1. Turning the Ships Around: Connecting with African American Males Brenda L. Walker, Ph.D., J.D. Professor University of South Florida (813) 974-1385 btownsen@coedu.usf.edu October 1, 2009 Roanoke, VA

2. About the Presenter… ExperiencesSchoolingBackground

3. Advance Organizer Imagery School Outcomes Culturally-Responsive Teaching Strategies for turning the ships around

4. Schooling Outcomes for African American Males Social gap –Retention –Time-out –Suspension & expulsion –Limited leadership experiences –Early school leaving

5. National suspension data African American males suspended over 3 times their percentage in student population African American students receive more office referrals and suspensions (Skiba)

6. A Virginia School District African American students received 40% of the office referrals –Twice the rate of white students

7. Calls for culturally responsive instruction and communication Culture- System of values, beliefs, and standards which guide people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (Au, 1993)

8. Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) Teaching practices that use: cultural knowledge prior experiences performance styles performance styles CRT makes learning more appropriate and effective for students from diverse backgrounds (Gay 2000).

9. African American Students Movement expressiveness VerveAffectCommunalism Expressive individualism SpiritualityRelationships (Allen & Boykin, 1992)

10. Popular culture LanguageSymbolsStyles

11. Culturally responsive strategies Engage in self-and institutional critiques Reconstruct imagery of African American males Re-engineer attitudes and belief systemsRe-engineer attitudes and belief systems Adopt ethics of care and respectAdopt ethics of care and respect Raise expectations and motivationRaise expectations and motivation Use strength-based teaching and communication techniques

12. Culturally responsive strategies Make ethical decisions Conduct “Segmented marketing” Engage in sustained professional and personal growth and development activities Develop nontraditional partnerships with students, families, and communities Broker school and community resources