Civic Bulletin No. 44 October 2006

CiC CENTER FOR CIVIC INNOVATION AT THE MANHATTAN INSTITUTE

Moving Men into the Mainstream: The Next Steps in Urban Reform Black Men Left Behind: Reflections on Current Research

This bulletin is adapted from the first panel of three at a Manhattan Institute conference, "Moving Men into the Mainstream: The Next Steps in Urban Reform," held in New York on June 21, 2006. The other panel discussions are available in Civic Bulletins 45 and 46.

JOHN McWHORTER: Today we are going to here to discuss today is what policies we should discuss the issue of reconnecting a certain segment pursue to remedy this trend. of disadvantaged men into the workforce. The Manhattan Institute has been instrumental in The first panel will present an overview of the issues. forging the reform of welfare legislation, beginning Ronald Mincy, Professor of Social Policy and Social with the actual legislation in 1996, and by all Work at Columbia University, is the first panelist. measures, this policy has been a success. It certainly Next, we will hear from Hillard Pouncy, Visiting has not been a magic bullet, but we are seeing that Professor at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public most of the women who have participated in these Policy at Princeton and a specialist on anti-poverty programs are working and childhood poverty, legislation, whose work also focuses on bringing ex- especially among African-Americans, is on the offenders back into the workforce. Next, Lawrence decline, and has reduced most quickly since 1996, Mead is a professor in the Political Science when these programs were instituted. Department at New York University and a specialist on anti-poverty legislation and welfare reform. Our It can be said, however, that we have only done half program today also includes the Manhattan the job in initiating these policies because welfare Institute's own Abigail Thernstrom, author of Whose reform has focused in particular on women. Votes Count? and America in Black and White, which Meanwhile, since about 1966, some men have she coauthored with her husband Stephan experienced similar problems. We face a problem Thernstrom. More recently, she has written No in that a very large number of disadvantaged men, Excuses. particularly Black and Brown men, are disconnected from the workforce, regardless of the state of the There is an important book that engages on the economy and with only a fitful relationship to the printed page with the issues this conference will availability of low skill work. The question we are address today: Black Males Left Behind. Professor

MANHATTAN INSTITUTE 2 CIVIC BULLETIN educated African-Americanmenisacatalystbehind abouttheadverseoutcomesofyoung, less news What thisprogramandotherslikeitsuggestthat urban areas areas. aswellinrural lived inpoorneighborhoodshighlyconcentrated the program wounduptargetingyoungpeoplewho GrantOpportunity Program focusedoninnercities, areas. Though theresearch thatmotivatedthe Youth for allyoungpeopleresidingin20-percentpoverty spatially targetedyouth-to-adult transitionprogram Youth Grant Opportunity Program, whichwasa Most recentlythisoccurred withthegenesisof African-American men. about whatisoccurringadverselywithrespect to public interest following aspateofinformation Often theseprogramsreceive boostsinfundingand school dropoutsandthelikeover thelast15years. disadvantaged youth, out-of-schoolyouth, high demonstration projectsthatare targetedat In thefirstplace,wehaveseenanumberof current environment. thinking aboutwhatweshouldbedoinginthe that experienceinorder toplantsomeseedsfor want tosuggestseveralthingsthatIlearnedfrom toaddresstheissue.I trying around thecountry There were stateandlocalcommissionsincities remember astudyprovoking amajorconversation. Endangered Species called three decades. There wasabookpublishedin1987 American menandmainstreamingthemforatleast around thechallengesoflesseducatedAfrican- years. we Inthiscountry thirty havebeencircling studying African-Americanmenandboys forabout PROFESSOR RONALD MINCY: can bedoneaboutit. anthology ofpapersonthisparticularissueandwhat Mincy istheeditorofthatbook,whichan Young, Black,andMaleinAmerica: An , andthiswasthelasttimeI I havebeen major demonstrationthattargetedresources to the Moving Program. toOpportunity This wasa The mostrecentinformationalongtheselinesis for girls,buttheyworkpoorlyboys. Again, results showed thattheseprogramswork well graduation rates,collegeenrollment rates,andmore. showed signsoftrouble,wecouldincrease focusing onavulnerablepopulationbefore they mentoring, andtutoring. The hopewasthatby including them withasetofconcentratedsupports vulnerable populationofyoungpeople,providing the objective oftheprogram wastofocusona initially atthechildren ofwelfare recipients,and targeted was alsoayouthdevelopmentprogram Child WelfareProject (CWOP).Organizing This A secondcaseinwhichthistrendoccurredisthe in theseprograms. actually didworsethanmaleswhowere notenrolled not statisticallysignificant,andsomeparticipants impacts ofJTPA programsforyoungmaleswere their employment ratesandtheirearnings,butthe women were costeffective,intermsofincreasing programs concludedthattheresultsforyoung