Educational Bias and the Pipeline to Prison

Systemic prejudice in academia and its effect on black males

Sean Walton, Jr.

African American Males and the Law

Professor Floyd Weatherspoon

Spring 2010

of 18 I. Description of Project

This project focuses on the problem of institutional racism in the educational system and its ramifications on African American males as they progress through society and the criminal justice system. African American males perform disproportionately when compared to white students in the educational system. Their performance is inferior to every other comparable race and sex. Many teachers begin to systemically look at African American males as troublemakers and as less intelligent than their peers, and this becomes the assumption rather than the exception. The question arises of whether there is any correlation between the bias inflicted upon African American males as they progress through the educational system, and the way they are treated in the legal system. There is also a question of whether the bias inflicted upon African American males affects them in such a manner that they begin to view themselves in an inferior light, thus compounding the issue at hand.

Racism is a developed set of attitudes that include antagonism based on the supposed superiority of one group or on the supposed inferiority of another group, premised solely on skin color or race. Some authors suggest that racism and white racism may be synonymous. Racism in any measure undermines children's self-esteem and erodes the educational process.1 In undermining self-esteem and eroding the educational process, this can have a long term effect on the development of children. The negative effects of these practices continue to be felt in African American males throughout their time in the educational system. Institutional and cultural prejudices are more subtle because they are embedded in unexamined assumptions and established procedures. The roots of these are multigenerational and can persist even after years of legislative remedies.2

This is especially true for African American boys, who already have many factors working against their success. Whether these males come from impoverished backgrounds, broken homes, or parents with a lack of a strong educational background themselves, the odds are not in favor of African American males succeeding. According to research done by Dr. Pedro A. Noguera, a Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, in many school districts throughout the United States Black males are more likely than any other group to

1 http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9215/racism.htm

2 http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9215/racism.htm Page 2 of 18 be suspended and expelled from school. From 1973 to 1977 there was a steady increase in African-American enrollment in college. However, since 1977 there has been a sharp and continuous decline, especially among males. Black males are more likely to be classified as mentally retarded or suffering from a learning disability and placed in special education and more likely to be absent from advanced placement and honors courses. In contrast to the most other groups where males commonly perform at higher levels in math and science related courses, the reverse is true for Black males. Even class privilege and the material benefits that accompany it fail to inoculate Black males from low academic performance. When compared to their White peers, middle class African American males lag significantly behind in both grade point average and on standardized tests.3 Even in the event that African American males do lag behind their white and female counterparts for good reason, the systemic bias towards assuming African American boys are inferior to other students works to constantly reinforce the belief that African American boys won’t be successful in the educational system, and continues throughout the rest of their lives.

According to Philosophy Professor J.D. Carmine’s essay, Liberal Racism in American Education, we can conclude that American education is not only failing all students but it is failing black students decisively. Black men do not go to college and therefore rarely earn the same economic freedom as whites generally. Black men are by far the most endangered of American citizens, and the dumbed-down American labor force is rapidly becoming the most endangered in the global economy. Where white women are the most numerous members of law schools, medical schools, and colleges generally, black men are the most numerous members of the American Penal system. We seem to be building colleges for white women and jails for black men.4 It is my belief that a correlation can be made between the often stereotypical and systemically racist thought and action process in the educational system, and the effect it has upon African American males in the criminal justice system.

With the stage for this critical analysis set, I hope to delve into many of the issues facing African American boys as they progress through the educational system. I also hope to point towards a possible under the radar system of bias towards African American males that is

3 http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/er/pntroub1.html

4 http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/liberal-racism-in-american-education/ Page 3 of 18 established early in the educational process, and continues to haunt African American males in all walks of life, and particularly in the law.

