Education

Maryland Panel Urges Strategies To Raise Black Male Achievement

September 05, 1990 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The Prince George’s County, Md., school district should reduce class sizes, hire more black male teachers and administrators, and replace its “Eurocentric” curriculum with one that illustrates the experiences and culture of minorities and women, a community report recommends.

Released last month by the county’s Advisory Committee on Black Male Achievement, the report argued that changes are necessary to reverse the longstanding trend in which black males are suspended and drop out in disproportionate numbers. Steps must also be taken to address the overrepresentation of black males in special-education classes, the report concluded.

The commission--composed of business, religious, and education leaders--was convened in December by Superintendent John A. Murphy to explore methods to boost performance by black males. Sixty-five percent of the 106,000-student school system is black.

But the panel’s 10 recommendations could cost more than $100 million, and at least one county official said the county’s $561-million education budget leaves little room for additional services.

“It’s one thing to do a study and another thing to fund it, and that is going to be a problem,” said Rebecca Reid, a spokesman for County Executive Parris N. Glendening.

The advisory panel found that, although black males make up 33 percent of the student body, they constitute 47 percent of all special-education placements.

Moreover, the report--titled “Black Male Achievement: From Peril to Promise"--said that, although black males make up 31 percent of the enrollment in the 12th grade, only 12 percent of the seniors taking calculus are black males.

By contrast, black males constitute 48 percent of the students taking algebra I in the 12th grade, a course college-bound students should complete at least by the end of the 10th grade, the report said.

The report also called for an increased emphasis on such classes as math, science, and English; an examination of the referral, assessment, and remedial strategies used in special-education programs; and an expansion in day-care and middle-school extracurricular programs.

In addition, the report said, the district should coordinate counseling programs for children from dysfunctional families; develop a database to better assess school needs and performance; establish a mentoring program; and extend the school year by one month for teachers so they can attend training programs, develop new programs, and study teaching strategies.--MP

A version of this article appeared in the September 05, 1990 edition of Education Week as Maryland Panel Urges Strategies To Raise Black Male Achievement

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read