Closing The Academic Achievement “Gap” BetweenAfrican Amerian and White Students
Preface:
From the outset, I would like to make it clear that I am not an apologists, nor an excuse-maker for African American or any other students. There are many African children who have no apparent, legitimate excuses for not performing well academically. However, at the same time, there is undoubtedly, a growing number who, not only have legitimate excuses, but are facing such terribly negative and devastating odds that, in order for them to do well academically (unless they receive consistent, intense, adequate and appropriate types of support), they will be either extremely lucky, extraordinary in terms of psychological and emotional strength, or a combination of both.
This treatise was inspired by the fact that, in light of the ongoing, decades old, urban education crisis, which includes acute, dismal, massive, academic failure among huge numbers of African American children, and the so-called academic achievement “gap” between African Americans and whites, it has become an annual ritual for the U.S. Department of Education, states’ Education Departments, local boards of education, and various educational research groups to issue reports and frequently put forth unrealistic, shallow, suggestions for change and improvement. As part of that which resembles an annual sideshow, we can routinely count on simplistic, and sometimes outright silly suggestions and “answers” to the critical question: With regard to academic performance and achievement, why do African American students (in the main) continue to lag so far behind their white counterparts? Annual reporting of information regarding this most serious issue and problem, is usually framed and presented in such a manner that readers are expected to conclude that federal, state and local officials as well as educators are doing all that they possible can to address this supposedly mysterious, super-complex phenomenon.
This analysis is an attempt to place the issue and problem of a so-called academic achievement “gap” between African American and white students in proper historical context. Reference to the issue as a so-called “gap” is based on my unequivocal belief that usage of terms such as “gap” to describe the alarming differences in academic achievement between African American and white students (in the main) — amounts to attempts (probably consciously in some cases) to downplay the importance, significance and urgency of a timely and effective solution.
Not only is this particular analysis based on a historical perspective, but it is also Africancentered. That is to say, the perspective is being presented by one who is conscious of, and proud of his African ancestry; knowledgeable and keenly aware of the specific historical processes and conditions — by which millions of African peoples were kidnapped and geographically, socially, economically, politically, culturally displaced, and ultimately transformed (by force) into a new nationality of human beings — known today as African “Americans”. Since there is absolutely no doubt about the fact that many people of African ancestry will agree totally with this perspective, it can rightly and objectively be called Africancentered, i.e., information, as viewed through the eyes of large numbers of African peoples (based on collective life-experiences).
Introduction
In order to fully and clearly understand why such large percentages of African American students generally lag behind white children relative to academic achievement, it is necessary to seriously consider, study, critique, and analyze overall educational conditions (from a historical perspective). There is no other way to gain a full and clear understanding of what has caused, and what is causing the overall current educational conditions, under which the achievement “gap” is being tolerated — if not intentionally perpetuated.
First, it is very important to realize and accept the fact that overall educational conditions within the U.S. are not a product of coincidence — or of nature. The so-called achievement “gap” between African American and white students in the United States of America is not representative of a natural state of human existence or development. Instead, it is a historical condition that was intentionally created, developed, and maintained by white people, particularly wealthy white men, who established, and to a large degree, controlled the socioeconomic, political / governmental and dominant cultural systems of the U.S.A. — all of which, of course, were / are based on the concept of white, and especially male supremacy. The same group of people and/ or their friends, relatives and descendants, later established and initially bank-rolled the nation’s system of public education.
In attempting to understand the achievement “gap” — we can completely rule out simplistic analyses that posit as causes — the existence of certain conditions among large numbers of African American children, such as the lack of interest and motivation, low self esteem and participation in so-called “ghetto culture.” Those are symptoms, rather than causes of the problem. It is incumbent, especially upon educators to begin asking, and correctly (objectively) answering questions about why such large percentages of African American students are not, or at least do not appear to be interested in learning and / or motivated to learn. What do we (as individual practitioners, and collectively — as an educational system) need to know and do in order to help increase their interest and motivation? In this particular regard, are we (individually and collectively) doing all that we can? As it relates to the total student population, why do so many African American students suffer (disproportionately) from low self-esteem, and how can we help remedy this problem? These are critically important questions, and they also represent a very important part of the art and science of teaching or instruction, which many refer to almost faddishly as “pedagogy”.
(To be continued…)