News-Record.com

A special report on the racial achievement gap in Guilford County Schools reveals a major crisis among black male students. This is not acceptable.

A new “comprehensive study” of the Educational Conditions and Academic Performance of Male African American Students in Guilford County public schools spans 67 pages and contains nearly as many charts and graphs.

But it only takes two words to sum up Guilford’s progress in closing the racial achievement gap: Not much.

Small wonder why.

Black male students are more likely to be suspended or expelled for disciplinary reasons than any other demographic group. Even though school suspensions decreased overall, African American students accounted for the vast majority of suspensions of 10 days or fewer (71.5 percent), with black males comprising 49.4 percent.

There is more bad news:

Black males are more likely than their white counterparts to come from low-income homes.
They are more prone to suffer from learning or behavioral disabilities.

They tend to repeat elementary, middle school and high school grades at higher rates.

They are least likely to do assigned homework.

They are twice as likely to drop out of high school as white male students.

The sobering news came on June 23 at a special meeting of the Board of Education.

It is a sensitive, difficult subject to discuss, falling, as it does, at the troubling intersection of race, class and gender. But wishing won’t make it go away and, when the school revisits the issue and discusses possible remedies later this summer, it should do so with a sense of urgency.

Some thoughts the board should bear in mind:

l Think comprehensively. This is a complex challenge that won’t be solved by a single program or initiative.

l Seek partnerships. The entire community needs to own the solution to this problem because, like it or not, it owns the consequences, namely higher crime, crowded jails and prisons, low-skilled labor and greater social-service burdens, among others.

l Invite and empower parents to team with the schools to help keep their children more engaged in, and accountable for, their school work.

l Give teachers the training and support to better connect to these students.

l Recruit stronger and more experienced teachers at schools with high-poverty enrollments.

l Explore more alternative school settings such as middle high schools and even single-gender schools, as suggested by school board member Amos Quick.

l Redouble efforts to recruit more black male role models as tutors and volunteers.

And make certain the new superintendent sees this as the crisis it is, and as a major priority when he or she arrives.

Make clear to the new superintendent that we’ve talked plenty about achievement gap and that it’s time now for tangible actions. And measurable results.