II. Legal Status

Any discussion of major cases involving black males and the educational system must start with Brown v. Board of Education5. The infamous case from 1954 established as unconstitutional separate public schools for black and white students and denying black children equal educational opportunities. While this paper project does not focus on the separation of black boys from white students or other demographics, the rationale behind Brown v. Board of Education could be used to explain the adverse effects of negative educational psychology on black boys. In his opinion, Justice Earl Warren wrote: “To separate [children in grade and high schools] from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone.”6

This rationale by Justice Warren can be used to help explain the present day crisis with black boys in the educational system. Justice Warren’s belief that separating children of similar age and qualifications generating a feeling of inferiority explains perfectly what happens to black boys. Black boys are treated differently and this has severe adverse psychological effects on them. They begin to feel inferior to white students and black female students, who educators typically view as smarter and better behaved than black boys. This is typical regardless of the black boy’s prior behavioral history. Black boys are inherently categorized when they enter the educational system. As Justice Warren expressed, this feeling of inferiority may affect black boys in a way that may be irrevocable.

Nationally, 1 in 3 Black and 1 in 6 Latino boys born in 2001 are at risk of imprisonment during their lifetime. Black boys are also five times as likely to be incarcerated as girls.7 The Cradle to Prison Pipeline Campaign is a national initiative led by the Children’s Defense Fund

5 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)

6 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_Protection_Clause

7 http://www.childrensdefense.org/helping-americas-children/cradle-to-prison-pipeline-campaign/ Page 4 of 18 (CDF). It focuses on reducing detention and incarceration by increasing preventive supports and services children need. This includes access to quality early childhood development and education services and accessible, comprehensive health and mental health coverage. The CDF stresses that the emphasis must be shifted for the sake of our children and our nation's future. The CDF points out that about seven of every 10 fourth graders in our public schools cannot read at grade level. Minority children are most seriously affected, with 86 percent of Black fourth graders not reading at grade level. Because reading proficiency is critical to the mastery of any other subjects, the inability to read sets black children up for failure in almost every other subject. The potential and reality of failing in school often leads to an increased likelihood to be retained in the same grade, and/or eventually drop out of school. Black children are twice as likely to be retained in the same grade, and 50% more likely to drop out of school than white children. School dropouts are shown to be more likely to lead lives that end up in arrest, conviction, and incarceration.

The NAACP has taken an initiative as well, the School to Prison Pipeline campaign. They explain that the School to Prison Pipeline pushes children out of schools and hastens their entry into the juvenile and eventually, the criminal justice system, where prison is the end of the road. They feel that the School to Prison Pipeline is one of the most urgent challenges in education today.8 The NAACP focuses in on school violence and the overzealousness of school officials to discipline and try to alleviate the issues caused by children deemed “troublemakers”. In the last 30 years, school suspensions have increased by over 100%. These discipline policies actually remove students from school. So while it curves the problem of students making trouble in the classrooms, it also decreases the chance that students are ever actually rehabilitated. The more a student acts out, the more they are ostracized from the academic environment, the further they fall behind in school, and the more likely they are to not succeed.

The NAACP cites statistics that show that in 2000, there were over 3 million school suspensions and over 97,000 expulsions. Akin to the CDF’s numbers on the likelihood of black children being retained, dropping out, and ending up incarcerated, the NAACP argues that studies show that students who are suspended are more likely to be retained a grade, drop out, commit a crime, and/or end up incarcerated as an adult. In addition to the suspension and

8 http://www.naacpldf.org/content/pdf/pipeline/Dismantling_the_School_to_Prison_Pipeline.pdf Page 5 of 18 expulsion numbers, it can also be shown that an increasingly large number of these students are being referred to law enforcement or the juvenile justice system for their behavior in school. Studies also show that African American boys are more likely than their white peers to be suspended, expelled, or arrested for the same kind of conduct.9 All of these numbers are useful when it comes to shedding light on how black boys are treated in the educational system and its subsequent affect on them in the criminal justice system.

