Is It Time For A National Educational Agenda For The African American Community?

By:
Dr. Mike Robinson

What is the future of education for African Americans relative to the academic achievement of African American children?  If you or anyone working as a civil rights advocate, community organizer or civic leader knows, please share it with the rest of us. Because from where most of the African American community sits the vision and pathway is not really clear.

The ongoing failure of school systems to educate an increasingly high percentage of African American young men is frightening. In some urban school districts the dropout rate is as high as 70%. What become of those who leave the thousands of school systems? Where do they go? What do they do?  Those are just a few of the many questions that confront the African American community.

Is it time for a massive nationwide protest for our rights for a quality education. Should we march and rally on our State capitals demanding justice in education? Maybe we need to galvanize on Twitter and Facebook and any other forms of social media to get the word out; that we want quality education for our communities and we want it now!

It is likely that an approach using those methods above will generate some public responses from civic leaders and community advocates. There is even a likelihood that some forms of legislation requiring access, increase funding may come out of the outcry for educational justice.  However, herein lies the issue, “been there, done that and have the T-shirt.” So at the end of the day, we eventually find ourselves right back where we started. A community with high dropout rates among African American young men; African American female students graduating at a lower rate than white and Asian females; fewer African Americans entering college; a disproportionate number of African American students entering college unprepared and needing remedial educational courses; the steady decline in the number of African American men matriculating through institutions of higher education. I could go on and on, but we get the picture and in many cases, we have lived or we are living it.  With an unemployment rate hovering near 15% (probably higher) our only solid hope to turn this tide for future African American generations is to emphasis the need for an educational system that is filled with academic rigor, demanding and competitive classes and state of the art equipment which ensures our children can compete nationally and internationally.

It is time for a National Educational Agenda for the African American community? This would be agenda should outline the expectations of the academic achievement for African American students from a nationwide perspective. What would such an agenda look like? Well let me offer the first few components:

• Increase in the number of African American male teachers in the classroom
• A national meeting between all HBCUs, the United States Department of Education and the 50 Secretaries of Education representing each state in the Union create MOUs to hire over 100,000 male teachers by 2025
• Every African American church should adopt at least one school in their community to provide educational support not religious doctrine
• Entrepreneurial based curriculum should be included in the academic courses starting as early as 4^th grade
• Extend the learning day
• Increase multicultural training for teachers and staff as a means to reduce the disproportionate number of African American students suspended or placed in special education
• Parental involvement that is supported by schools, churches and employers

These are just a few of the components that should make up the National Educational Agenda for African Americans.  We have to demand more academic rigors and once we have it, demand performance from our children and their friends. Respect and celebrate the academic achiever, make them the rule, not the exception.

Just Because They Are Unemployed Does Not Mean They Are Unskilled

By:

Dr. Mike Robinson

For the past two years the national conversation regarding unemployment in America has focused on the need for those without a job or under-employed to obtain more skills and more training. This has become a rallying cry for justifying why the unemployment numbers remain high, especially among populations of color.

The purpose of this article is to dispel or to an extent change the direction of the conversation about the traits of the unemployed. I am especially targeting those who use an uninformed description of the unemployed and under-employed to frame discussions on the rate of joblessness in America. First, I want to make it extremely clear that I agree education and training has a place in reducing under-employment and yes it can impact unemployment. However, it is the broad brush by which the concept of training and skill attainment is discussed that gives me pause for alarm. I have seen the over-reliance of the belief that those unemployed or under employed simply lack the skills of those that have employment. Typically this is used as a means to justify why we see double digit unemployment rates in segments of the population like African Americans and Hispanics.

In an effort to address this issue of untrained Americans, President Obama has set-a-side in his budget plan of nearly eight billion dollars for community colleges to serve as America’s Re-Training Academies, while continuing to serve as the primary gateway to post secondary access and higher education attainment. President Obama’s funding of the new, but well established traditional mission of community colleges is both daring and noble. The president’s support of America’s community colleges continues in a long line of POTUS who understood the value community colleges bring to our nation, one community at a time. However, new money for the expansion of post secondary opportunities will mean little if at the end of the re-train/educate pipeline there are no jobs.