workers. In thelate1980s,evaluations oftheyouth employment programtargetingdisadvantaged Training Partnership Act, whichwasthemajor been thecasewithamajorevaluationofJob on boys andyoungmenisdisappointing. This has produce decentresultsforgirls,whiletheirimpact show thatinitiativestargetingdisadvantagedyouth other hand,evaluationsofexistingprogramsoften males ordisadvantagedspecifically. Onthe the capacitytotargetinitiatives atAfrican-American target youth whoaredropouts,butwerarely have dropouts andthelike.Sometimes theprograms not firmlyattachedtofamilies;theyarehighschool with theideathattheyare youngpeoplewhoare Sometimes theyare called"disconnectedyouth" initiatives targetedatyoungpeoplemore generally. a seriesoflegislativeprograms andnon-profit MANHATTAN INSTITUTE 3 longer or more frequent than girls do? Finally, can do? Finally, than girls frequent more longer or on the that focus create academic environments we so that we can achieve more learning styles of males in terms of making in particular, success, with males the youth to adult transition? the school to work tend to live in highly segregated African-Americans first place, they go to schools the environments. In Rican. and Puerto Black predominantly that are late 1980s we tried to create when in the However, we ran into huge civil libertysingle gender schools, special do you need to create Why challenges: and when boys, educational environments for Black respect to you do so, do you advantage them with efforts own view is that we short-circuited girls? My the process, we at creating single-gender schools. In today, have yielded the kind of challenges that we for African- such as high school graduation rates about a City hovering York American males in New rates, and the other third, declining employment of from recent studies. aware things that we are of race and gender have to think about the role We and have the courage to carry that especially, that thinking through into the kind of programming When a huge challenge. That will represent do. we that pass legislation create a set of tools-when we we drop-out, creates youth development, high school workingor ex-offender programs-for with this the craftsmen. population, we cannot forget about the available That is, who is it that is able to access tools or the funding in order to serve these young that tend to focus on African- men? Programs American males, who often live in a highly the environment, tend not to have segregated available for this capacity to garner the resources population. I have of working in this area, twenty years In consistently observed of programs the infrastructure to with young African-American males that work we have one reason, For be in fundamental disarray. been very in this population; episodic in our interest As we go into the next round of programming to As we go into the next round of programming people-especially the challenges that young resolve to have African-American males-experience, we of gender in these disadvantages. focus on the role have to ask several questions: in what ways do We What males learn differently in schools than females? is it about the ability of young males to sit still, to focus on the academic process, and at what time intervals do they need a break from the academic periods that are they need recreation enterprise? Do In summary, over the last 15 years we have seen a the last 15 years we have over summary, In few programs targeted at disadvantaged young the transition from youth making people who are negative news by to adulthood, often provoked The males. about the state of African-American for women or work that the programs show results for boys. young girls and they do not work single mothers who lived in high poverty areas in areas high poverty who lived in single mothers these was to move The idea the city of Chicago. where areas poverty to lower women and children labor markets, better more substantial were there Again, the results schools and safer environments. the to employment, that moms transitioned showed girls found new with new friends and connected and the school, and saw people in the community rates in terms of teenage pregnancy improvements on the The boys, rates. and high school graduation to their old to return other hand, tended their results neighborhoods and environments, and college in terms of high school graduation, The single enrollment and crime are disappointing. Academy's was the Career in my reading, exception, initiative focused on program—a school-to-work to be high school likely people who were young school environment that a high created dropouts. It focused on a particular track, and then taught career of writing and other basics in the context reading, This was the unique program orientation. that career for better results of that showed that I am aware males than for females. 