III. Supporters of Thesis

a. African American males are subject to institutional racism early in the educational system

Early in the educational process, black boys are seen and classified by educators. They are often seen as troublemakers, malcontents, unwilling to learn, and disruptive students. Black boys who are quiet, soft-spoken, and eager to learn stand out as the exception, not the rule. Personally, as a young student I carried the latter characteristics, and I can look back on countless encounters with teachers and random adults whom looked at me in awe and lamented how great of a kid I was. People would go out of their way to express these sentiments to my parents, whom expected nothing less from me. However the individuals who relayed these feelings did not expect a black boy to actually want to learn, to be smart, and to not want to start trouble. The normal thought process when dealing with black boys is to expect the worse.

Educators of both races have many preconceived notions of black boys, which will often manifest themselves to form habits of institutional racism. Dr. P Eric Abercrumbie, Director of the African American and Cultural Research Center at the University of Cincinnati feels that educators do indeed have many preconceived notions of black boys. In speaking with him, I discovered that he thinks that some of these thoughts include believing that black boys don’t have fathers. He believes they feel that black boys come from broken homes. He also believes that educators feel like that black boys have no desire to work hard to achieve anything, that they want stuff given to them. When educators have these thoughts before ever giving black boys an

9 Zero Tolerance, Zero Evidence, at 11-12; Opportunities Suspended, at 7-9; Russell J. Skiba, et al., The Color of Discipline: Sources of Racial and Gender Disproportionality in School Punishment (2000). Page 6 of 18 opportunity to prove themselves, they immediately promote a negative attitude in black boys as it relates to education.

Dr. Abercrumbie also laments that “if you think the best about young people you’ll get the best.” He is working on a presentation to be given in a few weeks related to this very sentiment. He cited the the Pygmalion effect, or Rosenthal effect, which refers to the phenomenon in which the greater the expectation placed upon people, often children or students and employees, the better they perform. The Pygmalion effect is a form of self-fulfilling prophecy, and, in this respect, people with poor expectations internalize their negative label, and those with positive labels succeed accordingly. Within sociology, the effect is often cited with regards to education and social class.10 When you take this phenomenon and apply it to the way black boys are treated in the educational system, you can see where having preconceived negative notions of black boys and their intelligence and behavior is problematic. There are no great expectations placed on black boys; they aren’t even expected to succeed. With no expectation to succeed, and in fact an expectation of failure, it makes sense that black boys will underperform, or not perform at all. These negative expectations are internalized by black boys, and black boys perform accordingly.

Digging deeper into the Pygmalion effect, reports by Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson (1968/1992) discuss the Pygmalion effect at length. In their study, they showed that if teachers were led to expect enhanced performance from some children, then the children did indeed show that enhancement. The purpose of the experiment was to support the hypothesis that reality can be influenced by the expectations of others. This influence can be beneficial as well as detrimental depending on which label an individual is assigned. The observer-expectancy effect, which involves an experimenter's unconsciously biased expectations, is tested in real life situations. Rosenthal posited that biased expectancies can essentially affect reality and create self-fulfilling prophecies as a result.11 Again, applying this to black boys in the education system you can see how institutional racism affects them. Because teachers have low expectations of black boys specifically, it supports the disproportionate negative results in terms of academic performance of African American males. When one looks at the results of the studies done by

10 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_effect

11 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_effect Page 7 of 18 Rosenthal and Jacobson, you can clearly see that outsiders can influence one’s reality immensely. In his study, Rosenthal predicted that when educators are given information that certain students are brighter than others, they may unconsciously behave in ways that facilitate and encourage the students’ success. Staying true to the spirit of their studies, this also shows the effect that this behavior has on black boys. When educators are given the information that certain students are not as bright as others, and preconceived notions do apply as information, they may also subconsciously behave in ways that facilitate and encourage that student’s non-success. Dr. Abercrumbie feels that the teacher’s attitude plays a major role in a student’s success. He asks, “How much do you really want a kid to learn? If you want them to learn, you’ll ensure that they do.”

b. Preconceived notions and perceptions of African American males that are established early in the educational process are a detriment to the progress of Black boys and men throughout their lives

“Solving the problems of Black boys may eliminate the problems of future men.”

–Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu

Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu talks at length about the conspiracy to destroy black boys. His conspiracy centers around the “fourth grade failure syndrome”. Dr. Kunjufu has been a consultant to public and private schools, ranging from pre-school to college, since 1974. The fourth grade failure syndrome is the phenomenon used by Dr. Kunjufu to explain the poor transition boys make between the primary and intermediate division. He uses the findings of Harry Morgan’s essay, How Schools Fail Black Children, to highlight his theory12. Morgan notes, “when blacks enter first grade the stories they create express positive feelings about themselves in the schooling situation, but by second grade students’ stories express ‘negative imagery of the teacher and school environment,’ and by the fifth grade the overall feeling expressed by students is that of cynicism. In other words, upon entering school in primary grades, black children possess enthusiasm and eager interest; however by fifth grade the liveliness and interest are gone, replaced by passivity and apathy.” This counters the notion that black boys are initially apathetic towards learning. They are ready and willing to learn at an early

12 Kunjufu, Jawanza. (1985). “Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys”. African American Images. Page 8 of 18 age. Other factors come into play though, which can often push them away from the learning process. Morgan continues, “Primary grades presented a more nurturing environment than intermediate or upper grades. In early childhood education much of the activity is child-teacher centered and child-child interactive. In primary grades, blacks progress and thrive at the same rate as their counterparts until the third grade syndrome. I found that after third grade, the achievement rate of blacks began a downward spiral which tented to continue in the child’s academic career. The classroom environment was transformed from a socially interactive style to a competitive, individualistic, and minimally socially interactive style of learning.”13

It is my belief that the behavior of teachers towards black boys has a direct effect on the achievement rate and this downward spiral of black boys over time. After the initial lack of success for black males in the educational system, they begin to turn away from seeking to learn in schools. Not only do they turn away on their own, but they are often pushed out of school either by way of being passed without merit, or being encouraged to drop out and find a job. Dr. Abercrumbie spoke on this at length when I interviewed him. He believes that “there are teachers who are paternalistic. One of the worst terms of racism is paternalistic racism14, in the sense that these teachers want to be like fathers to the children, deciding that its best to just pass them on.” When educators are just passing black boys through the educational system, it doesn’t do them in any good to just have a diploma, or a degree. If they never actually learned, or have no desire to learn, then to pass them through the ranks without educating them is doing a disservice. At the same time though, Dr. Abercrumbie expresses that “…educators feel like black boys don’t have the ability. They are just genetically inferior. If you look in the black community, they view black males as genetically inferior to black females. There is also a fear, a conspiracy to destroy black boys. That 4th grade syndrome, where the teachers know how to take the smiles off of these young boys faces.” The beliefs that Dr. Abercrumbie expresses are not exclusive to him. Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu, Harry Morgan, James Patton, Antoine Garibaldi, and countless others can be included in the masses of those who have studied and analyzed the effect of the treatment of black males in the education system. They all believe that the treatment of black boys early in the education

