The overwhelming number of African-American males who are performing below or far below basic academic levels has led to an epidemic of young men that eventually drop out, do not qualify to graduate, or graduate without taking/passing college required courses. The unfortunate reality behind the quandary of young black males and their education development is that it has been in a state of crisis for years.
Although young black men have been provided more educational opportunity than ever before, they have yet, for various reasons, been able to capitalize off of it. As a result, majority of black males perform far worst academically than any other ethnic group during their K-12 experience. This unfortunate trend in academic achievement for black students continues to be an issue for black males in the Bay Area. Black male from San Francisco and Alameda County are the least prepared to pursue higher education when compared to other ethnic groups upon graduating high school. In a post-Brown vs. Board of Education era, where educational access and equality has been a right for nearly 56 years, it is about time that research is done to find new and creative strategies that will ensure a much higher percentage of black males are graduating high school and, more importantly, college ready.
Preparing black youth for college takes a collaborative effort from various sectors. Responsibility surely lies with the individual and parents as well, but there needs to be an even greater role from community centers, non-profit sector, teachers, and most importantly, schools and the state. The onus of achieving academic success cannot be placed solely on black students when there are a multitude of systemic factors contributing to their academic state. So before labeling black youth as failures with little interest in pursuing higher education, consider the social, economical, and educational conditions that have contributed to their situation. It is not enough to be content with a landmark decision established over 50 years ago, especially when there are newer acts such as No Child Left Behind, which some argue do more harm than good for low achieving students, in place. If research can be done to identify the problems, then let’s take it one giant step further and infuse these strategies and concepts into the black community, communal organizations, and the educational system. The future welfare of black men depends on what we do for our black youth today.