My concern and that of many I have spoken to over the years is a straightforward one. It is grounded in the fact that each and every unemployed person is some how locked in this universal description of being untrained, unskilled and to a large measurement lacking a strong foundation in today’s technology. This is especially placed at the feet of those unemployed who happen to be people of color. These assertions are frequently uttered from the political pundits, talking heads, and political contributors for this network or that network.

My retort to those political pundits, talking heads, political contributors and political leaders on each side of the isle, “you really have no clue as to the skills of the unemployed.” I apologize for being so direct, but it seems in this season of non reason, to steal a line from an upcoming book by the same name, written by M. Shelly Robinson, political leaders and the media really have not wanted or dared to examine the depth of the issue of the unemployed and their inability to secure employment.

I met a woman several years ago, who was laid off from a mid-level university in 2005. She held a prominent management position at the university and at the time had years of experience in personnel, project management, IT and a host of others. She possesses a master’s degree in Human Resources, from a top university in the state of Maryland. She has been unemployed for seven years. That is right seven years. She was able to secure one part-time job, a seasonal position with a large retailer where she was responsible for cleaning restrooms after store hours on the 11pm-8am shift. Now given the definition often used by those in the media to justify why a person like the one described above cannot secure employment, hinges on the fact she lacks skills that suggest she can compete in today’s job market.

The fact is their contention that she is without skills would be completely and utterly wrong. Since the time of her unemployment, this mid 40, highly educated minority woman has gained the following skills through her attempts to start her own business and volunteering at local organizations.

Since the time of her unemployment in January 2005, she has gained the following skills:

Entered doctoral studies (Higher Education)

TV production

TV editing

Filming

Radio Producer “Talk and Music”

Script writing

Event planning

Guest development

Social Media

Story board writing

Publishing

Publication layout

Interviewing of program guest

Writer

Blogger

Prior to being laid off in 2005, this unemployed educated mother of three and the wife of an educator had skills in the following area:

• Management
• Labor Relations
• Custom Services
• Staff Development
• Finance Management
• Personnel
• Computer operations
• IT
• Project Management
• Student Advisement
• Inventory Management
• Call Center Management
• Policy and Procedure Development

I could go on listing her many qualifications, but I am sure you get the point. This woman who is a minority possessed skills that do not become obsolete, but are typically needed by most organizations seeking to maintain a strong and viable infrastructure. So, why has this person been unable to secure employment beyond a part-time seasonal position cleaning toilets?

It is my declaration that there are other factors behind the high rate of unemployed and under-employed minorities. There is little empirical evidence to show that the unemployment rate for educated and skill minorities is less for uneducated and be unskilled majority populations. Populations of color have found the job market to unfriendly to them especially to those who are educated and skilled.

Prior to completing this article, I contacted the woman who had been unemployed for seven years to see if her employment status had changed. She indicated it had not. She also stated she had spoken with a state unemployment counselor who suggested she enroll in a Medical Billing/Coding program at the local community college. The counselor believed it was her best and only chance to ever work again.

Dr. Mike Robinson is the creator of the National Men Make A Difference Day for Student Success and the host of Parent Talk Live. Dr. Robinson is a leading voice/expert on parental engagement and community outreach in education. He is also the CO- CEO of Forest Of The Rain Productions, an Internet communication company, whose mission is to expand the voices in and about education.

Five Myths About Community Outreach Educational Institutions Need To Know

By:
Dr. Mike Robinson

Many organizations, to include public K-12 schools and institutions of higher education believe a connection with their local communities is imperative to their ability to respond to their mission while offering solutions to many of the systemic needs facing those within their communities. However, there is a belief among organizational leaders that community outreach is simply a matter of knocking on doors or passing out fliers at local community events. Albeit those are several of the methods one can use to reach their constituents, the fact is community outreach is much more than that!

