1. Lost Boys?  Looking at some numbers  Reasons  Possible solutions

2. Numbers You Should Know According to National Center for Education Statistics  1 African-American student is suspended every seven seconds of the school day.  34% of African-American students attend high-poverty schools where three quarters of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Only 3% of white students do.  7% of the teachers in the United States are African- American. The number of teachers who are black men is even lower: 1%.  3x The likelihood that black students will be suspended for an offense as compared to their non-black peers. (In 1972, black students were suspended at only twice the rate of other students.  91% of eight-grade black students are designated below proficiency in math.  104 of every 1,000 African- American students will drop out of school.  68% of African-American high school students say they frequently face discrimination.

3. Numbers You Should Know  53 years ago, Brown v. Board of Education declared black students must have equal education opportunities.

4. Reasons for Black Males Having Difficulty in School  Teachers have difficulty constructing instructional lessons that address black students’ learning style  Biased perceptions of students non-white.  Disconnection in race, class, culture or gender between teachers and students.  Too much reliance on high stake testing, which is often culturally biased.  Lack of parent support.  Lack of consistent positive role models.  Lack of emphasis on the importance of education.  Lack of awareness training for parents/ teachers.

5. More Reasons  Media (TV, Music, Literature, etc…)

6. Handout Reading Are Schools Failing Black Boys?  Parenting Magazine, April 1997, Celeste Fremon & Stephaine Renfrow Hamilton

7. Possible Solutions  Design your lesson plans to be more multicultural in nature.  Get to know them personally.  Encourage the student to express their views.  Give extra help.  Provide challenging but relevant opportunities inside and outside the classroom.

8. Possible Solutions  Encourage parent participation ( McDonald's, Library, school,etc…)  Survey your class at beginning of year to see what topics interest them.  Create and environment where all cultures are embraced and accepted.  Mentors

9. Possible Solutions  According to Robert Barr, an expert in at- risk students and author of The Kids Left Behind: says," Much of a student success can be traced to the attitude of the teacher”.

10. What Has Already Been Done to Remedy the Problem?  AYP  Professional Development  RTI- Bentley is in the beginning stage of this. (Pre- Planning)  Peer groups- Ex: Chatter Box,

11. Closing  Whether it’s from teachers, parents, or peers, experts agree that having high expectations makes all the difference in a student’s success.  ?