...compulsory education system, and push for equality despite one’s race or religion. But what is the point of giving education for everyone, if students of a certain race fail or pass standardized tests more consistently than others. Is it a problem with the education, the teacher, or the student? Last year, Hispanic and African American high school students scored at substantially lower rates than Asian and White students on the ACT. For example, the score of White graduates who were college ready in English at 77%, was twice that of African American students 35% (Snyder). Unfortunately, evidence of such academic achievement gaps—as measured by College Readiness Benchmarks—is...
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...The African American community has had significant hardships brought to them over many years in the United States. They were put through the terrible time period in which slavery and the violent treatment of the community was vibrant. African Americans have been segregated, oppressed, bullied, killed, lynched, and many other terrible things that has provided them an extremely unfair life. The African American community has had a long history of racism, oppression, and not having the same rights and access to public space as others have; they have had an enormous amounts of successes overcoming the oppression and gaining the rights to public space, but most importantly overcoming segregation in the United States education system. First and...
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...Homer Plessy, a legally African American citizen from New Orleans, LA, challenged status quo when he sat in a train car specifically designated for white citizens (Plessy v. Ferguson 1896). The laws that forbid him from sitting in the white citizens' train car were known as the Jim Crow laws. First created in 1877 and named after a derogatory blackface character, the Jim Crow laws segregated black and white citizens in all aspects of life. For example, the laws designated specific drinking fountains for blacks and whites and restricted them from attending the same schools. After Homer Plessy was arrested, his trial quickly rose to the Supreme Court in 1896. In the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson case, the justices ruled it constitutional to segregate...
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...Washington Post "African American History, Never forgotten...Hopefully" By ELEEDREA HARRISON July 30th, 2015 Pre-Columbian Era, The New World, The Colonies, Slavery and the Struggle for Empire, World War I, The Sixties and The Conservative Turn of America. These are some highlight chapter titles from a standard United States history textbook. Notice how there is a chapter in the textbook focused on slavery. Slavery is a very dark time in American History; where blacks were captured, brought to America and forced to live in devastating conditions. The American school system has forcefed this timeline of history to it's citizens from grades K-12. White American children in the United States school system learn the "ups and downs" about American history (depending on how much they pay attention). Whereas African American children also learn that same information but lack the full understanding of their own history in America. Slavery is an important aspect of United States History but not the only aspect of history that African Americans were apart of. African Americans have been soldiers, inventors, doctors, writers and teachers. They have made vast contributions to American society. Nevertheless, children growing up in the United States K-12 school system no very little or none at all of African American accomplishments. Since African Americans have done so much to contribute to America, shouldn't their history be told in schools? Carter G. Woodson, a historian, author...
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...interlocking systems of oppression specifically affect the schooling of low income and underrepresented students,” this quote was taken from Ikeisha Daniels during an interview. Daniels is a history instructor at the University of Chicago Carter G. Woodson middle school, where she comes in direct contact with the issues black students face in predominately African American schools. The circumstances of African American education in the United States are abominable in some communities compared to other ethnicities, which is taking a toll on the students, teachers, and families of the black educational system. The history...
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...greatest African American leader who aspired to better the quality of black lives. W.E.B Dubois wanted all African Americans to become book smart because he thought that was the only blacks could succeed in life. W.E.B Dubois believed that African Americans should be able to read, write. W.E.B Dubois also thought that African Americans should be entitled to organized education. With both literacy and organized education, W.E.B Dubois thought it would result in higher IQ’s in African Americans. W.E.B Dubois believed that if African Americans were more intelligent that they would more comparable to the whites. All of this was called W.E.B Dubois gradualist political strategy. Unlike Booker T. Washington, W.E.B...
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...The Misrepresentation of African American Students in Special Education Programs SOCI 2301 Research Proposal Introduction In the American education system, there is a steady increase in the number of Black students that are placed in special education programs. Black children are primarily labeled with either being Educable Mentally Retarded (EMR), or having a Behavioral Disorder (BD) (Kunjufu, 1995). This is a concern because statistics show that even though African American children only constitute 17 percent of all students, they compromise 41 percent of all special education placements, and out of the 41 percent of black children that are placed in special education programs, 85 percent are boys (National Research Council, 1999). These statistics are not only alarming, but it has also been recognized that African American students, particularly black males, are either misdiagnosed or misplaced into special education programs. This is a noted and ongoing problem within the public school system, and it is a problem that is raising many questions. For instance, why are black children disproportionately labeled? Why are black boys labeled EMR and BD more than girls? Do these labels adversely affect their self-esteem? Is there a difference between these statistics and the lack of black male teachers in the school system? Are there differences between black and white female teachers as they relate to black male children...
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...Ruby Bridges was one of the first African American children to attend an all-white school after the Brown vs. Board of Education court case ruled unanimously that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. The Brown vs. Board of Education case overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine of Plessy vs. Ferguson, deciding that the segregation law violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Bridges' family moved to New Orleans to improve their economic circumstances and she attended kindergarten at an African American school. Her entire class was tested to determine if they could attend a formerly white school that was a part of the school system's plan to integrate schools. Ruby was one of six African American children who passed the test in her class and were invited to enroll in one of the two all-white schools. Although her parents were divided about the dangerous decision to enroll her into a white school they wanted to give their...