4 CIVIC BULLETIN the services thatare needed. the services compete inthepublicarena forfundinganddeliver know how todothejobhavecapacity work withtheseyoung people,sothatthosewho that building theinfrastructure amongprograms we do. Secondly, we mustbeabletosupport understanding intothekindsofprogrammingthat for youngpeopleandincorporatethat how raceandgenderhavecreated outcomes adverse and decideifwewillhavethecouragetoidentify First we mustidentifytheroleofraceandgender In closing,wemustpayattentiontotwothings: to deliverthesamekindsofresults. youngAfrican-American males programs thatserve we willneverbuildthecapacitythatneedamong to work.In theabsenceofsuchconsistentfunding, other, benefitingapolicydesignedtoputwomen economyonthe the onehandandanextraordinary the convergence oflearningfromprogrammingon Ultimatelywehave theirart. had years, toperfect and girlshavehadthecapacity, over aperiodof40 youngwomen organizations thathavebeenserving sometimes, jettisonedapproaches,butthe things,failed we havetriedthings,learnedcertain period. consistently foraforty-year That meansthat strategies, wehaveworkedtoward welfare reform 1962, andalthoughwehavepursueddifferent thatbeganin effort the culminationofaforty-year welfare reformthatwere sosuccessfulin1996were and welfarereformfor40years. around The efforts have beenpursuingteenagepregnancyprevention because, asJohn McWhorter suggestedearlier, we different setofoutcomeswithrespecttowomen with respecttoAfrican-Americanmales,anda I thinkthishastodowiththedisappointingresults populations disappearwiththedeclineinfunding. andlearnedhowsome expertise these toserve used upandtheorganizationsthathaveacquired available. But yearsthoseresources withinafew are focusing onAfrican-Americanmales,resources are create andlegislation when we asetofprograms rolled intothenineties,wedoubledanoffender's them wouldbeputintoadiversionprogram.Aswe numberof either gavethemjailtimeoracertain took youngsterswhohadcommittedacrimeand According Western, toBruce duringtheeightieswe levels ofincarceration,justtheoppositehappened. goal-we reducedcrime-butratherthanreducing up wouldbetostopcrime,butweachievedthat You might thinkthemaingoaloflockingpeople crime inthe1990s,wealsoincreased incarceration. problems ofcrimethatwhenwereducedlevels good atincreasingincarcerationandaddressingthe at Princeton University, whichshows thatwegotso Behind less well-educated men.In the book addressing theissuesofcrimeanditsconnectionto policymakers aliketooperatewiththegoalof andincentivesstructures forpoliticiansand wehave created century so forthelastquarter let's lockthemup. We goodatthesethings, are very young Black malesspecifically, arecausingtrouble, essentially saidiflesseducatedmeningeneral,and ago. ofacentury Itcame upaboutaquarter and dynamicsthatcreatebarrierstomainstreaming In thebroaderpublic,anexampleofconversations that helpusovercome thesebarriers. forconversationscreate incentivesandstructures conversations increaseorreinforce barriers,and to focusonhow to getoutofthephaseinwhich differentdirections. Iwant and theygointwovery these conversationsbecausetheyfeedoffeachother, barriers tomainstreaming.Ibelievewe needboth to mainstreaming, orthey canhelpusovercome conversations have thecapacitytoreinforce barriers difficult conversationtohear. My isthatboth view within theBlack communityanditisamore and ifyouare attentive, seeit. you The otheroneis think oneconversation public, iswithinthebroader controlling conversationsaboutmainstreaming. I are twoseparateconversations ordynamics PROFESSOR POUNCY: HILLARD , we discusstherecentworkofBruce Western Black Males Left Ithinkthere MANHATTAN INSTITUTE 5 , we try to think , we discuss how to create , we discuss how Black Males Left Behind Black Males Left Behind we could strike such a public contract so that young such a public contract could strike we these terms of living in find men increasingly then the lessons of welfare America acceptable, a new set of that we create would suggest reform political leaders and policymakers. for our incentives In men. young to mainstream incentives for politicians would include things this sense, mainstreaming In the child supportsuch as working with system on fathers, choose to be responsible behalf of those who for those options employment and finding better who choose to avoid a life of crime. to If the first half of the conversation is about how for and the incentives politics structure is policymakers, the other half of the conversation I community. about what is going on in the Black Cosby am going to appeal to a cartoon Bill of this: having a public discussion been and Eric Dyson have been a toxic of late about these issues, but it has discussion. Bill Cosby says the African-American and its community should behave more responsibly and not should become mainstream youngsters to Cosby's engage in crime. Dyson took offense conservation,comments, and they began a policy which unfortunately degenerated into each saying not is The result he didn't like what the other said. or fruitful effectiveness, discussion much movement, on what should be done. the book In of a more productive way of discussing these and what community, problems within the Black effect, In March. Man came to mind was the Million this was a policy idea: why not get a bunch of people we ought to D.C. and say Washington, together in fact, Martin mainstream our young people? In worked Luther King tried it and it seemed to have in the 1960s. So why did it not work in the 1990s? seems to be that one shot is a willful The