What can teachers and administrators do??
Believe in the African American child. There is no place for stereotypes in the classroom. Delpit says "when we improve achievement in African American students, we must take into consideration not just academic issues but issues of psychological trauma caused by living in a society in which Black people have been stigmatized." We have to consider the whole child in order to reach them.
We cannot lower our standards in order to teach Black students. Lisa Delpit writes on "warm demanders." Warm demanders are teachers who hold high expectations for their students. They encourage and help them discover their purpose "in a disciplined and structured environment." Do not focus on what students haven't learned yet and spend more time building on the concepts they do know. It's okay to acknowledge or be aware the disparities within the children, however do not use that as an excuse for lack of achievement in the classroom. When you begin to provide excuses for children, they begin to make excuses for themselves.
As administrators, we need to employ more African American and minority teachers. " Low-income Black students who have at least one Black teacher in elementary school are significantly more likely to graduate from high school and consider attending college, concludes a new study co-authored by a Johns Hopkins University economist." (page 1). The study also showed that having at least one Black teacher in 3rd through 5th grade reduced their chances of them dropping out of school by 29% and Black males by 39%. This is concrete proof showing the life altering effects of having more African American representation in the public school system.
African American students are failing because the system has failed to provide them with educators whom they can relate to. There is a program created in South Carolina, called the Call Me Mister program. It is a program that is geared to creating more diversity in the classroom. Specifically with African American men. The video below is a former Call Me Mister graduate that is changing lives in the classroom.
