By Matthew Lynch, Ed.D.
Saturday, May 18, 2013.
Education is the cornerstone of
success. Those who are educated have more opportunity, tend to make better
choices, and will go on to teach their children to do likewise. Those who are
educated tend to give back to their community more than they take from it. With
that being said, what can we surmise by what is happening in high schools
around the United States, and especially in places like the Rochester Public
School District? A lot!
The Problem
We have a serious problem in this country and it is
one that is not getting nearly the amount of attention that it deserves. The
problem is the number of black males who are, and who are not, graduating from
high school around the nation. The statistics are startling and in my opinion,
a major call for action. It is imperative that people become aware of what is
going on so that we can use the information to do something about it, before
it’s too late.
Black males are slipping through the cracks in
large numbers in the country’s high schools. It would be difficult to beat what
is happening in the Rochester Public School District though, where only 9 percent of black
high school students will graduate within four years. Nationwide, 52 percent of black males graduate from high
school, which is compared to 78 percent of their white male counterparts.
The 52 percent nationwide signals that there is a
major problem in this country when it comes to educating our black male
students. But the 9 percent rate in Rochester is downright jaw dropping. This
is a serious problem that must be addressed for the students, the community,
and the nation, as all will be impacted by these students being sent out into
the adult world without the basic education they need to survive and make it.
The Implications
Those who do not get at least a high school
education will in all likelihood go on to cost the tax payers of this nation a
lot of money. The research and statistics support this notion, including these
facts:
• Those who don’t finish high school earn less
money, on average. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, those with less than
a high school diploma earn an average of $451 per week, compared to $638 for a
high school graduate, and $1,053 for someone with a bachelor’s degree.
• The lower the amount of education one has, the
higher rate of unemployment they typically face. Those who have not finished
high school are hit the hardest, with a 14 percent unemployment rate, compared
to a 9.4 percent rate for high school graduates, and a 4.9 percent rate for those
with a bachelor’s degree.
• In recent years the nation’s prisons reached an
all time high incarceration rate. The population of those incarcerated
hit 2.3 million.
Disproportionately, the largest segment of those incarcerated were black males,
making up some 35 percent of the population. Coincidentally, it’s estimated
that around 40 percent of those
incarcerated do not have a high school diploma or equivalent.
It’s clear to see that when these young black males
slip through the cracks it is going to impact society as a whole. And not just
in Rochester, but beyond. When they don’t graduate they are at a high risk of
getting involved in crime and being unemployed. They also force struggling
mothers to depend on social welfare programs for economic assistance, as young
black males are rarely prepared to be financially supportive fathers.
The Solution
Another startling statistic that comes out of the
Rochester Public School District is that 42 percentof black male
students fail the 9th grade. Compare this to the 2 percent of white males that
fail the 9th grade in that school district and there is some real disparity
here that needs to be examined and swiftly addressed. When a student is held
back in the 9th grade they will fall further behind and be less likely to
graduate. This brings me to the solutions to this problem, which from this
statistic alone point to the fact that they need to start long before students
hit high school.
The solution to this problem in Rochester and
across the nation is in examining the issues at hand and pulling people and
resources together. If there was ever a time for people to come together in the
name of creating a better society, this is it. Solutions need to include hiring
quality teachers, increasing parental involvement, high expectations, taking
back those who have been pushed out, and focusing our efforts on early
intervention in reading and math programs. Students who struggle with core
subjects like reading and math are 75 percent more likely to drop out of high
school.
We need to create more intensive reading and math
programs, to help set them up for academic success as they move through the
grades, it is important that schools not be so quick to push out these black
male students. Many are pushed out, or sent to special schools, simply because
they fit a demographic and people expect them to behave a certain way, without
actually giving them a chance. This is not an exhaustive list of solutions, but
it’s a start.
Finally, because the problem in Rochester and
around America of our black males not graduating from high school does impact
all of us, it’s up to all of us to come up with solutions. You now know the
facts, and you know what’s at stake. What do you propose is the solution to
this problem; one that will ensure that black males will see higher graduation
rates, as well as the benefits that come along with it?
Matthew
Lynch, Ed.D., is Associate Professor of Education at Langston
University. His website is at www.drmattlynch.com