Holzman's answer below is the key issue in all educational reform.
Here are some resources from ASCD on the issue of Academic Achievement for African-American Males.
May 23, 2007

#1 Factor in Raising Achievement of African-American Boys

Recently, a participant in an Edweek.org chat asked:

What is the single most influencial factor in increasing academic acheivement for African-American boys?

"Teachers," says Michael Holzman, consultant to the Schott Foundation for Public Education and author of the Foundation’s Public Education and Black Male Students: A State Report Card series.

Holzman adds, "Schools that are successful in increasing academic achievement for African-American boys hire and keep teachers who are committed to the success of their students, who have high expectations for them and who are knowledgeable about their subjects and skillful in their craft."

ASCD's online achives feature several articles on the achievement of boys in school, and in particular, the achievement gap between African-American boys and their white peers. (Members log on for access to all archived articles.)

• Closing the Gap: An Overview



• Bridging the Widest Gap



• Joseph and the Achievement Gap



• Engaging African American Males in Reading (02/06 EL)



• With Boys in Mind / Teaching to the Minds of Boys



• With Boys in Mind / Media Literacy: What's Good?



• With Boys in Mind / My Literary Lunches with Boys (09/06 EL)



• With Boys in Mind / Bridges to Literacy for Boys (09/06 EL)



• Special Report: Do We Really Have a "Boy Crisis"?



• Reluctant Readers