Scapegoating Teachers Will Not Help Young Black Males Succeed

The Schott foundation study showing that less than 50 percent of black males are graduating from high school is astounding and depressing - but not a revelation to many in the African American community.

We've known for years that our public school systems are failing to meet the needs of young black males. Unfortunately, instead of sparking an important dialogue this news has started the old finger pointing blame game. Blame the teachers, torch the unions and throw social justice organizations under the bus.

This tired argument misses a huge point which is revealed in the study - the fact that our communities are also failing these young men. But talking heads would like to hijack this commendable study to instead galvanize the community against teachers.

African Americans know anecdotally, and this study confirms, that there are a host of other social factors that affect young black males who disproportionately come from single parent homes, are more likely to live in poverty and are predisposed to inner city violence from gangs and drugs. And too often these young men lack role models to show them another path.

I know because I was one of those young men. I came from a family where being gang-affiliated was more prized than being on the honor roll. There was a history of drugs and violence in my neighborhood and frankly a lot of the conditions in my house left me so distracted that often school was the last thing on my mind.

Because of my unstable home environment I moved in and out of schools - attending nearly 10 different schools during my elementary years. Were the teachers to blame for my early failures? Not at all, but my community and my home life were huge factors.

During my years in school there were a lot of great teachers who tried to get through to me. Teachers who stayed late when they weren't paid overtime. Teachers who bought me food, gave me bus fare with their own money and used their paychecks to provide classroom supplies for other students.

Too often these teachers get swept up in the anti-teacher rhetoric that's become common in our public policy debates. Dangerous rhetoric that leads Americans to think that teachers are ineffective, overpaid, part of the problem and should be fired on a whim; an instant recipe for dissuading talented people who are thinking of pursuing a profession in this unappreciated field.

I agree that our education system should focus on the children but I also believe that we need to protect teachers from critics who want to scapegoat them as the sole source of the problem while ignoring other factors.

Children should have good teachers to protect their future and teachers should have a voice on the job to protect them when they are not the source of the problem.

I work closely with many individuals and groups who are committed to using an integrated approach to improving our public school systems--including teachers unions. Together, we are working to provide teachers with the supports they need to help students succeed, to strengthen teachers' skills and to develop ways to accurately identify teachers who are not cut out for the profession. I believe in the work that I do because frankly it's just too easy to think that firing all the teachers is going to solve our education problem. And it's way too easy to throw out the public schools and the kids in them and start with whole new model that's only available to some kids.

But that won't solve the problem for many urban communities who are waiting for us to work together to find a solution that allows all schools and communities to succeed.

Improving education outcomes for black males is an urgent priority, but the blame game will only move us in the wrong direction. Only when parents, administrators, teachers, and the community come together to find solutions can we truly address all the factors in making a child a success. Meanwhile let's stop finger pointing and begin to share solutions because there are too many kids - kids who are growing up like I did - who are waiting for us to get our act together.

 

Follow Rev. Romal J. Tune on Twitter: www.twitter.com/romaltune

Comments

[Tony Rashaad]

12:32 AM on 09/20/2010

The utter sad reality is that we don't care for ourselves, nor do we understand the root of our issues. We only respond to the last and final results which often result in blaming and accusing. The only option is for bros and sistaz to get out of urban cities as their is a systematic "Tutsification" going on. Often you hear many educated black women refer to black men as dumb, down low, broke, and beyond fixing. Think of what the future of the bi racial kids of these women and the remaining black population is going to be. It's all being done through imbalanced education and class/caste system which can only be battled by forcing the govt to provide equal education thru social revolution(not gonna happen) or through the movement of a pretty big percentage of blacks back to the agrarian world of food independence and agribussiness. Without these solutions, we are headed down a slippery road to genocide thru mixed relations or color caste conflict by 2050-2060.

