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Two words: "Low expectations".

Yes, low expectations, but where do those low expectations come from? I found it interesting that the article never addressed the structure of the black family as a potential cause of the problem. From what I've read, it seems that over 70% of black households are headed by single black females. It also seems that black males did exceptionally well academically in the 50s and 60s when more were raised in traditional two-parent family homes. Is it possible that there is some kind of phenomena occurring within black, female-headed homes that significantly contributes the problem of low academic achievement in black males?

I'll guess that there is no father in those single-parent households to act as a living example of what a man SHOULD do, and no father-figure to counteract the romance of fancy wheels on a car, and no father to effectively discipline a young male to stay in school, do their homework, etc., etc., etc.

That's why there was no mention of the traditional nuclear family in this article. No amount of funding for current government programs can solve the basic problem - the traditional family may not be the perfect solution, but it worked for several centuries. It wasn't until we as a society financed the great social experiment that we found out why the traditional family works.

Chief_Joe wrote:

I found it interesting that the article never addressed the structure of the black family as a potential cause of the problem.

The only words of wisdom that I have seen in this article and the entire thread. Of course it is the destruction, in fact the planned destruction, of the black family that is the root cause of this problem. If you plant potatoes you get potatoes. When you raise black boys up in a society where the majority of the children are raised by the women, where many of the men don't even know who there children are and probably don't care you are not going to provide young males with the role models that are the norm in most of society.

This is a phenomenon of my lifetime. I remember when it wasn't so. I grew up in a mixed interracial school and the black kids were my friends and they were just as hard working and dedicated to learning as anyone. Something happened called welfare and the welfare state, women's liberation, affirmative action, MTV, rap music, criminals as heroes and, well you get the idea. All of these things have contributed to the destruction of the black family and all have changed things for the worse.

If we start now it will take a generation or two to heal. A very sad state of affairs but it does have one great advantage: It secures 95% of the black vote for the Dems. Hard to beat that.

Children model themselves on those that are visible to them. In most cases that would be the father for a boy. In the circumstance in the black community where fatherlessness is epidemic they must look elsewhere. The men who are visble to them and have status are in almost all case not a college graduate. Rather they are a dealer, an athelete or at best the dropout with money enough to acquire some bling.

>> ...the article never addressed the structure of the black family...

I think there's a taboo in the academic community against linking social problems to "non-traditional" families.

We see it and they see it, but nevertheless, it is not there. The expedient thing to do is to continue on the present track, and this article is no exception. The blame for every social problem will always be placed squarely on the shoulders of capitalism and it's proponents, the rich. It's a rule.