By Marjorie L. Dorime and Ivory A. Toldson, special to emPower magazine
The educational aspirations of young African American males are undoubtedly influenced by the choices that are available to them. With more than one third of African American children living below the federal poverty line, over 60% living in single parent homes, and a high school graduation rate of only 50% in some states, African American children, particularly males, face numerous barriers to academic success. Education policy needs to examine the full scope of the experience of African American males if it is to ever create significant change. In order to improve the academic and life outcomes for African American males, policy must focus on the personal, social, and emotional factors that often influence school performance. In Breaking Barriers: Plotting the Path to Academic Success for School-age African American Males by Dr. Ivory A. Toldson, major findings point to the impact that personal and emotional, family, social and environmental, and school factors play in the ability of young males to perform and successfully participate in an academic setting.
Achievement gaps, racial disparities in learning and school funding, and the growth of punitive measures to address student academic and social behavior are only some of the issues that educators and administrators face in the battle to improve student performance. Understanding that personal, emotional, and social factors can significantly increase or decrease student performance lends itself to several policy suggestions. Breaking Barriers measured personal and emotional well being through “quality of life” or looking at how young African American males felt about their life. Not surprisingly, the better students felt about their lives, the more positive was their engagement and academic outcome in school. Students who had a less positive outlook had lower academic achievement. In addition, these students were more likely to be stressed and depressed.
Breaking Barriers also revealed that African-American males with a father in the home reported higher levels of academic achievement. Across two national surveys (HBSC and NSDUH), African Americans were the only ethnic group to report more fatherless homes than fathers in the home. Only 20 percent to 25 percent of white students reported fatherless homes compared to 56 percent to 60 percent of black students. Findings produced strong evidence that modeling is an important component to academic development among black adolescent males. Father’s education, but not mother’s education, had a significant impact on black males’ – but not as much for black females’ academic achievement. Generally, parents who helped their children with homework, who were comfortable talking to teachers, who urged their children to do well in school and who maintained high expectations generally had higher-performing children.
Through examining social factors, Breaking Barriers revealed that students with greater involvement with jail or detention centers were more likely to report lower levels of academic achievement. The juvenile justice system is only one aspect of the institutional and social barriers that often prevent African American youth from succeeding in the academic realm. The gross disparities among African American males in comparison to whites are partly due to the underfunding of positive school and community-based activities in many black communities.
These issues, indicate a need for greater mental health services in schools and African American communities. Psychologists, licensed social workers, and other professionals in this field could work to make a substantial difference in the educational outcomes for many African American youth. Increasing the presence of such professionals both in academic settings and in neighborhoods with high African American population can provide a vital link to improving school performance. The mental health of male students is closely linked to academic achievement. Helping students deal with stress and depression at home and at school is a clear step to improving emotional well-being and in turn academic success. Mental health professionals could also help to reduce involvement with the juvenile justice system; treatment, not punishment, would allow for more healthy social interactions both in and outside of the school community. With less involvement with jails and detention centers, we could seek to improve academic achievement and overall quality of life.
For most, the findings in Breaking Barriers will remind them of, or provide statistical support for, commonly held truisms in contemporary education. Education is most effective when it promotes positive school-related growth experiences, with particular emphasis on teacher-child relationships, didactic learning and emotional support. Positive parent-child communication, including parents expressing praise, helping with homework, talking about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and cooperative parenting arrangements, promotes academic success among black males. Providing community resources and academic assistance to children in low-income areas, which build character through civic engagement, volunteerisms and sports, can improve academic functioning. Most importantly, we must advocate for policy that reduces racial disparities in income and increases equity and inclusion in education.
Dr. Ivory A. Toldson is Senior Research Analyst for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology at the Howard University School of Education and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Negro Education. He received a Ph.D. from Temple University and has held teaching and research positions at Emory, Drexel and Southern University. Forward any inquiries regarding this report to [email protected]g.
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