(washingtonpost.com) A new report by a statewide task force that paints a grim picture of how African American male students are faring in Maryland’s public schools and universities recommends strengthening mentor programs, encouraging more black men to be teachers and providing more academic support for those who need it.
Two of the more controversial proposals are suggestions to place troubled students at black-majority high schools into single-sex classes and to encourage nonviolent offenders to be mentors to students.
Black students make up 38 percent of the state’s public school population, with the percentage much higher in some regions. In Prince George’s County, for example, the amount is more than 75 percent, and in Charles County, it’s about 46 percent.
The Task Force on the Education of Maryland’s African-American Males found that 10 years after a similar group chaired by then-Del. Elijah E. Cummings (D) studied the issue and offered recommendations for change, little progress has been made.
“We acknowledge that at every level, there’s been a fundamental failure on behalf of our African-American male students and a persistent bias against them. These recommendations are intended to rectify both,” the report says. (more…)
While I think that having single sex classes is something worth trying (many districts around the country have tried the same thing with promising results), no school district is equipped to fully address social element as they are attempting to do here. What I mean here is that for years (I mean years), there has been talk about encouraging Black males to become teachers with very little results. While having a Black male teacher in an all-black male classroom may seem idea, such an arrangement would be very limited as women historically outnumber men in this profession. Another thing, not all teachers are meant to be mentors. I say this because the fact that they are making it a priority to recruit Black male teachers suggests that there is an expectancy for these men function as mentors to some degree. I say, leave the mentorship to the private sector (100 Black Men, fraternities, churches, etc.) and place qualified and willing teachers (regardless of race or gender) into these all-male classes.
Having non-violent ex-offenders involved with mentorship? I think it would require too many checks and balances for it to be effective.
Related
National Association for Single Sex Public Education
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