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...across the South.” Bureau agents faced a difficult task of accomplishing objectives set by the Bureau. These agents on a daily basis would deal with complaints and concerns dealing with African-American families and their personal matters, whites threatening them regarding African-Americans’ work and labor contracts, and African-Americans objecting to whites cheating them of their work at the end of a harvest year. In addition they set up schools, negotiated and oversaw labor contracts, and argued for African-Americans’ rights in law. Throughout the year they filed reports about schools, civil order, labor, and many other categories relating to programs that held the Bureau responsible. These agents were the backbone behind the Bureau that suffered from the amount of work and violent threats from whites. An example of Bureau agent attempting to make a difference occurred when agent...
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...Issues Surrounding the Graduation Rate for African American Males The American educational system is generally regarded as one of the better education systems in the world. Currently, there is much national discussion about the state of the American educational system and how it can be improved. While these discussions include students from head start to doctoral programs, there is a smaller group of students whose circumstances are exceptionally dire and go largely un-discussed. African American males have one of the highest dropout rates in the United States. This is so because African American males face significantly more obstacles in receiving a high school diploma. The main factors that contribute to African American high school males dropping out are: poverty, bad school, and family breakdown (Crouse, 2010). Conversely, there are factors that contribute to African American males graduating from high school such as culturally sensitive curricula and positive Black male role models. Understanding the scope of the contributing factors surrounding the high school graduation rate of African American males paints a picture of what it means to be Black and male in the American education system. Poverty is a contributing factor to the low high school graduation rate of African American males. "Positioning Young Black" states that 36 percent of Black children live in poverty and: In many areas, Black Americans are segregated in minority communities where children are more likely...
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...Do Inequalities in Discipline Exist in the Education System? Bridgette Sharp Bridgewater State University Abstract There has been a great amount of research conducted to help explain the ever increasing gap in discipline that exists between African Americans and their Caucasian peers in the school system. Educators and professionals are becoming more aware of the blatant discrimination African Americans face and are beginning to reevaluate their school’s discipline policies. Action needs to be taken to redirect America’s education system into one of higher learning, understanding, and achievement for children of all races. Do Inequalities in Discipline Exist in the Education System? If you take a look at the history of the United States, it is apparent that African Americans have always gotten the short-end of the stick. America’s successful cultivation greatly depended on the forced slavery of blacks that were imported unwillingly from Africa. They were segregated, ridiculed, and abused simply because of the pigment of their skin. In the past century, great progress has been made to enforce the concept of equality in our country. Determined Civil Rights activists fought relentlessly to achieve equal voting and citizenship rights. Racial segregation may be an obstacle of the past, but discrimination is still widely recognizable in our society, and alarmingly, our education system. Education has always been a significant determinant of future success. High paid...
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...African-American College Students: Personal History, Struggles, and Graduation Rheon Gibson Northern Illinois University Abstract In this report, I discuss the importance of African-American college students in higher education realms and why the topic appeals to my interests. I will also identify trends in research questions, methodology, and research findings; regarding three identified themes; Personal History, Struggles, and Graduation. In addition, I will provide the reader with an evaluation/critique of the existing literature, including; 1) contributions of literature to the field, 2) overall strengths, 3) overall weaknesses, 4) missing elements, and 5) what are the next steps for research. African-American College Students: Personal History, Struggles, and Graduation Introduction Importance to the Field Educational attainment amongst African-Americans is a crucial concept that not only affects African-American communities but it also affects society as a whole. Education provides a solid foundation for individuals to experience personal growth, increase one’s socioeconomic status, and obtain professional careers and licensures. Obtaining higher education does not begin upon admission to an accredited college or university; instead, it begins when one is first introduced to the educational system. This introduction can be in Kindergarten, Pre-K, the first year of home school, or wherever the first fundamental steps of acquiring a higher knowledge of comprehension...
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...Americans from obtaining certain types of employment that would have allowed for progression and economic stableness. In addition, a penal system, known as the convict lease system, was created. This system was not meant to benefit those in the system but the state and private entities. In this system convicts were leased out to state or private entities to aid in projects. This allowed these entities complete projects under cost and increase their profits as they had essentially free labor . African Americans and other minorities would be charged with minor crimes and placed in these systems to provide the labor. This system was essentially a new form of slavery and further led to the economic oppression of the African American Community Each...
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...the Gap A study in Graduation Rates between African-Americans and Caucasians May 18, 2010 Cross-Cultural Psychology Education and Racism are two problems facing our youth these days. While there have been enormous strides in both there seems to be a negative correlation between the two. As the education has gotten better in America for all students of all races, there seems to be a growing divide in graduation rates between the two of the primary races; Caucasians and African Americans. Can this be linked to a psychological feeling of inferiority in one race and the superior complex of another? Can it be an imbalance of support or funds toward one group as opposed to another? Or is it just a simple lack of intelligence for a specific group. I tend to believe that it is a combination of the former instead of the latter. Because of this I feel that in order to close the gap in African American/ Caucasian graduation we need to break the stigma of inferiority in the African American community and recognize troubles at and early stage to help prevent deviation from the learning process. I am an African American. male. I’m in my early thirties and currently am enrolled in some online classes trying to work toward my degree in Sociology. This is relevant because I have always been an avid fan of learning. Learning anything, it doesn’t matter. I had a great support system (parents, sister) that cared about my education and my well being. We weren’t rich but we weren’t...
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...residential segregation. This diminishes the opportunities and full potential a student can receive. Due to low funding the public school system is in the end shorting minorities their natural rights as American citizens. A child's education should not be based on how high the income rate is in their area. The wealth should be redistributed through the whole city. This will allow each student from every area to be given a fair chance to a quality education. The schools would all receive the same amount of funding and materials that are...
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