Community outreach requires a strategic approach, a methodology that ensures your efforts garner the optimal results and that those reached are best able at the time of your outreach to benefit from your services, desire your services and understand your services.

Here are five myths regarding community outreach every organizational leader needs to know, as they will assist in creating a more effective community outreach program with a solid community outreach strategy.

Myth # 1 It Is Community Outreach, It Cannot Be That Hard:

Community outreach can be done over the phone or simply from behind a desk. This is perhaps the most damaging of all the myths, as it the one typically accepted by those leaders with the least understanding of the mission of the organization and what is community outreach.

Truth is effective community outreach has a strong base of research that does have a need for a level of office work. But the more effective outreach research is conducted on the ground within the communities one seeks to serve.

Myth # 2 They Have To Want Our Help:

Communities are always amenable to organizations entering their neighborhoods promoting programs, services and opportunities. Organizations that assume, because we are a high profile institution or because we are addressing a need that impacts the majority of the residents of this community, therefore they will accept us with open arms is to discount the unique, distinct and diversity of each neighborhood that makes up a community.

Myth # 3 Community Outreach Cannot Contribute To The Bottom Line:

Community outreach is not a major avenue to create a revenue stream or provide fiscal opportunities for an organization. While many organizations, especially community colleges have come to understand that an effective community outreach program, grounded in research and an understanding of community norms can create increased enrollment, expand the communities’ educated workforce and serve as the economic engine of the community have come to understand the revenue generating potential of the an effective community outreach program.

Myth # 4 Strategy Not Needed:

Community outreach does not require a strategic assessment and implementation and can be effectively conducted via a less than proven approach. In these times of fiscal challenges, tight budgets and competing initiatives, failure to take a strategic perspective on how best to reach those who can and will access your programs or services can result in a waste of revenue, manpower, and other organizational resources.

Myth # 5 Staff Departure:

Community outreach staff are not really performing outreach, but they are out looking for a job. This is one of the most ridiculous myths in the industry of community outreach. Effective community outreach staff will meet and network with countless community and business leaders and on a few occasions they will be offered opportunities to work with other organizations. While staff turnover is not good for any organization or a department it does negatively impact a community outreach division. However, the possibility of staff finding employment elsewhere does not justify unprofessional scrutiny and mistrust by leadership. When this occurs the effectiveness of an organization’s community outreach is doomed for failure.

Dr. Mike Robinson is the creator of the National Men Make A Difference Day for Student Success and the host of Parent Talk Live. Dr. Robinson is a leading voice/expert on parental engagement and community outreach in education. He is also the CO- CEO of Forest Of The Rain Productions, an Internet communication company, whose mission is to expand the voices in and about education.

To contact Dr. Mike Robinson, visit www.forestoftherain.net or email at forestoftherain@gmail.com

Maryland Mom Tells Why She Home Schools

Mrs. Erin Miller

Why I home school

Mrs. Erin Miller is one of the millions of parents across the United States and Abroad who have chosen to home school their children. Currently, Erin who lives in Prince George’s County, Maryland is home schooling a 2nd grader and a kindergartener.

It’s All About the Child

By:

Dr. Yolanda Abel

Children are one of our most precious gifts. As parents it is our responsibility to rear them well and prepare them to go out into the world and fulfill their destiny. Kahlil Gibran said it well, “Your children are not children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not for you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.” With this in mind, all parents should be mindful of how they treat one another and how the parental relationship impacts the child.

So often when we think or discuss parenting of Black children in general it seems as if the focus of the conversation often becomes the plight of the single mother and bemoaning the absence of fathers. While the Black community is varied in its composition, the issue of female headed households and noncustodial dads is a real one.

The percentage of children residing in a single parent household in the U.S. was 34% in 2009. In the state of Maryland it was 34% as well. However, when you disaggregated by race, there are 67% of Black children, in the U.S., residing in single family homes. In the state of Maryland 59% of Black children are living in a single family home (Kids Count, 2011). National data informs us that almost 50% of Black children living in single family households reside with their mother, while less than 4% of Black children reside with their fathers. There are a variety of variables that impact who a child lives with and how the parents and other adults help to support the child’s overall development.