13 Morgan, Harry. “How Schools Fail Black Children,” Social Policy, Jan-Feb., 1980, pp.49-54

14 This type of racism refers to the process whereby the freedom of black people is defined or restricted by generally well- intentioned regulations that are drawn up by white people. Page 9 of 18 system goes on to negatively affect them for the rest of their lives. The studies help prove this theory. African Americans constitute 17% of the total public school population, but 21% of the total dropouts, with African American males comprising the largest category. Dr. Kunjufu points out that this significantly reduces the pool of college-bound African Americans. In 2004 there were only 609,000 African American men in college compared to 1.4 million African American females. There is a disconnect somewhere along the developmental process, and I believe that it starts in the early educational maturity of black boys. Dr. Kunjufu states that “when Black children are not compelled to attend school, and often when they are, they usually can be found in the streets. The streets become their text, instructor and subject matter. … However, unlike the school, the courses in the street institution are structured around community norms and much more binding on its members.” Basically black boys get caught up in street culture and the learning process that surrounds that. Their rejection of the institutional educational system, on both sides, results in them being pushed towards and embraced by street culture. This embracing of street culture stems from a need for acceptance amongst black boys, and a sense of superiority in some way, shape or form; things black males don’t receive in the educational system. While these things can very well be beneficial, they are not beneficial in society when it comes at the expense of an education. It also stands that once black boys embrace street culture and everything that it entails, it becomes tougher and tougher for them to simultaneously embrace the values of school and learning. Author L. Janelle Dance explores street culture and the role it plays in the lives of African American males in her book, “Tough Fronts”. She figures that while hardcore wannabe and hardcore enough youth maintain some degree of investment in school, actual hardcore students run the greatest risk of being pushed out. Dance contends that “becoming hard is a process facilitated by student experiences of social marginalization within and beyond the walls of the school”. Consequently, feeling alienated by the school process and its attendant mainstream ideals, hardcore youth may see few alternatives but to develop the “charismatic authority” that accompanies street-savvy behavior and immerse themselves completely in the illicit activities of street culture.15

IV. Analysis of the Issues and Proposals for Resolving the Conflict

15 http://www.hepg.org/her/booknote/63 Page 10 of 18 a. African American males are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system due to racial prejudices bred in the educational system

All of the current legal controversies and discussions revolve around the disproportionate representation of black males in the criminal justice system. The pipeline to this criminal justice system originates in the educational system. If we want to tackle the issue of the large number of black males in the prison system, then we need to work on the source of the problem. While crime is clearly the most obvious issue to combat when it comes to keeping black males out of prison, that would only be placing a band-aid over the larger issue. Educational bias by educators works to push black males away from education towards the streets.

For many black males who become criminals, the process of making decisions that lead to a life of crime begins early. In 2003, African-American youth made up 16% of the nation’s overall juvenile population, but accounted for 45% of juvenile arrests.16 These numbers remain steady throughout youth and adulthood, as the number of black adult arrests is far greater than that of the nation’s actual black population. Black males turn to crime for many reasons; but as outlined previously in this paper, the educational system serves as a pipeline and conduit to this transition in black males.

The problem is compounded by many different issues. Students who enter the juvenile justice system face many barriers blocking their re-entry into traditional schools, and can be haunted by their criminal records later in life. The vast majority of juvenile justice-involved students never graduate from high school, and may be denied student loans, public housing or occupational licenses because of their prior criminal records.17 The fact that students face issues gaining re-entry into traditional schools works to ostracize them further in the educational system. Black boys already feel that they are inferior, less intelligent, and don’t feel that they have a vested interest in learning the material being taught to them. By pushing them to alternative schools, or out of school completely, it often works counter to ensuring the successful

16 http://www.aclu.org/cpt_anchor/#8

17 http://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/school-prison-pipeline-talking-points Page 11 of 18 academic performance of black boys. They begin to venture away from school, and in turn begin to drift towards that prison pipeline.

A closer look at these alternative schools raises serious cause for concern. The ACLU points out that these alternative schools—sometimes run by private, for-profit companies—are not subject to traditional school accountability standards (such as minimum hours and curriculum requirements), and frequently fail to provide meaningful educational services to the students who need them the most. Some lack even the basics, such as teachers and textbooks, and many do not offer high school diplomas upon graduation.18 Alternative schools, depending on their purpose, serve many of the at-risk behavioral students and students whom have been expelled from traditional skills. If you take all of these children, place them in a setting together, and ask them to learn, once cannot expect to have great results. The Pygmalion Effect would serve to show that an entire school full of children with lowered expectations placed upon them would end up performing at a very low level academically.

