Students Say African American Achievement Equals Expectations

The numbers are sometimes dismal. The Africanthose at less-affluent schools is evident. At the more
American achievement gap that almost disappeared inaffluent Klein High School and Klein Collins High School,
the 1970s and 1980s has widened again between69 percent and 67 percent of African American
White students and people of color.students, respectively, passed the Math portion of the
Many theories have been attributed to the decliningTexas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS)
levels of African American achievement fromtest. However, at the less affluent Klein Forest High
apathetic parents, to violent communities, to negativeSchool only 53 percent passed.
images seen in the media. However, if you talk toOn the Science portion of the TAKS test, 75 percent
many students they will say the low expectation levelsof African Americans at Klein High School passed,
that educators have towardwhile 72 percent of African Americans at Klein Collins
economically-disadvantaged students is what has ledHigh School passed. Nevertheless, at Klein Forest, only
to the wider achievement gap, according to a study by62 percent passed.
scholar Kati Haycock.Despite the subpar numbers in Science and Math,
Students in economically-disadvantaged schools sayAfrican American achievement in English/Reading and
they are given teachers who are not knowledgeableSocial Studies in Klein are extremely high, with 92
about the material they are teaching, counselors whopercent, 87 percent and 92 percent of African
place them in lower-level classes because theyAmericans passing the English/Language Arts/Reading
underestimate their potential and principals who dismissportion at Klein, Klein Forest and Klein Collins
their concerns about the quality of the education theyrespectively. The numbers in Social Studies was similar
are receiving. Some say they drop out because theywith 93 percent passage at Klein and 91 percent
are bored out of school by the low-level work.passage at Klein Forest and Klein Collins.
In her study, Haycock stated that in urban middleTo combat the declining levels of African American
schools she observed many coloring assignments,achievement, University of Illinois associate professor
rather than writing or Math assignments. She alsoAlfred Tatum created the African American
discovered many coloring assignments in urban highAdolescent Male Summer Literacy Institute in Chicago
schools. Students who were assigned to read thewhere he encourages his students to question what
book To Kill a Mockingbird were told to color a mapthey learn in school and "fight against ignorance and
based on the book, after they completed the reading.shallow thinking."
Haycock believes to increase African AmericanThe students focus on different authors, such as
achievement, and achievement in other minorityClaude McKay, Richard Wright and Gwendolyn
groups, "Clear and public standards for what studentsBrooks, and then they write expressing their thoughts
should learn at benchmark grade levels are a crucialthrough short stories, poems and letters to future
part of solving the problem. They are a guide-forprogram participants.
teachers, administrators, parents and studentsMany participants of the program who thought that
themselves-to what knowledge and skills studentsthey would be bored like they are in school, have been
must master."captivated by the power of words and the knowledge
The different expectations seem evident in Kleinthey receive from Tatum, who has shown them that
Independent School District in the Houston area wheregreatness can be achieved if we expect and demand
African American achievement in Math and Scienceit.
between students at the more affluent schools versus