| A report recently authored and released by Dr. Rosa A. Smith, president of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, "The 2006 State Report Card: Public Education & Black Male Students," documents the fact that there are a number of children -- Black males in particular, that nationally are being "left behind." The grade for our nation is a red ink "F" and, even worse, the grade for the State of Wisconsin is an "F-." The second of two annual studies, this report focuses on comparing cohorts of African American males with White American males based on data from the 2003-2004 school year which is the most current period available for the collection of this kind of information. Data and analysis are provided on four-year graduation rates, academic proficiency levels at grades 4 and 8, the number and percentages of students taking advanced placement courses, the number and percentage of students that are classified as in need of special education courses, mentally retarded and suspended from school for disciplinary problems. In addition to state profiles, data is provided on cities with school districts that have populations of African American males with greater than 10,000 students. Dr. Schott has created a tool to measure differences in the graduation rates in the aggregate which she calls the "Schott Education Inequity Index" (SEII). The SEII is calculated by adding the drop-out rate for each group to the differential in the graduation rates or "gap" between the two groups. She uses this methodology to "indicate the degree of racial inequity between the groups ... the absolute effectiveness -- or lack of it -- in the education of African American boys and the difference between the success of schools with that population and their White peers." She quotes the National Center on Education Statistics, noting that 55% or a majority of African American males nationwide did not receive their high school diplomas with their cohort; compared to only 30% of White males who failed to graduate from high school with their cohort on time. The gap in the rates between Black and White students nationally is 25%. Wisconsin is grouped with seven other states (Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and South Carolina) that stand out by having graduation rates for African American males that are below the national average. The million Black male students enrolled in the New York, Florida, and Georgia public schools are twice as likely not to graduate with their class. Wisconsin has a total of 47,294 African American males with a graduation rate of 38% compared to that of 84% for White males. The percent graduating coupled with the huge 46% gap in the comparative graduation rates, gives Wisconsin the undistinguished position of being the #1 ranked state with an SEII score of 1.09. Put differently, Wisconsin is doing the worse job of any of the states in the education of African American males! This fact was duly noted by Senator Spencer Coggs and UW Regent Gerard Randall when they spoke at the PEOPLE Program's closing banquet held recently on the UW-Madison campus on Friday, July 28. Regent Randall, executive director of the Private Industry Council of Milwaukee County, noted in his remarks that Wisconsin's economic future is being undermined by the African Americans and other people of color's lack of success in k-12 education and also because so few have access to higher education. Senator Coggs noted that the differential between the graduation rates between African Americans and their White counterparts in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) "is not a gap, it is a canyon!" Wisconsin is closely followed by New York which ranks as the second worst state in the education of African American males. Interestingly enough, all of the "Big Ten" midwestern states are also lumped together with Wisconsin in the top quadrant, or should we say, states with the worse track records in the education of African American males based on the following SEII scores: llinois #3, Indiana #4, Michigan #5, Ohio #9, Pennsylvania #10, Minnesota #14, and Iowa #15. Of some 59 cities with school districts with enrollments of more than 10,000 students, Milwaukee ranked 40th with 34% of Black males graduating vs. 64% of White males. The Milwaukee Public Schools had the 4th worst achievement gap for a school district which was 30% (34% African American and 64% for White) following Washington, D.C., Fulton County, and Charleston County. The 29,170 students ranked Milwaukee as the school district with the 12th largest enrollment of African American males in the nation. The chart below, based on data from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights for 2002 provides some very disturbing documentation that paints a picture of "a tale of two cities." When one looks at access to educational enrichment programs on the one hand, contrasted with suspensions and expulsions on the other, it is quite apparent that African American males have less of the former and much more of the latter in the MPS System. Milwaukee Public Schools in 2002 # of Male Students % of Students Category Black White Black White Enrollment 28140 8310 30.52 9.01 Gifted/Talented 260 285 14.86 16.29 Mental Retardation 985 180 42.18 7.71 Emotionally Disturbed 825 140 61.80 10.49 Specific Learning Disability 2295 555 44.56 10.78 Developmental Delay 200 100 41.67 20.83 Suspensions 7080 1100 43.52 6.76 African American males are seven times more likely to be suspended from high school vs. their White counterparts; six times more likely to be determined to be classified as mentally retarded and emotionally disturbed; roughly four times more likely to be classified as having a specific learning disability; and twice as much to have a developmental delay. Despite the grim and sobering statistics, the report does, however, document the fact that there are significant improvements in a few key areas. The national percentage of White students scoring at or above the Basic level in grade 4 reading increased from 65% in 1992 to 72% in 2005. The percentage of Black students scoring at or above the Basic level in grade 4 Reading increased from 23% to 36% in that same period. The gap between the reading achievement levels of Black and White students narrowed from 42% to 33%, between 1992 and 1998. For grade 8 Reading, the national percentage of White male students scoring at or above the basic level increased from 69% in 1992 to 76% in 2005. The percentage of Black students scoring at or above the Basic level in grade 8 was significant increasing from 35% to 43% in the same period. However, despite the gain, little success was achieved in closing the gap between African American males and their White counterparts which showed only a modest decrease from 34% to 33% between 1992 and 2005. Dr. Smith and the Schott Foundation also use the report to identify potential solutions for these huge challenges and to identify, support and share information about best practices and successful models for educating African American male students. She challenges Schools of Education at colleges and universities across the nation to move to raise the expectations of those who are in training to become teachers to believe that African American males (and females) can achieve just like any other student. Dr. Smith challenges Schools of Education to work cooperatively with School Districts to undertake joint efforts to close the achievement gap beginning in the earliest grades. She admonishes that School Boards and principals, Chief State School Officers (DPI in Wisconsin), and Governors must all work together to make the School Districts accountable. They must all work collectively to make sure that ample funding is provided to attain success. There are places, like Columbus, Ohio, where much success has already been achieved. If they can find ways to achieve success in Ohio, then we in Wisconsin can also achieve success, but only if we make the commitment and get our priorities in order! |
| The Literary Divide/ Dr. Paul Barrows Yet another report documents what we all too painfully know: Education of African American males nationwide and in Wisconsin in a state of crisis |
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