According to Forbes, on national tests last year, only 18 percent of Black 4th-graders scored proficient or above in reading; the figure for white 4th-graders was 45 percent. For 8th graders, the percentages were 15 and 42 percent. This suggests reading instruction in public schools is the reason for Black and brown student failure, but I disagree. The lack of…
Tag: literacy
Virtual Learning Won’t Survive without Family Engagement
Over the last couple of weeks, I have been able to spend more time with my family. It makes me think about the new normal for my scholars. Many of them would often share stories about not being able to spend the time they would like with their parents. Well, we certainly have this time now. The offset of having…
Grave Improvements Required to Manage Distance Learning for Black Students Struggling with Literacy
COVID-19 has done more than cause a health pandemic, economic scare and new adaptation to our social norms. It has also uncovered the unreasonable and unrealistic ideals we have for children and parents matriculating through the public education system. The educational system needs to be reformed drastically. COVID-19 has shown us that education is not exempt from racial and socioeconomic…
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 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…
Fathers Incorporated Spurs Thousands of Students and Fathers for Million Fathers March
(ATLANTA) October 2, 2019 – Fathers Incorporated (FI), activated its annual Million Fathers March (MFM) back-to-school father engagement project on Friday, September 27th. The launch of the day of activities took place at M. Agnes Jones Elementary in Atlanta. The Projected Impact of Nearly 446k Students,77,000 Dads in 82 Cities and 26 States Had a Reach of over 44.6 million…
Derrien Dennis is Making School a Safe Place for Black Boys
Most K-12 Black male educators are in administration or secondary education. However, there are growing numbers of Black men who are working in elementary schools. Black boys need to see positive reflections of Black men in classrooms during their early development. A fellow Black male teacher in Georgia, Derrien Dennis, is seeking additional funding to make his classroom a safe…