This article is focusing on mothers and fathers who are no longer in a relationship with each other, but share a child. How do people continue to work together in the best interest of the child they created? How do you navigate blended families? How do you set aside personal disappointments and keep the child at the focus of the relationship? These may not be easy questions to answer based on our personal circumstances. However, our vision must be what is best for the child we created together. How can we put our son or daughter first and provide the best possible upbringing?

It is not easy and I am not suggesting otherwise, but it is something we have to do. It is important that we promote father involve with schools and in children’s school-based lives. Children are less likely to repeat a grade, be suspended, or expelled if their nonresident fathers are involved in schools. Children are also more likely to earn A’s, enjoy school, and participate in extracurricular

activities. Father involvement with schools can make a difference for the better (Nord, 1998).

How do we do that? The mother’s relationship with the father influences his involvement with the child’s school based life. Fathers who are romantically involved with the mother of their child are more likely to be involved in their child’s school-based lives. So, what happens when parents are no longer together? The noncustodial fathers’ involvement in school-related activities is influenced by the child’s grade level, the household income, mother’s level of education, and the child support payment history (Nord, Brimhall, & West, 1997). In this instance, school-based involvement is defined as attending (a) a general school meeting, (b) attending a parent-teacher conference, (c) attending a school or class event, or (d) serving as a volunteer. So, if mom is the primary caregiver, how does dad find out about these events so he can attend, if possible?

Communication geared toward the child’s welfare needs to be a focus. Schools tend to communicate with the parent who registers the child for school and to send information to the contact address or phone number that is provided. So, if there are no legal reasons to prevent it, the contact information of the noncustodial parent should be provided as well. As the custodial parent we should also communicate ourselves with the noncustodial parent around issues that support the child we have together. Remember, children tend to have better outcomes when their noncustodial fathers are involved.

Be realistic as each of you works to support your child. While money is important in being able to provide for a child it is not everything.

A child needs parents who are physically present and active in his or her life. Encourage the noncustodial parent to attend school functions, spend quality time reading, go to community events, or any other activity that expands a child’s horizon’s and opportunities for learning.

Be together apart. Remember that each of you is responsible for the upbringing of a well adjusted and healthy child who feels capable and confident to step out into the world and give his or her best. Ideally, we need two loving parents for this to happen. Each parent contributes something unique to the child’s

life and developing perspective.

Be cautiously honestabout what you say about the other parent and why the two of you are no longer

together. Remember that the child is a blend of both of you. It is hurtful to attack the other person or to tell a child that she or he is just like their “no good father”. Words have power. When talking with your friends and /or family members make sure the child cannot hear you and whatever your comments are, especially if you are angry at something the father did or did not do.

Be optimistic; parenting is one of the most challenging things a person can do. There are moments of doubt, confusion, worry, etc. throughout the parenting process whether we are single parents or cohabiting parents. By keeping our focus on the long-term goal of rearing a child who is well-adjusted and able to become a productive member of society we can make it through the hard times. How can we focus on the good as it relates to our child and his or her father? “What is the impact on

the child?” should always be the guiding question as we consider what to do or not to do.

Be consistent in your actions. Most children do well when there are consistent routines in their life. Mean what you say and say what you mean as you talk with your child and his or her father. If something happens and the routine needs to be changed, share that information with the child. Do not allow a child to wonder what she or he did wrong or why daddy doesn’t love me. Something seemingly inconsequential can have long-term negative consequences for a child.

Strive for accountability. Things do happen in life, but for the most part we need to commit to being involved in our child’s life and show up when we say we are and be on time and engage with our child. Reflect back on your own childhood, what are the fondest memories you have of your own father? If he was not a part of your life, how did that make you feel? How does it still make you feel? Did you promise yourself that you would always be there for your child? Are you keeping that promise?

Remember, it is all about the child. Fathers and mothers each have a critical role to play in the lives of their children. This is a reminder to do your part. We need to facilitate all fathers’ being a connected and integral part of their children’s lives.