Agenda George Washington Carver My life – Journey as an educator Current Status of Education

1. Bridging the Achievement Gap for African American Males:   Rethinking Society and Schools  Dr. Rajeev Swami Associate Professor Central State University Wilberforce, Ohio

2. Agenda George Washington Carver My life – Journey as an educator Current Status of Education Suggestions Recommendations Questions

3. George Washington Carver

4. My Mom and Dad

5. National Educational Goals 2000 By the year 2000, the high school graduation rate will increase to at least 90 percent. By the year 2000, United States students will be first in the world in mathematics and science achievement. Clinton Administration 1993

6. "It is unacceptable to me, and I know it’s unacceptable to you, for us to be ranked on average as 21st or 25th … We don't play for second place here in America. We certainly don't play for 25th.“ President Barak Obama October 19, 2010

7. Facts about Education Fewer than 15% HS graduates take Enough science and Math courses needed for college education Only 20% of current workers have skills for 60% of the jobs in the 21st century 70% students finish high school. Nationwide 11% of all male ages 16 – 24 are high school drop outs

8. Status dropout rates of 16- through 24-year-olds, by race/ethnicity: Selected years, 1980-2008 YearTotal1WhiteBlackHispanic 1980 14.1 11.4 19.1 35.2 2000 10.9 6.9 13.1 27. 2007 8.7 5.3 8.4 21.4 2008 8.0 4.8 9.9 18.3U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2010). The Condition of Education 2010 (NCES 2010-028)

9. Graduation Rate for the class of 2003 Total White African American Hispanic 70 78 55 53 59 (F) 58 (F) 48 (M) 49 (M)

10. Suspension Rates • Palm Beach County, Fla., 53 % for Black males • The Milwaukee, Wis., 52% for black females. • From another Study • 5 percent serious or dangerous, such as possession of weapons or drugs. • 95% for “disruptive behavior" or "other.“ • Losen and Skiba, 2010

11. In 1980 463, 700 African Males in College and 143,000 in Jails In 2000 603,032 in college and 791, 600 in Jail About 10.4% of the entire African-American male population in the United States aged 25 to 29 was incarcerated

12. Average costs ($80,000) to incarcerate one juvenile offender - a likelier outcome for children who drop out of school Average cost ($9,333) in Ohio to teach one student over a year. 35.6 of African American males in Ohio failed to graduate in 2004

13. "We have more work to do when more young black men languish in prison than attend colleges and universities across America." --Barack Obama, NAACP forum, July 12, 2007.

14. Solutions Roles for the Colleges of Education

15. Addressing the Perception of Teachers and the Black Child • Every morning when a CRR teacher wakes up, they know they are on their way to work with the most important people in the world, because the students represent the future. • CRR teachers tend to dress in a style that reminds one of a corporate executive. (Compare the dress of the staff at Nordstrom as to the staff at Kmart)

16. Addressing the Perception of Teachers and the Black Child The Cultural Responsive/Relevant (CRR) teacher cares about the people she works with and about her profession. The CRR teacher believes that teaching is a special calling for her.

17. Culturally Responsive Instructional Strategies • Cooperative/Communal Learning Styles • Graphic Organizers/Thinking Maps • Call and Response • Visual Thinking • Mnemonics (rhyming, acronyms) • Storytelling • High Movement – High Context • Affirmations for Success • Participation Variations • Group Investigation/ Inquiry

18. Communities Teachers need community support not criticism Community School Partnerships Support for students Teachers are equipped to teach and not save every child. Parents and community to save the children

19. Professional Organizations NSTA Promoting and presenting the case for science teaching. Science in Elementary Classrooms Testing science in grades 3 - 12

20. Thank you!