From Boyz To Men2 revisedDLT3

From Boys To Men7 Steps to Supporting African-American Male StudentsBy Brandon Q. Jackson, M.Ed./Lawrence North High School

An Ideal World• Straight “A” Student• Good Family• Welcoming Personality• Not Intimidating• Active In School • Popular Student• Drug-Free

The Reality

Issues Facing Our African-American Male Students

Low Achievement

Levels

High Suspension &

Expulsion Rates

Single-Parent Homes

Lack of Positive Male Role

ModelsViolence

Identity For the African- American Male/Identity vs. Role & Confusion Stage/ Ages 12-18• When social demands and roles become complicated, A.A.M.

have a hard time maintaining a sense of self.• A.A.M. struggle to find their true selves. There is a battle when

A.A.M. struggle with who they are and who they would like to become.

• A.A.M. may try a number of identities on the way to their true self.

• There is a struggle for our A.A.M. to achieve masculinity. The problem that occurs is that our young men must be trained to reach masculinity. How can there be training when there is no one to train them?

A Closer Look• 50% of African-American children in the United States

live in households without a father• 2 out of every 3 Black male students are NOT graduating• In 2010 over 65,000 Black male students were enrolled

in K-12 schools compared to 409,205 white male students.

• Males account for 80% of all suicides among African-American adolescents

1) Plan That Works• Identify who will be instrumental in implementing a plan

that WILL make a difference in the lives of your African-American male students present in your school

• Identifying Data (Number of Black males in your school, how many come from single-parent homes, how many are on free & reduced, how many are fathers, and place of residence for every Black male student)

• Make sure that you have something in place that will measure the success of your initiative

Assessment QuestionsWhat does success look like to you?

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being very important and 1 being not important, how important do you think making good grades is to you?

Has your father ever hugged you ?

What is your reaction when you make a big mistake?

If you could wake up tomorrow and your life would be 15 years in the future, what would your day be like?

2) Resilience & OptimismStatistics, news reports, and test data indicate that our African-American males are struggling. When we implement interventions that promote resilience & optimism the desired outcomes are:• African-American males will begin to see their potential for greatness

regardless of past mistakes or current life situations• African-American males will have the ability to bounce back during

adversity and have the self-discipline to say no to things that can hinder academic success

• African-American males will have the ability to have positive outcomes in various social settings. Example: Debate team, college, middle school, etc.

3) Positive Role Models• Expose Students to Speakers• Plan Field Trips (College Tours, Company Visits, and

Games)• Invite Alumni To Give Back• Develop Programs

4) Knowing What To Address• Friendships• Peer groups• Dating and romantic relationships• Sexuality• Self-esteem• Parent and family relationships• Ethnicity

What do our African-American male students struggle with?

5) Managing Failure• It’s not our job to prevent failure, but how do we teach

our African-American males to learn from failure?• Confronting Issues vs. Running Away• Fear of not being a success vs. having other desires to do

anything else (NBA, NFL, Rapper, and Being Famous)• 5 P’s= Prior Preparation Promotes Perfect Performance• Always use Examples ( Malcom X, Common, and

Brandon Jackson)

6) Responsibility & Accountability

Why would this be an important step as we look to strengthen our African-American Male students?

7) Ensuring a Solid Foundation• There is a plan in place for support after graduation• Tracking former students• A plan in place for internships, scholarships, and jobs• Dress for success, how to win on the interview, being a

gentleman• Finance, Health, and Marriage

References

• Kafele, B. K. (2012). Empowering Young Black Males. Educational Leadership Journal,

2:67-70. Doi:10.01177/1076217512445999. 

• Tough, P. (2012). How Children Succeed. New York, NY: First Mariner Books.

•  Jackson, S. (2007). The effects of Masculinity and Gender Role Conflict on adolescent boys’ psychological well being.

Activity

• Two barriers that are current issues at your school in relation to African-American Male Students

• Come up with interventions/initiatives to address the issue

• How do you plan to measure success• What are the desired outcomes you plan to see once the

interventions/initiatives are in place.

Contact

Nuamazinglife.wordpress.comNuamazinglife@gmail.com(317) 809-7828