answer Once the marchers answer to a large social problem. is the Where what else happens? town leave ructures increased. St increased. How are we to make that kind of anecdote relevant are we to make that kind How The key is to put to the case of less-educated men? If we meaning behind the idea of mainstreaming. we might the lessons of welfare reform remember want to think about some sort of minimal standard, Katz calls the "minimal standards which Michael argues that when we talk about He of citizenship." public policy we do one thing for citizens and other things for non-citizens, our immigrants, et cetera. young When we talk about the undeserving poor, are in the hidden men, for example, we Black language of public policy talking about whether could argue that We young citizens or not. these are that we simply means expect young mainstreaming accept men, from this point on, to do the following: and enter the world of work; to honor their If and to obey the law. obligations to their children; Using the parallel of the welfare conversation, the conversation, of the welfare the parallel Using Self- was self-sufficiency. reform goal of welfare meant that in practical terms, really sufficiency, public assistance were young mothers who required roles into lives of self- not pushed off the welfare they were pushed into a process rather sufficiency, a number of in which they became eligible for supports; they earned income tax credit, child care of The reality benefits, food stamps, and so forth. moms was something less self-sufficiency for welfare but politically we could self-sufficiency, than real moms in the name of self- gain help for welfare of importantsufficiency with the practicality supports. and incentives have led to an ability of our society and incentives have men so effectively that young to incarcerate these kept we when the crime rates went down even another way the question is, is there doing it. So is obvious: to think The answer to think about this? what does But about mainstreaming. mainstreaming mean? chances of going to jail, and if he did go to jail his if he did go to jail going to jail, and chances of longer chances of staying there 6 CIVIC BULLETIN that andgeneratesacapacitytoechoreinforce young people,andtheBlack communityreinforces set ofstandards andbehaviorsthatweexpectofour confirmed thatmainstreaming meanssomeminimal muchunderway.conversations very Once have we evidence ofthetoxic alternative tothose evidence thatbothareinprogress, butthereisalso within theBlack community-andthere issome of conversations-withinthepolicycommunityand To we conclude,inmyview needthesetwokinds to hostitsownconversation about mainstreaming. place sothatyoucreate acapacityforcommunity live withinthecommunity-dynamicsbegintotake not happened-where well offAfrican-Americansstill Philadelphia wefoundthatincaseswherehas When welookedatsomedataoncommunitiesin evidence. based onsurvey dynamic goingonwithintheBlack community, the Dyson-Cosbydebateissymptomaticofalarger begintodecrease. Inabout itsproblems otherwords, the chancesofcommunitythinkingholistically alongsocioeconomicfissurescommunity pullsapart off Blacks by moving tothesuburbs:whenBlack Blacks haveseparatedfromlesseducated, lesswell- really interestinghasbeguntohappenas better-off In theAfrican-Americancommunitysomething ofitwrong. it right,butmostofusfindmanyparts a goodtheory, and mostpeoplefindsomepartsof different placesbadthingsaregoingtohappen. This people, orjobsandpeoplewhoneedjobs,in hypothesis. It putpoorpeopleandrich saysifyou talked aboutmanytimescalledthespecialmismatch thatJohnin theroomisatheory McWhorter has version goessomethinglikethis:thehiddenelephant the politicalsciencecommunityoflate,andshort In arecent lookedatsomedialogwithin studywe conversation. tocontributethis bereft ofanopportunity to beasituationthatleavestheBlack community infrastructure? How doyoubuildonthat?It seems population. this as domosteducationprogramsserving well, andinfact,theyoftenfailtogetthejobdone, to dothis-trainingprograms-donotevaluatevery Ronald Mincy haspointedout,programs thattry figures intowhichwe topourresources. have As way economistsseethemasemptyvessels,passive skills, soweshouldinvest moreinthem.In this of humancapital;theysaythatthepoormenlack economists approachtheworkprobleminterms science andthewayweneedtosolvethis. The scientist, andIbelievethatpoliticsisthemaster much intermsofeconomics.Iamapolitical In thepast,we approached thisproblemtoo have in reconnecting thesemen. addressing it,Ithinkwecanmakesomereal progress andby problem isofstrategicimportance, he cannotsatisfyhisspouseorchildren. This not workregularlycannotsatisfyhisemployer and problems ashusbandsandfathers.Amanwhodoes these menarepoor, anditisalsothecauseoftheir Non-work seemstometheimmediatereason why do somethingabout. one thatstandsout,andtheIthinkwecan and thismaynotbethemostserious,butitis work atall. manyproblems, These menoftenhave time andfullyear, andnearly60percentdidnot poor menin2004,lessthan20percentworked full and how wemight reconnectwiththem.Among I amgoingtotalkmainlyaboutpooradultmen fundamental policychanges. men, andIhopethistimeitleadstosome a newwave ofinterest intheproblem