the most trouble. If only they saw someone who looked like them in the classroom and helping to build them up!

Read the rest!

Via Instapundit.

ALSO, go back and read this post. One place among many to start recruiting Black male teachers.

Education Secretary Urges Morehouse Students to Serve Their Country By Becoming Teachers

Click for the official website

Last month I snowed posted a blurb about Morehouse College President Robert Franklin talking about a town hall meeting with Education Secretary and former CPS CEO Arne Duncan and Morehouse alum and filmmaker Spike Lee to encourage more Black men to be teachers. That town hall was conducted yesterday and Morehouse provides us a story: