The Trouble With Black Boys: And Other Reflections on Race, Equity, and the Future of Public Education by Pedro Noguera

1. The Trouble With Black Boys:And Other Reflections on Race, Equity, and the Future of Public Educationby Pedro Noguera Courtney Bauder CESA #1

2. Agenda • Introductions • Divide whole group into small groups • Individual reading (30-45 min.) • Morning break • Small group work and discussion on chapters • Lunch break • Group presentations on chapters • Afternoon break • Action planning • Final thoughts

3. Pedro Noguera, Ph.D

4. Pedro Noguera, Ph.D • Pedro Noguera is the Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education at New York University.  Dr. Noguera is a sociologist whose scholarship and research focuses on the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions, as well as by demographic trends in local, regional and global contexts.  Dr. Noguera holds faculty appointments in the departments of Teaching and Learning and Humanities and Social Sciences at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Development.  He also serves as an affiliated faculty member in NYU’s Department of Sociology.  Dr. Noguera is the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education and the co-Director of the Institute for the Study of Globalization and Education in Metropolitan Settings (IGEMS).  From 2008 - 2011, he was an appointee of the Governor of New York to the State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees

5. How do schools promote equity among students? • Write down any points that catch your attention. • Which of his points do you agree/disagree with? • Did you make any connections with your work in your district? • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WizJD7B0leo

6. Groups • Group A - Chapters 1-2 • Group B – Chapters 3-4 • Group C – Chapters 5-6 • Group D – Chapters 7-8 • Group E – Chapters 9-10 • Group F – Chapters 11-12

7. Individual Reading Time • Spend 30-45 minutes reading the Introduction to the text and your assigned chapter/s.

8. Group Discussion • Prepare a summary of your chapter. • Use the discussion prompts to guide your discussion. • Share any additional pieces (current events, experiences, quotes, connections, etc.) • Prepare 1-2 open ended questions related to the themes of your chapter to facilitate a conversation with the large group.

9. Introduction • Noguera opens with some vignettes from his friends related to microaggressions they have to experience. One of them has to do with how a friend of his has to prepare her black son for how he is socialized in society. I think of Trayvon Martin and so many of my friends who discussed how they had to prepare their black sons for how they would be seen by the society. What might this look like for families? What can we as educators take from this experience of our families of color? • Noguera provides a number of staggering or sobering statistics. Which did you already know? Which statistics were new to you? Which of these stands out to you the most? • How did you initially feel when you saw the headline Trouble Begins at School (p. xvii)? Were you defensive? Were you curious? Were you in agreement?

10. Introduction (cont.) • Noguera claims, “educational problems afflicting Black males have been normalized (p. xviii).” How do you respond to this statement? • “In too many cases, educators do not question the assumptions they hold…” What assumptions persist in your district? What assumptions do you hold? • “A child like this needs more attention than we can provide (p. xxii).” In what ways is this sentiment felt or expressed in your school district or institution? What groups of students are referred to in this way? How do you respond when you hear something like this? • What are your concerns/hopes/expectations in reading this book? What questions do you have? Do you feel resistant or excited about continuing your reading? Share your thoughts and reactions.

11. Black Boys Report • http://blackboysreport.org/national-table-data

12. Chapter 1: Joaquin’s Dilemma • In what ways is the author’s son’s personal story similar to or different from the experiences of students you know? • Explain how the term “acting white” has been viewed by researchers, students, and educators. • How does Noguera challenge this research? (p. 9) • Which stereotypes are the most pervasive in your school district? Do you feel prepared to challenge them? How do you respond to them? What information do you need to respond to them? • What does Noguera suggest educators can do? (p. 14-15)

13. Chapter 2: The Trouble With Black Boys • How would you answer the question, “What is the trouble with black boys in your school district? • Noguera makes the point that, “Black males are not merely passive victims but may also be active agents in their failure (p. 22).” Does this surprise you? To what extent do you agree/disagree with this statement? • Noguera states that “explanations of human behavior, especially the poor, have been the subject of considerable debate (p. 24).” The debate is often between the perceptions of structuralists or culturalists. Where do you sit on this debate? What would it take for you to consider the other explanation? How might this inform your practice? • What conclusions do you draw from Table 2.1 on page 35? What would this look like in your building, district? • What questions/challenges would you like to express to the author about what he has written so far in the introduction and first and second chapters?

14. Chapter 3: And What Will Become of Children Like Miguel Fernandez? • Noguera opens chapter 3 with some statistics about Latinos in public schools. What did you know? What did you learn? What do you need to know more about? • According to Webster’s Dictionary gentrification can be defined as : “the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents.” Is this a reality in your district or surrounding areas? If so, what are the implications of this on families, schools, communities? • On pages 52-53 Noguera makes the statement, “We are the backbone of the U.S economy, and we are despised because of it. Instead of gratitude and appreciation for all we do, we are subjected to resentment and scorn and, increasingly, overt hostility and violence. We are accused of taking American jobs, of making neighborhoods unsafe…” Spend some time discussing your reactions to this statement.

15. Chapter 3 (cont.) • On page 56, Noguera describes a situation where all of the key stakeholders were asked to be a part of the decision making on issues of youth violence. Who do we include in the decision-making on educational issues? Whose voices/perspectives are often not heard/considered? Are there ways to include additional stakeholders in the decision making process? • Noguera closes the chapter on pages 58-59 by asking a series of important questions including, “How do we harness the energy and drive of the newcomers but at the same time refuse to accept a permanent place on the lower rungs of American society?” Spend some time discussing this and other questions Noguera poses.