So how do we solve the issue of educational bias and how it affects black boys in America? I have several proposals which if implemented, can begin to shatter the scheme of systemic racism that traps black males in the law.

b. Proposal I: Train teachers to teach black boys

In speaking with Richard Clay, a Detroit Public High School Social Studies teacher, a longtime community activist, an educational consultant, and a male responsibility specialist, he stressed the importance of having teachers who understand how to teach black boys. His book, Raised Wrong, Educated Worse, focuses on trying to address parents and teachers and some of the wayward things that we do at home and in the classroom that deal with a mis-education in the raising of black boys. The book acknowledges that the entire educational system since its beginning has always been predicated on black boys being at the bottom of the pyramid; it has been designed to keep them there. When a teacher walks into a classroom, everything that they have trained for up until that point has had in mind the fact that black boys are low on the totem pole. Class, racial, and gender biases and cultural misunderstandings are brought into the

18 http://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/school-prison-pipeline-talking-points Page 12 of 18 classroom. Teachers are quick to label black boys with negative labels because they don’t understand them. They place them in special education. They are quick to overdiscipline them, especially in early grades. And their actions very early on turn black boys off to education. This increases as they move on to later grades. They also don’t take into consideration different learning styles for black boys.

Teachers have to understand how to effectively reach black boys. If black boys respond to visual aids, video, interactive methods, and the like, then teachers need to work to implement more of these practices in their classrooms. The potential of this integration would be a boost in the interest of black boys in the classroom. If black boys are able to feel like they are actually retaining information, and learning it, and it makes sense to them, then this can improve their academic performance. Black boys begin to feel better about themselves and actually feel like they belong in the classroom setting. The alternative to this is not effectively engaging black boys in the learning process, and having them turn their backs on learning.

Black boys also respond to positive reinforcement. I spoke with Michael Bates, a Science teacher with Columbus Africentric Early College, who stressed that black boys don’t respond well to chastising and criticism. He coaches varsity men’s basketball along with teaching, and he strives to find innovative ways to reach black male students. He understands that in the 21st century, the approach to teaching black males has to evolve. If we can help teachers understand that different tactics may have to be utilized to reach black boys, this will help in keeping them involved and learning at a satisfactory level, and help ensure their successful academic performance.

It may be tough to dedicate more time and money to instructing teachers on how to teach black boys, but it is a necessary burden. Marty Nemko, contributing editor for career issues at U.S. News & World Report opines quotes a high school teacher who feels that teachers of heavily African-American classes may well need to be masters at motivation, using a skill set beyond that which is taught in most teacher education programs. So the increasingly required multicultural education course should include master-teacher-taught lessons on the art of classroom management, including strategies particularly likely to be effective in working with low-income African-American students.19 It is clear that even educators understand that a

19 http://martynemko.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-plan-to-close-achievement-gap.html Page 13 of 18 different approach must be taken in order to help black boys succeed academically; they just may not quite know what approaches to take without the proper training.

c. Proposal II: Integrate rites of passage ceremonies/Mentoring programs into afterschool programs for black boys

Dr. Abercrumbie stresses the importance of rites of passage ceremonies and mentoring programs for black boys. He feels that these are important because often parents aren’t doing their part in raising black boys. The parents don’t have jobs and aren’t setting positive examples for black boys. Parents also aren’t educated on what it means to really be adults themselves, so it is hard for them to raise black boys to be men. Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu goes into depth in his book, Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys, on the importance of rites of passage programs. Basically, rites of passage programs help black boys learn how to become men. They can be traced all the way back to tribal rituals in Africa. These ceremonies are centered around teaching black boys what black manhood entails. It may be as simple as a boy making the transition from middle school to high school, and being recognized by older black males for making this step. This recognition may be as simple as a certificate, or as in depth as counseling by older black males on what it means to be a high school age black male. While this seems simple, many black boys are not blessed to have this type of insight in their lives. Many black boys instead, learn what it means to be a man from hip-hop music video, movies, and the mainstream media. So the things that are glamorized and sensationalized in mainstream media, are thus thrust into the forefront of the young black male mind as what it means to be a black man.