oflow-income meeting.Ihaveimportant asensethatthere isindeed PROFESSOR LAWRENCE MEAD: for improvement. those conversations,Ithinkthereisreasontohope This isan MANHATTAN INSTITUTE 7 from that point a snowball started to roll, and it started to roll, point a snowball from that system, and today the welfare swept right through not The key was system. have a totally different we the key was accepting that spending more money; positive had to be a work obligation, and the there the public commitment to effects of that generated we did in fact spend So spend more as necessary. wage subsidies and all these on childcare, more supports, that was acceptable because it was now but deeply a value that the public going to enforce was that there should be a workbelieved in, which obligation connected to public aid. did not upset the public; studies The cost of welfare that upset clearly that it was the work problem show to work They wanted the recipients the public. got it, the alongside the taxpayers, and once they That, I coffers opened and money was no object. to these men; believe, is the model we need to apply an economic logic in we have to get away from is true they do need some that dealing with them. It wage or new benefits, such as a higher minimum higher income tax credits, perhaps. do something about to have we particular, In from employers we can prevent immigration. Unless to hiring illegal immigrants immediately resorting not going Americans, we are in place of low-skilled a small all of this is only However, to get veryfar. the The main problem is that part of the problem. do not face a serious are talking about men we have to We basis. to work on a regular requirement have to work, and you somehow say to them, "you and if you do that we have to work consistently, ways." If we do will help you in these numerous that, I am quite convinced that the education and will have much greater effect training programs to because the men will face a serious requirement the This message also addresses work steadily. is an assumption in some of the There politics. need to persuade the previous comments that we men. Black public to spend money on low-income ead, government ought to stop ead, government Then about 20 years ago we hit on the idea of which actually requiring the mothers to work, If we had programs turned out to be the answer. as a condition mothers to work welfare that required had We of aid, then they would in fact go to work. to spend some money too, but the crucial thing was 20 years About requirement. having a clear-cut work began to get positive evaluations for work ago we programs like this-mandatory work programs-and Welfare reform has shown us that this is us that has shown reform Welfare arena the welfare the fundamentally mistaken. In was we got away way that we solved the problem used to say that welfare We economic thinking. from that the labor mothers lacked human capital too, or for much of the 40 years was inadequate, and market that we tried many of the reforms reform of welfare market, the labor or change ways to re-jigger were or have training or investment programs. incentives, That approach did not get results. What do we do about that? Liberals tend to propose What do we do about that? Liberals tend and money on these people spending more resources for them. Conservatives generating more trying identify that as the problem—government to do too much. Inst interfering and let men find their with the labor market The debate tends to be all about best employment. own versus doing less. economics and doing more Another economic perspective is that there is is that there economic perspective Another with the labor market or the something wrong opportunity not available, structure are so that jobs contentions of the mismatch which was one of the for mentioned. Evidence Pouncy theory that Hillard that claim is not very good. Another claim is that take do not pay enough, which the jobs these men turns poor even if they work. It is why they remain is that these men that the main problem out, however, working at low do not work are at all, not that they do with the fact that to has more problem The wages. market. not fully engaged in the labor these men are 8 CIVIC BULLETIN the stateattackingtheirwages. We havetomake such thattheycannotworkonthebookswithout up substantialdebtstotheChildSupport System, The otherissueisarrearages: alotofthesemenbuild canprobablyimproveI thinkwe onthoseprograms. employment. We havenotfoundawaytodothatyet. paymentswe toincreasethefather's have support or gotoprison. They foundthattoincreasethechild with thechoicetopayup,inprogram participate havepresentedfatherswhowereprograms inarrears Some pastexperimentshavetriedtodothis;such more so,thangettingthemtopaychildsupport. ifnot fathers working,whichisjustasimportant, to makethatsystemresponsible forgettingthe focusing onthefathers'employment aswell; we have somehow havetoshiftthatsysteminclude thefamilies. Wefathers aspossibletosupport to collectingasmuchmoneyfromtheunmarried is theChildSupport System, whichisnow dedicated that alreadydealwithlow-income men.Oneofthem have toresortprimarilytwootherinstitutions for thewelfare mothers,soitseems tomethatwe