[as1624a]

03:56 PM on 08/19/2010

There's a good dialogue in these comments. But it's clear no one gives a damn about black males failing. There's 16 comments here and 900 something on Keli Goff's piece about Dr. Laura Adolf Schlessinger. When will we stop obsessing over the n word and worry about the fact that OUR young people - because these aren't just the black communities 'kids - America's kids are not being prepared for the global marketplace. Mainstream America needs to realize that stratified view of our country doesn't work under globalization. I want Mexican American kids, Latino kids, black kids and white kids to succeed. This improves our country instead of dragging down the economy with low wage workers. And honestly kids who fail out of high school are destined to become part of a permanent underclass - and how is that good for the nation?
Rant over.

[Rev. Romal J. Tune]

06:25 PM on 08/19/2010

I think your rant is justified. What some fail to realize is that the picture that has been painted for us of what is happening to Black Males is a microcosm of what is happening in our society overall. Our Country is lagging behind when it comes to educating all children. In this case, Black males seems to be hurting more than other cultures but young people in general are hurting when it comes to education. Sometimes people would rather focus on issues like the used of words because we can easy assess blame to someone. When it comes to concrete issues like education and others, they need someone to blame, teachers. That way the blamer does not have to accept the responsibility for the part they have played in the problem. When we talking about all the factors hurting children, then we have to accept that perhaps we have not done our part, and people don't like to hear that side of it.

[SeerGenius]

02:29 PM on 08/19/2010

Kudos to you, Rev. Tune. I've yet to meet a teacher who enters the profession aspiring to be a bad teacher (not to say that they don't exist). I have, however, met teachers who become tire and bitter because of the lack support they receive from other shareholders. Unless everyone takes accountability and do their part, unfortunately the blame game will continue and our children will receive nothing.

[eric14]

08:23 AM on 08/19/2010

Rev. Romal J. Tune says,'Only when parents, administrators, teachers, and the community come together to find solutions can we truly address all the factors in making a child a success.'

This is exactly right. I would just like to be a little more specific. When we say 'community' in this context the most important members are the children themselves, not their parents, not their mentors, leaders, role models or whoever. They key to breaking this endless process of life destruction of the lower classes is immediate and direct institutional and organisational empowerment of the young. In other words - democratise the schools of the poor.

[Rev. Romal J. Tune]

09:51 AM on 08/19/2010

I would agree with you. The children are the most important constituency in this case. Which also means that educators and other leaders must take into consideration other experiences children may be bringing into the classroom with them that will have an impact on their ability to learn. When children have to cross gang lines to get to school it impacts their attendance as well as their ability to focus and learn. When they haven't been eating because the family doesn't have money, when a parent is a substance abuser, etc., these factors have to be taken into consideration as having potential impact on children in the classroom. We have to learn what is going on in the life of a child inside and outside the class in order to know how best to meet their needs; which means we have to ask questions and get to know the children that we serve. A long time community organizer once told me that we can't empower people; we can only create opportunities for empowerment. In order to do that you must know the people and do more than just give them what WE think they need without asking them to tell us what they need.

[cjaco]

08:22 PM on 08/18/2010

During my years in school there were a lot of great teachers who tried to get through to me. Teachers who stayed late when they weren't paid overtime. Teachers who bought me food, gave me bus fare with their own money and used their paychecks to provide classroom supplies for other students.
__________

I hope that you'll be happy to know that this is still the norm for most of us. We do care. Personally, I have over 150 children a year, and yes, they are MY kids. I am also blessed that most are still in touch.
_____________

I agree that our education system should focus on the children but I also believe that we need to protect teachers from critics who want to scapegoat them as the sole source of the problem while ignoring other factors.
_________

Thank you. This is the only positive thing I've heard about teachers in a long time. I have been growing highly demoralized - leading to depression instead of excitement before a new school year begins (I work for LAUSD). Your post made me cry. Someone actually might think we are worthy. Thank you again.