Michael Brown points out some key values held by black youth in his book, Image of a Man. Although this book was written over 30 years ago, it still holds relevance today. In providing a picture of black manhood held by most African American male youth, he explains that some things that are important to them are: how much pain or violence you can inflict on another person; how many girls you can impregnate and not get married; how much reefer you can smoke, pills you can drop, and wine you can drink; how many times you can go to jail and come out unrehabilitated; what kind of clothes you wear; how much money you have; what kind

of 18 of car you drive20. These same values are glorified today via hip hop culture and mainstream media. When black males are looking at these type of gauges to measure themselves as black men, is it a question why they get so caught up in crime and fail in academics?

This is why rites of passage and mentoring programs are so important. Through these types of initiatives, older black males can show young black males how to succeed. These programs can include things such as developing a family tree in order to understand where you come from, or learning how to develop a family budget, reading stocks, or learning about businesses. It could be learning about politics, taking a trip to the local city hall or courthouse, and so on. Rites of passage programs are led by men, who help define what black manhood is. If these types of initiatives aren’t taken over by black men, then black boys will continue to define what it means to be a black man.

d. Proposal III: An Afrocentric curriculum for black boys

An Afrocentric curriculum is another proposal that may work to stifle the systemic racism that black boys deal with in the educational system. Essentially, the problem concerning formal education is seen by Afrocentrists to be that African students are taught to perceive the world through the eyes of another culture, and unconsciously learn to see themselves as an insignificant part of their world. A problem arises when white educators and parents don’t fully understand what an Afrocentric education really entails. An Afrocentric education does not necessarily wish to isolate Africans from a Eurocentric education system but wishes to assert the autonomy of Africans and encompass the cultural uniqueness of all learners. The hope is that through this form of education, black youth will perform better academically. A curriculum based on African values, it is believed, would eliminate the patterns of rejection and alienation that engulf so many African American school children, especially males.21

Dr. Abercrumbie feels that an Afrocentric curriculum is important because black males need to be able to feel a sense of attachment to something, and are taught with a sense of

20 Brown, Michael. Image of a Man. New York: Signet, 1976, pp. 43-44.

21 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrocentric_education Page 15 of 18 consciousness. Richard Clay feels that school should be a refuge from racism, where black boys can go to rebuild their self-esteem, life skills, and personal values. They should be able to come out of the educational system and say that despite the challenges that they face in life, they have what they need - the confidence, the skills, and the paperwork to succeed. However schools are not structured to cater to their needs. School just becomes another extension of racism. Black boys’ experiences in going through the educational system simply add to, reaffirm, and continue to bring down their self-esteem. Clay says, “They need to know they come from people who are proud, and people who are intelligent. People that are forward moving, progressive, and ingenuous, even in the face of enormous obstacles. The curriculum should be centered and put together for and by people that are familiar with their culture.” More of an emphasis on an Afrocentric curriculum for black boys would help to counter many academic issues with black boys and in turn, future legal issues.

e. Proposal IV: Change the way schools discipline black boys

In school districts across the country, black boys are being disciplined at alarmingly higher rates than their white peers. Both the city of Chicago and the state of Texas have been the subject of studies which focus on the disparity between black boys and other demographics in terms of punishment in school. Nearly one in four black male students in Chicago Public Schools was suspended at least once last year, a rate that is twice as high as the district average. Chicago Public Schools has one of the highest suspension rates among big-city school districts—putting students at higher risk of failing courses and dropping out because of the strong correlation, borne out by research, between school attendance, grades and graduation.22 The issue here is that there is a definite correlation between school retention rates, dropout rates, and academic performance and the rates of arrest and incarceration. African-American students are far more likely than their white peers to be suspended, expelled, or arrested for the same kind of conduct

