Wednesday, August 18, 2010

47% of Black Males Graduate High School


Yes, you read it right. This is according to a 2007-2008 school year nationwide study that states, only 47% of black males graduate high school...on time (with their entering cohort). I fail to believe the astonishing numbers in this press release, but as the saying goes "men lie, women lie, numbers don't."

Education is the foundation of success in life, and apparently the future of our young black children is looking bleak. What can be done to solve this problem? Closing down schools? Firing poor teachers? Longer school days? What say you crew?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I couldn't get to the article, but did it give a reason why the percentage who do graduate are so low? Were the numbers lowest in certain demographic areas?

I think ONE of the big reason why black males don't graduate is because of the stigma in our culture that they shouldn't care about school. I remember back in high school black males were made fun of if they participated in class, if they did their homework and got good grades, etc. They were classified as being "nerdy" or not "thug" or "hard" enough; but were praised for their athletic endeavors. A lot of the black males that DID get good grades were almost embarassed that they did and tried to hide it.

The black females, however, were not subject to the pressure of upholding a "thug/I dont care" like image, which is probably a big reason why they surpassed their male counterparts in educational accomplishments. Not sure if this reason is exclusive to my high school, but that was my experience. I can also list a million other reasons why (many are in one parent households, poor cultural priorities, etc.) but that may have to be another post LOL!

August 19, 2010 5:57 AM

Anonymous said...

I just realized that I didnt answer the question. I think one of the things that can be done to solve this problem is to get rid of the cultural ideogy that black men are only good for what they can contribute physically (sports) in our society. Our black men have brains too, contrary to what 300 years of slavery tried to brain wash us out of beleiving, and should be encouraged to cultivate their minds AND bodies. HOW do we do this? I'm honestly not sure...but i know that when blacks of other countries come to America they tend to excel, and I think a big reason is because they dont have that "I wanna be a thug-" mentality. Thats my 2 cents, im done now, lol.

The R&B said...

@rockinthatbling I agree with your comment about the black male stigma. It's like being smart is equal to being uncool, and high school is all about popularity. In my school, even though i played sports and made great grades, it was hard to get accepted. You were either to black for the smart kids and too smart for black kids. Don't know where that stigma originated but look at the shows that we grew up on. Smart kids like Steve Urkel and Carlton were constantly joked and portrayed as being uncool, while others like Will Smith and Eddie Winslow, were athletes that made average grades. I think these images also helped with relating intelligence to less coolness in school. A strong educational foundation instilled by parents/guardians/community can also help dead this stigma