16. Chapter 4: How Listening to Students Can Help Schools Improve • 1. The chapter opens with an explanation of some of the specific challenges with public schools. Think back to the Changing Educational Paradigms video by Sir Ken Robinson and consider and discuss any connections between these two sources. • 2. If your school were to conduct a study using focus groups of students to consider the issues that present challenges for student success, what themes would emerge? • 3. What do the students/teachers in your school feel about high stakes testing? Do they support it? Are they opposed to it? Are they indifferent to it? • 4. What are the issues of discipline and safety in your school that the students/teachers struggle with the most? How would having the students be a part of the conversation change these issues? • 5. Using Noguera’s question on page 70, “How can schools influence student attitudes and behavior so that they reinforce the importance of learning and positive social development rather than undermining it?”

17. Chapter 5: Latino Youth • What is the single story of Latino youth? • How are Latino immigrants different than prior groups of immigrants that came from Europe? • National trends reflect Latino youth being overrepresented in expulsions, suspensions, special education, remedial courses, dropouts, etc. and underrepresented in gifted and talented programs, advanced placement courses, and graduation rates. Is this true in your school district and if so, what interventions are taking place? • On page 82, Noguera asks “What will it take for education to serve immigrant Latino youth and become a genuine resource for Latino immigrants? How can educators help students make the transition to a new society less painful, particularly for those who lack family support? How can we make sure that the needs of Latino immigrant students are not ignored because their parents lack the power and voice to make their needs heard.” Take some time to reflect on these questions as it relates to the work in your district.

18. Chapter 6: Preventing and Producing Violence • At the beginning of the chapter Noguera makes the claim that “if schools fail to respond decisively to this problem (of school violence), popular support for public education may be endangered.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? What evidence do you have to support your statement? • Which violence prevention programs seem to produce the best results in your school district? Which programs need to be eliminated or refined? • On page 88 Noguera talks about the challenge of school districts in reporting data related to violence in schools and claims districts pursue one of two strategies: presenting statistics or suppressing information. What factors go into the decision making of this district as information on school violence is reported? • If your school were to conduct a study on concerns about violence, what themes would emerge? • How has the history of the development and design of schools impacted their perceived role in society? Does this need to change for us to serve our students more effectively? Is there a different way to “humanize” the environment? Have you found effective ways to build community in your school setting? If so, please share your experience. If not, what are the barriers to doing this and what will it take to overcome these barriers?

19. Chapter 7: Schools, Prisons, and Social Implications of Punishment • Noguera opens the chapter with a story about a principal explaining that he believes the 8-9 yr old boy sitting in his office is on his way to prison because of his behavior and family history. What did you think of Noguera’s response? Would you have handled it similarly/differently? • On page 113 Noguera contends that, “schools also punish the neediest children because in many schools, there is a fixation with behavior management and social control that outweighs and overrides all other priorities and goals.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? What evidence supports or refutes this in your experience? • Discuss the concept of the social contract and the relationship and expectations that students and adults have in relation to schooling. Do you have any thoughts or see any parallels with the explanation of Willis’s Learning to Labor text? • Noguera contends that schools serve three primary functions in American society. The first is sorting, the second is socializing, and the third is to operate as institutions of social control. Do you have evidence that this is playing out in your school district and are there opportunities to challenge or rethink these functions? • On page 127, Noguera explains how sociologist Wacquant “argued that there is a growing correspondence between inner-city schools and prisons and that the similarities are not an accident.” Spend some time reflecting on this and consider what needs to change.

20. Chapter 8: Racial Politics • At the beginning of the chapter Noguera makes the claim that “despite their relative privilege, middle-class Black students typically lag behind White and Asian students of similar and even lower socioeconomic status.” Where you aware of this? How would you explain this to someone who is hearing this for the first time? • Are you familiar with The Bell Curve? What other efforts in the past and present have attempted to shape a hierarchy of intelligence between the races? • Noguera discusses how politicized the conversation can get as it relates to educational equity. Describe how this plays out in your school district. • On page 141 Noguera explains Claude Steele’s work on the effects of racial stereotypes on academic performance and refers to Steele’s term “stereotype threats.” Discuss the stereotypes for different students in your district and the potential consequences of these stereotypes on student learning. Noguera combines Ogbu’s arguments with those of Steele to explain how immigrant students might experience schooling differently as compared to involuntary minorities. Do you agree or disagree with his analysis? • Noguera explains that students of color are impacted by their racial identity development process and discusses how that affects their schooling. How might the racial identity development process be different for the students whom you serve?

21. Chapters 9-12 • The final section of the book is titled The Schools We Need • Several themes emerge including…reclaiming the promise of public education, questions about standards and accountability, local control, and transforming urban schools through investments in social capital. • Meet with your school group and describe the schools we need.

22. Moving Learning into Practice • How can our learning today impact student learning? • How can our learning impact our teaching practice? • How can our learning address culturally responsive practices and issues like disproportionality?

23. Action Planning • Think of one person that you can share this text with. Why did you select them? How will they benefit from this material? How can it translate into positive results for ALL students?

24. Action Planning • How will we take our new learning and move ourselves into action in our classrooms, schools, and district? • Report out with one personal/professional commitment that you can/will make before the end of this year and for the coming year…

25. Final Thoughts… For questions or resources please contact Courtney Bauder bauderc@uwosh.edu