same breadthandstrengththatsystemoffered a benefitssystemlikethewelfare systemwiththe these guystowork?Unfortunately, wedonothave thatwillrequiredo wefindanauthoritystructure substitute forthearmy. How mightwedothat?How is now avolunteer force, have we tofindaway to way toputtheseguysinthearmy. Becausethearmy Moynihan ago:wehave Report 40years tofinda Daniel Patrick Moynihan talkedaboutinthe money willfollow. In asense,we todowhat have these menwithworkrequirements, andthenthe My advice,then,istoaskfortheauthorityobligate will begenerous. to theideaofenforcing avalueinwhichwebelieve that require employment; Ithinkthepublicresponse when weshow results programs fromseriouswork I thinkthepublicwouldbewillingtospendmoney any further, toremindourselves that itisimportant ABIGAIL THERNSTROM: which willallow thesementofullyenterintosociety. the commonobligation—inthiscaseemployment, or findfault;ratherthegoalistosatisfywhatIcall goal isintegration. The goalisnottoblame,exclude required towork. towork,butalsosupported The these menchanneledtoward employment and systems. When wedoso, I thinkwewillfinallysee through theChildSupport andcriminaljustice what we havetodowithemployment formen became acentralgoaloftheentire system. That is employment intothewelfare sothatit structure did nothave aseparateprogram,ratherwebuilt merely aspecialprogram. With welfare reform,we ofitscoreemployment mission-not becomespart challenge willbechangingtheinstitutionsothat The ultimateproblemisnotreally money;thereal these men,andthengetwidepublicsupport. ofthingthatmightgeneratepositive resultssort for people toworkinreturn areexactlythe forsupport, discussing.Programsworth likethis,whichrequire positions; both work incommunityservice mandatory jobplacementandsomeinvolvesome ofwhichinvolve There are programs, already anumberofprisonreentry the employment outcomesofpeople leavingprison. We havetomakethesystembecomeaccountablefor recidivism.is crucialtoavoiding employment ofpeopleonce theyleave prison,which again, we havetoshiftitsgoalsincludethe locking upoffendersandprotecting society, but justice system. This systemiscurrentlydedicatedto interaction withlow incomemenisthecriminal The secondmajorinstitutionthathasfrequent penny.than payingoffevery because employment isprobablymore important pennythattheyowe,obligation andpayingevery some tradeoffstoreach somebalancebetweenawork Ithink,before going MANHATTAN INSTITUTE 9 , we No Excuses No , in a chapter called No Excuses No training would achieve relatively little because their achieve relatively training would is more of specific job skills. It problem is not a lack discipline that that lack of personal often precisely schools insist upon and other excellent Star North and I discuss at some my husband, and that Steve, length in our book, "Not by Mass Alone." In writing Alone." In by Mass "Not did think about looking at the gender split, but when did think about looking always gives up certain topics one writes a book one the book done, and that of getting in the interest at. did not look we was one of the topics Assessment I have just looked at the National But nation's report card Progress—the for Educational grade scores, on education. I looked at the twelfth They suggest that the quite fascinating. and they are huge gender imbalance in college enrollments-the ratio of females to males 2:1-is college enrollment males lag adolescent not an indication that Black skills, because in cognitive women far behind Black in general lag behind Whites they do not. Blacks is not Blacks and Asians, but the gender gap for that total sufficiently striking to account for example, there imbalance in college enrollment. For difference is not a statistically significant gender male and female students in math. In among Black almost males are twelfth-grade while Black reading, sisters in high school, a grade level behind their Black should note that the gender gap among African- we Whites. Americans is only half as large as it is among close to two years White males, on the average, are in White female classmates in reading, behind their students. contrast to the one year gap between Black are is an obvious explanation: Results there Perhaps likely to more deceptive because Black males are not are out of high school and therefore drop test, which makes grade for the twelfth available there selective population. However, them a more to count the drop- on how is no consensus at present without wading into that battle I would out rate. But suggest that neither method yields such large gender in drop-out rates for Blacks. differences One of Larry Mead's central points is that investing One of Larry Mead's and men education Black in giving young more I love the North Star Academy Charter School in Academy Star the North I love to find schools that is hard It Jersey. New Newark, and that is one of them. you walk into and just adore, started out as a middle school, and then it added a It of going to high school, and one of the conditions the middle the high school is that you have attended The last time school, which is fairly gender-balanced. they had just startedI was there the high school and I walked into they were doing it one grade at