Why Are Black Students Lagging?

New York Times | 11/29/02 | FELICIA R. LEE

[Amelia]

On the contrary, if you examine black culutre in it's purest form, and go back to the pre-1960 timeframe, when you can and will see black cuture in it's pure form, you will find that there is a huge emphasis on education and on intellectual advancement within the culture.

Unfortunately, you never hear anything today about the black culture which was thriving and vibrant even in the Jim Crow South.

Granted, it did not extend to all black people by any means, but even in the early 1900s, and even in the South, there were blacks who were wealthier and better educated than most whites.

I think it's a tragedy that black children now are not educated about that part of their history - those people who succeeded despite tremendous obstacles - but instead are told that every difficulty is because the world is prejudiced against them.

[ladylib]

I believe a black man invented the traffic light. I also think that a black man developed blood transfusions. If this is the case, are these men's accomplishments being taught to black school children?

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Blacks from Africa constantly win major Marathons. NHL? Give me a break. The places where hockey is big, Canada and states that border Canada have very few blacks. How many Southerners are in the NHL? See what I mean. I hate to break it to you, but black people are built differently from white people. Look at boxing for an example.

[cidrasm]

Here we strike the nail on the head. To succeed (regardless of race) you must first put forth effort.

From the article:
And he said that while black students talked in detail about what efforts were needed to get an A and about their desire to achieve, too many nonetheless failed to put forth that effort.

It is applicable to everyone not just black students as is evident by your description on the entrance requirement for this high achievement black school in Jersey City. They want to succeed and put forth effort to ensure they do just that.

Maybe it's just me, but in almost every article I read about failing schools and students who fail to learn I fail to see anyone pointing at the students and asking the questions "do you really care, are you REALLY putting forth enough effort?". While parents, teachers and curriculum all contribute to the learning environment, it is ultimately up to the student to pay attention and retain.

Just my $0.02

[Mr. Jeeves]

My personal opinion in this matter is that all to often black students expect to be given decent grades because they exist and show up.

In the movie "Higher Learning", Omar Epps' character demonstrates this attitude perfectly. He expects his black political science professor (Lawrence Fishburne) to give him an easier ride just because he is also black. Fishburne sets him straight in a hurry - but I suspect there are far too few black university professors who think like Fishburne's character.

[hinckley buzzard]

I believe you are right to point to the "victim" identity as a key. Corrollaries of being a victim are:
1. Someone is doing something to hurt you; 2. you are helpless to prevent it, or to improve your lot; 3. as a victim you are entitled to some sort of compensation, for your victim status alone, without having to do anything to earn it; 4. you are allowed to dissipate energy by being angry at the perpetrator as a substitute for achieving efficacy in surmounting obstacles.

Looking at all the finger-pointing in Shaker Heights, it is obvious that the victim posture is still a default condition for explaining away failure.
"It's the teachers--no, it's the parents--no it's the peers--no it's the students attitudes---"

Put it all together and you have--the community as a whole, which would rather pin blame on each other than look at themselves, hiring "education experts" to help them avoid the hard work of creating a community of shared traditional values.

But Shaker Heights is an oasis of leftwing crackpots, so traditional values are taboo. They will just talk this to death, pat themselves on the back and move on, and the Black kids will continue to come up short.

And the oh so concerned Hysterics-on-the-Heights have no one to blame but themselves. All the idiot sociologists in academe can't change that one iota.

[Amelia]

If this is the case, are these men's accomplishments being taught to black school children?

Well, sure they are. During Black History Month.

Of course, there's also the implicit message that these men aren't generally honored for their achievements, and we don't normally hear about them, because of our racist society - so what's the use?

When I teach about George Washington Carver, I like to "compare and contrast" the obstacles he faced in his achievements, and how he overcame them, with the advantages my students now have. Sometimes, some of them seem to "get it".

[demosthenes the elder]

the old "poverty" ruse.
sigh.
I was one of two children raised by a single mother and lived below the poverty line for my first ten years. My mother worked as many as three part-time jobs at a clip while supporting us and sending herself through first college and then medical school. Nonetheless, she still MADE the time needed to instill discipline in us and help us to learn the essential skills required in this society: linguistics, math, logic, reading skills, methods of study, prioritization, and diligence.
Though I do not expect all poor people to do as well as she did, nor all to turn out as well as both I and my sister did, I cannot accept the standard excuse of poverty = poor educational/academic performance.

[valkyrieanne]

White/Asian children can easily outdistance black children because, on average, their parents spend more time, money, and effort giving their children a life experience that includes intellectual activites.

For that matter, Asian students pull ahead of whites because Asian family culture tends to be even more aggressively focused on education than whites'. Not that I think this is bad, of course.

[secretagent]

All these problems connect to the fact of compulsion, in the funding of and, more importantly, attendance of government schools.

How pathetic that a republic with citizens supposedly fit for self rule accept compulsion schooling.

[Old Professer]

Those kinds of attitudes reflect a long history of adapting to oppression and stymied opportunities

As long as the external forces are held blame, nothing will change.

[Old Professer]

Care to still argue that it is all genetics? All genetics is "local."

[Doe Eyes]

We owe a lot of this attitude to Lyndon Johnson ...

At least you found a white male to shoulder the blame.

[ricpic]

Was it 30 years ago that Daniel Patrick Moynahan recommended that the problem of black under-performance be treated with "benign neglect?"
Of course he was exscoriated for saying the unsayable at the time. But isn't that, what in effect, the best and brightest, most well intentioned members of white america have done?
After pouring how many trillions of dollars down every conceivable program of social uplift, and seeing very little, if any result, in terms of closing the black white gulf, they have decided to quietly give up on the problem.
They have moved away from racial engagement; both physically and mentally.
And who can blame them? Why waste your time and treasure on an intractable problem. Life's too short.

[johnny7]

Please don't take this personally but you're blowing smoke out of your ass.

Go dig up “Elmtowns Youth”. It's out there.

[Fzob]

you're blowing smoke out of your....

I don't know why you would say that. I lived a very similar childhood. Except there were 5 siblings in my house. It's a pretty common story so why you think its BS is a mystery to me. Did someone pee in your Cheerios today?

[Slyfox]

What makes this guy's study very plausible is the fact that he studied rich blacks along side rich whites. That alone cuts out the reasons we usually hear as to why black students do inferior work to white.

Take this on for size. He infered that the blacks who did not do well in this school system did not do their homework. All kids, no matter the skin color, are going to do better than kids who don't do their homework.

I think this guy is spot on. It's high time we stopped blaming the problem on money or lack of money. With all that the moola we have poured into education for the last 30 or so years we should be seeing at least 50 national merit scholars coming out of each and every high school in the entire country.

[johnny7]

I never replied to you... why is it that you don't make sense?

Why do you mention peeing?

[aristeides]

If U.S. whites have an average IQ of 100, and U.S. blacks have an average IQ of 85 (one standard deviation less,) then one half of U.S. whites will have at least average intelligence, whereas only one sixth of U.S. blacks will. About one sixth of U.S. whites will have fairly high intelligence (IQ of 115 or higher,) but only one out of 20 U.S. blacks will. About one out of 20 U.S. whites will have quite high intelligence (IQ of 130 or higher,) whereas well below 1% of U.S. blacks will.