[Rev. Romal J. Tune]

10:09 PM on 08/18/2010

Thank you for these comments. When I read your response it reminded of the teachers who helped me survive during difficult times. I don't know you but I do know that you work is changing lives. You should be proud of what you are doing and not depressed. The excitement comes from knowing that there are young people anxiously waiting for you to show up and be a source of inspiration and hope. Keep teaching them how to reach beyond any limitations society would to place on them and boldly pursue their dreams. Be encouraged.

[Claude203]

06:00 PM on 08/18/2010

Great points. Have you seen the very shockingly straightforward and yet naturally provocative study just released by the LA Times last week? It is earth-shattering in its importance, especially for education reformers:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-teachers-value-20100815,0,2695044.story?page=1

[cjaco]

08:14 PM on 08/18/2010

Here are a few things to read regarding the LA Times article. One not is the CA Watch blog who spoke with the Times' Rand consultant - who denied having anything to do with the LA Times database - they butchered to promote their privatizing agenda. Earth-shattering importance for ed reformers is correct - they'll use it to escalate the witch hunts.
http://californiawatch.org/watchblog/test-scores-and-ethics-outing-teachers-1097
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2010/0817/A-right-way-and-a-wrong-way-to-link-teachers-and-student-test-scores
http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2010/08/17/value-added-when-being-right-isnt-enough/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/13/AR2010081303197.html (re: Obama policies)

[cjaco]

08:24 PM on 08/18/2010

Sorry about sentence #2. One is the CA Watch blog...

[Rev. Romal J. Tune]

10:15 PM on 08/18/2010

Too often people fail to realize that there are those who benefit from closing schools. Contracts and developers make millions when decisions are made to close a school in one community and build a new one someplace else. Contractors and developers bid on who will make money off the new schools, at the expense of the children being left behind in a hurting community.

[eric14]

08:29 AM on 08/19/2010

Very interesting report. Teacher evaluation by students should be routine.

[Angelaaaa]

05:56 PM on 08/18/2010

It has always amazed me that teachers seem to bear the entire burden of responsibility for our youth - while we, the parents and community, not only have no responsibility but get to throw the rocks.

Offense is truly the best form of defense - and we have a lot to feel defensive about.

[Dr. Jonathan David Farley]

05:45 PM on 08/18/2010

The freed slaves and immigrants from Ethiopia grew up in situations a thousand times worse than those you would find in the African-American community today, and yet they succeeded or endeavored to succeed academically. The academic low achievement of today's African-American is an embarrassment.

[Rev. Romal J. Tune]

06:04 PM on 08/18/2010

I agree Dr. Farley. To simply point out the barriers anf blame others does nothing to solve the problem. If only more people would lift up holistic solutions we could save more children from poor academic performance, poverty, and even save lives.

[Claude203]

06:42 AM on 08/19/2010

But it seems as if you're making a big mistake in comparing the two situations as if they were equivalent, because that same argument is used to excuse racism and prejudice today.

I believe you are using the assumption that success or failure is dependent solely on the student, or that it is only the prior conditioning of the student, or their family circumstance, which determines whether or not they will succeed or fail. But this has been disproved completely from all angles (read "Freakonomics" for examples). As parents and as responsible citizens we would WANT this to remain disproved, because otherwise it would become (or remain) a primary source of prejudice and bias toward a child before he or she even walked into a classroom. Do you see that? It's not even a social commentary as much as a fundamental aspect of proper sampling in scientific data research.

[eric14]

08:35 AM on 08/19/2010

Problem is cultural: race and ethnicity are contingent thus they are easily employed as put-downs. Decline of family and parenting cannot be reversed therefore solution is to rebuild community in the school. This means democratising schools, empowering children. All externally imposed curriculum should be dumped. Because it works with the compliant does not mean it will work with the non-compliant.

Non-compliant black kids have good reasons for being non-compliant. To force or seduce them into compliance is manipulative oppression. Move from compliance to consent systems. Democratise.