Relationships
Strong relationships between young Black males and their teachers are essential if improved academic performance is to be realized with these students. Educators have to do more than teach. They must connect with young Black males, earn their trust, show they are interested in their lives and in them as people.
Articles
African American Boys
and the Discipline Gap: Balancing Educators’ Uneven Hand
Teachers can substantially alter negative behavioral trends by creating strong learning communities and promoting a firm sense of attachment among students, families, and educators. When students are intellectually immersed in the academic tasks at hand and hold positive feelings about their schools, teachers, and roles as students, they are clearly more likely to become productive citizens.
Improve Education from Day One: Leverage Parents
For too long, schools have assigned parents the role of fundraiser and bake-sale booster. Let’s launch a national campaign that draws them more deeply into their children’s education.
Use Conversation Starters to Remove Barriers and Develop Relationships
A professional development resource to increase teachers' cultural proficiency is presented. This resource consists of questions that can be used to start conversations between teachers and other individuals who are different from them in a professional development setting…and it works with students too!
School Based Mentoring
A mentoring system in Baltimore City aims to help kids to grow up to be confident, competent, and caring young adults. Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) has been a mainstay in the Baltimore area--which has long endured the effects of entrenched poverty-- for more than 50 years. BBBS's objective is to provide the influence of positive adult role models and the friendship of caring adult mentors to kids whose education, health, and safety are under threat. This is achieved by creating and supporting mentoring relationships between students and positive, engaged, successful community members.
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