22 http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/news/index.php?item=2593&cat=23 Page 16 of 18 at school.23 There is no evidence that students of color misbehave to a greater degree than white students. They are, however, punished more severely, often for behaviors that are less serious.24

Teachers and educators need to be able to find other ways to punish black boys aside from kicking them out of school in some way, shape, or form. Because these tools of punishment wind up pushing black boys out of school completely, some other means should be explored. National leaders are actually currently in discussions to tackle the issue of punitive discipline, which oddly isn’t covered in the No Child Left Behind act. Eric Carlton, who was a principal in Houston, says school leaders cannot just abandon the use of suspension and expulsion, since doing so could lead to a chaotic environment where students don’t take rules seriously. The key, he says, is to find balance.25

This balance is often tested by educators however, and that is a major part of the problem. Educators don’t know how to handle African American students, and thus both major and minor controversies arise. In April 2005, a five-year-old African-American girl attending kindergarten at a St. Petersburg, Florida elementary school was arrested, handcuffed and shackled by police officers, then confined to a police cruiser for three hours. Her so-called “crime” was not wielding a weapon or threatening to harm other children; she threw a temper tantrum. School officials responded by calling the police.26 This five year old girl has now been punished in an extreme way, from which she may never recover. This case received national attention, but the reality is that there are many similar cases which don’t get such attention. How can this be remedied? Educators can look at innovative ways to punish negative behavior, without alienating black students, without causing them to be absent from valuable class time, and while helping, and not hurting, the students. Dr. Abercrumbie points out that with the theory of the 4th grade syndrome, there is the belief that teachers know how to wipe the smiles off of the faces of black boys. Rather than punishing by taking children out of school, it

23 Russel J. Skiba, ZERO TOLERANCE, ZERO EVIDENCE (2000), pp. 11-12; The Advancement Project & The Civil Rights Project, OPPORTUNITIES SUSPENDED: THE DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES OF ZERO TOLERANCE AND SCHOOL DISCIPLINE POLICIES (June 2000), pp. 7- 9; Russell J. Skiba, et al., THE COLOR OF DISCIPLINE: SOURCES OF RACIAL AND GENDER DISPROPORTIONALITY IN SCHOOL PUNISHMENT (2000)

24 Advancement Project, EDUCATION ON LOCKDOWN: THE SCHOOLHOUSE TO JAILHOUSE TRACK (Mar. 2005), p. 8

25 http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/news/index.php?item=2593&cat=23

26 http://www.naacpldf.org/content/pdf/pipeline/Dismantling_the_School_to_Prison_Pipeline.pdf Page 17 of 18 may be as simple as providing the student with extra schoolwork, or requiring them to attend a school program, or sending them to mandatory tutoring each day, regardless of their grades. Educators have been suspending and expelling students for so long, they’ve begun to view this as not a last resort, but a primary option. This is extremely problematic, and the risk is that it introduces children to the juvenile justice system, and funnels them to prison in the long term. V. Conclusion

Through an educational system that has been consistently oppressive towards black boys for decades upon decades, these black boys are being trained and prepared to enter the prison system. Black boys see no other option as they grow up, than to turn to street culture and crime to survive. Once they fail or perform in a substandard way academically, they are behind the curve and this affects them in all walks of life. Although this oppressiveness and educational bias towards black boys is not necessarily intentional, its effects still hurt black boys the same. Wholesale changes need to be made to the educational system in order to save black boys. We are currently disregarding an entire segment of our population, young black boys, and not serving their needs in very minimal ways. Our expectations have become so low for black boys, that no one cares anymore. However, the reality is that black boys can be saved, and do not have to perform below the norm academically, and above the norm criminally. If we remove the bias from our educational system, and replace it with a conscientious effort to help black boys succeed, we’ll be able to positively change millions of young black male lives moving forward.