a time. the room the new around ninth grade and I looked They had are the boys?" and I said, "where because this school yesterday, I called the disappeared. and I asked took place a couple of years ago now, large the what has happened since then. I asked how and the woman I spoke to told high school is now, many of them me they had 123 students. I asked, how but male, and she said she did not know exactly, are male. What I saw several guessed that about 50 are have gone. The boys the case: ago remains years thinks these young men have Star at North Nobody out of school, but they will not go along dropped demands. Star with the personal discipline that North I am going to focus on one aspect of the question: I am going to focus suggestion that Mincy's Ronald education. I found try ways to we shape the school day in different to time very recreational more boys Black give is a suggestion I am sympathetic to, It interesting. I will point. but I want to make a slightly different start by telling you a story. not all Black men live in poverty or in inner-city or men live in poverty not all Black live families now of Black third neighborhoods. A middle self-identification are in suburbia-half by about a sector of talking here class-and so we are the Nevertheless, male community. the Black American obviously has an impact on problem it ripples through the fabric of society in general; it at our peril. and we ignore the society, 10 CIVIC BULLETIN are asbasic mathskills. asimportant believing thatyour workwillmatterandpayoff, attitude," thatisinternalizedself-disciplineand skills ofpunctuality, diligence,andacan-do journalist David Shipler hasputtopoint,the"soft immediate consequences.In otherwords, as shirt nottuckedin,somefoullanguage-have themselves. Even minorinfractionsoftherules-a hands withvisitorsintotheschoolintroducing their classmateswithequalrespect. They shake and follow theirdirections precisely. They treat are talkingtothem,theylistenteacherspolitely their homework, theylookatpeoplewhen down hallsquicklyandquietly, theyalwaysfinish minute whentheycouldbelearning. They walk organized. They are never allowed towaste a in theirdesks,chairspulledin,workbooks show upontimeproperly dressed,situpstraight students learnhow tospeakstandard English, Black females. These schoolsinsistthattheir course seemstobeworseamongBlack malesthan by demands,andtheisolationof makingcertain isolation ofBlack kidsfrom mainstreamnorms culture." S isolation fromthetacitnormsofdominant problem now facingAfrican-Americansistheir Orlando Patterson haswritten,"Thegreatest discussed earlier. Meadthat willleadtogoodjobsinlife,asLarry learning andtheacquisitionofskillsknowledge their students. That culture affects academic learn, buttheyalsoaimtoshapetheculture of a safeandorderly environment inwhichkidscan relentlessly on coreacademicsubjectsandprovide much broadersetofskills.Charterschoolsfocus arithmetic. These children needaneducationina need aneducationbeyond reading,writingand something fundamental:theirinner-citychildren under theregular publicsystem. They understand schoolsareother successfulcharter alloutfrom Schools likeNorth Star, theKIPPAcademies, and uperb schoolsuniformlyattackthat urbanized, theschoolsofeducation have theseurban MALE VOICE: that wemustaddressit. mainstream Americansociety, andisso pernicious belief leadstotheirprofound alienationfrom Whites are andBlacks powerful arehelpless.Such a to thebelief, ofBlacks onthepart themselves, that about anindividual.From there,itisastraightline fact race orethnicityisthesinglemostimportant sub-districts. Allsuchpoliciessaythesamething: by splittingthedistrictintothree raciallyidentifiable Nebraska todojustthat isinthemiddleoftrying school basedonthecoloroftheirskin.Omaha, schoolsystemsthatassignpeopleto secondary and votingdistricts,andelementary gerrymandered education andcontractingemployment, racially policies includeracialpreferences inhigher related publicpoliciesreinforce thatview. These are.message—a messagethatraceiswhoyou Race- America, whichgenerallydeliverssuchadifferent as theywish. That isatallorder incontemporary their racialandethnicgrouptiesasmuchorlittle ofAmerica,freethe racialstructuring to emphasize students tothinkofthemselves asindividualsbeyond ofAmerica." structuring These schoolswanttheir beyondthat individualityisstilloperative theracial individuals, todepriveBlacks oftheunderstanding anything tousithastriedkeepfrom being the 1970s,wrote,"If Whitesocietyhastriedtodo define themselvesasindividuals.RalphEllison,in articulated. The bestinner-cityschoolsandstudents related component,whichisnever explicitly the traditionalladderofsocialmobilityhasanother pays off. toputdisadvantagedThe effort youthon outweighbarriers,anddetermination opportunities open forthosewhomaketherightdecisions, in thiscountry. The messageisthatthedoorsare govern climbingtheladderofeconomicopportunity message aboutAmericaandtherulesthat culture oftheseschools. anoptimistic They deliver messagespermeatethe Other equallyimportant It seemsthatas Americabecomes MANHATTAN INSTITUTE 11 But he does this across But I am talking about the We do not have the We If you look at a study If you The foreign-born are Do you