We don’t hear from the experts who are making student achievement happen daily in schools. In my experience, Black male teachers are the experts we seldom see or hear from in public school classrooms that are saving the lives of Black boys one life at a time. We’re bringing the solutions to the crisis public schools are facing with educating…
Wake Up America! Black Children In Low Income Communities Are Being Negatively Impacted by Gentrification.
In this country we turn a blind eye to a lot of the challenges Black children face. Unfortunately, many of these challenges begin in failing schools primarily located in lower income communities. In Atlanta, there are a lot of questions and conversations about the state of public education for Black children and school closures . In order for us to…
The Struggle of Black Boys Battling ADHD and Dyslexia in Public Schools.
There are commonalities between ADHD and Dyslexia. Students who have ADHD or dyslexia may learn to talk late, learn words slowly, have difficulty forming words, problems remembering the sequence of events, avoid reading or speaking, and have difficulty processing spoken language and directions. Since I’ve been a Special Education teacher, I’ve had quite a few black children diagnosed with either…
Black Children With Disabilities Are Being Shamed In Public Schools!
Being “different” has never been acceptable to conservative Americans. The perceptions and ideals we have in our society don’t make it easier for those who have physical and learning disabilities. Teachers make their experiences even more challenging, and it begins at school. Let’s try looking at the experience of Black children who have special needs differently. They, too, are overlooked…
Black Fathers Can Help Increase Literacy Rates for Black Boys
Black boys not reading on grade level is more than taboo; it’s terrible news for our culture. A lack of literacy proficiency is a leading reason why Black boys become Black men in jail cells. It’s real! Over the last decade, we have seen organizations such as Real Dads Read help increase literacy rate of Black boys as literacy is…
There’s a Right and a Wrong Way to Engage Black Parents in Student Achievement.
Family engagement is not a top priority for school districts, but it should be, especially for students of color and their families. We cannot continue to have underperforming schools and low parent engagement. Excuses about parents not being involved no longer fly, or being okay with bare minimum parent involvement by pointing to having a PTA is also not acceptable.…
Another Decade Is Passing and Black Children Are Still Suffering in Public Schools!
Teaching and learning may be taking place in some inner-city school districts, but how effective is it? Based on the growing number of Black boys who aren’t reaching graduation and success thereafter, it is not as impactful as it could be. This seems to be the case in Atlanta where parents and residents are on opposite sides of how impactful…