think that America Do immigrant parents, and you would see radical and parents, immigrant those between their outcomes and differences the other born African-Americans. On of native generations later we begin hand, two or three through work As we to see, a local context. cohorts, in the outcomes the differences I think who for African students or even for Jamaican to beginning are States in the United now are beginning to that gender and color are show ways that of color in ethnic groups disadvantage to with respect would only recognize we African-Americans years ago. DR. THERNSTROM: the to track these students in data, however, Progress. Assessment for Education National MINCY: PROFESSOR is conducting on enrollment Massey that Doug and Black students in historically rates of Black that African-American colleges clearly shows declining in their enrollment male students are to girls. relative DR. THERNSTROM: rates for Haitians versus the American-born. MINCY: PROFESSOR color and ethnicity. DR. THERNSTROM: we do Unfortunately, small group. a relatively of the things NAEP should not track them. One do is ask for the country of origin of your it does not ask that simple but now parents, question. FEMALE VOICE: West is playing African-Americans and the it used against each other? I remember, Indians getting jobs were Indians West to be that the not, and then the and African-Americans were My first answer is to close answer first My I think the point that you As researchers, and in general, we As researchers, raise dissipates across generations. If we were talking we were raise dissipates across generations. If with whom I went to school, they about Jamaicans, would possess a culture about education and work the ideology of their that more closely resembled MALE VOICE: MINCY: PROFESSOR down the education schools. There are so few There are the education schools. down on education, and scholars doing good work most of them are economists enough, interestingly people They are and are not in education schools. at Harvard, and Hoxby like economist Caroline meeting in think tanks. In a recent some others are Tom to celebrate departing Boston superintendent his second-in-command said something Payzant, very which made my jaw drop courageous, because for the last 10 years in he has been in a bureaucracy said that these large urban systems Boston. He the current cannot be turned around within of public education. An outgoing official structure do, nobody could say that; if I said it, which I often people might listen to him. listens to me. But as "Black" use the terms "African-American" and we talking though they are interchangeable. Who are cultural it important that we disaggregate about? Is to understand that, as you folks experiences of Black folk have these problems? If point out, not all Black we talking who are want to disaggregate it today, we about? African-Americans, Haitians, Jamaicans? DR. THERNSTROM: DR. THERNSTROM: education formats and programs. There is a growing There formats and programs. education the theorists and the researchers, disconnect between and the participants,on the one hand, who are from and Latino, all of these which largely Black in the New example, drawn. For conclusions are studies 250 research school system there are York from population and Black on an increasing Brown question is, these things. My which we conclude and between researchers can we close the gap how participants?the research 12 CIVIC BULLETIN jobs. There isnopolicytomakethishappen-that this casethealienscominginfromMexico-get the issues ofemployability, andsothenewgroups-in employable. We havetorecognizethatthereare real but couldalsoincludeothergroups-are simplyless primarily here-low-income menwhoareoftenBlack because theindividualswe aretalkingabout PROFESSOR MEAD: divided? Americans, andthatwayitkeepseverybody willgetworkbefore theAfrican- to thiscountry get thework. Doyou thinkthatanyone thatcomes Latinos are findingjobsandthe West Indians cannot next generationbecameAfrican-American.Now the It comestoseemthatway legitimate. employers are reacting tosomethingthatis involvedincrime.Sojobs are,nevertheless, maybe showsthat30percentofthosewho dohave chart young Black menoutoffearcrime,buthisown Then hesaysthatemployers donotwanttohire labor forceentirely-admit toearningsfromcrime. young joblessBlack men-menwhoareoutofthe that fascinatedme:He foundthat38percentof DR. THERNSTROM: the nativebornandtorestrainimmigration. recognize theneedtoincreaseemployability of is notintheinterestofemployers. We have to Hillard Pouncy hasdata MANHATTAN INSTITUTE 10 CIVIC BULLETIN N OTES MANHATTAN INSTITUTE OTES N For additional information, contact the Manhattan Institute, 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 New York, Avenue, For additional information, contact the Manhattan Institute, 52 Vanderbilt • www.manhattan-institute.org 212.599.7000 • Fax 212.599.3494 • E-mail [email protected] Telephone Would you prefer to receive this publication via e-mail? If so please supply us with your e-mail address by contacting us at [email protected] or 212-599-7000. Previous publications are also available.

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