Parental Talk: April 2012

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.

<br />

<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">Dr. Mike Robinson<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>

<span style="font-family: Arial;">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 flyers 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!<o:p></o:p></span></div>

<span style="font-family: Arial;">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.  <o:p></o:p></span></div>

<span style="font-family: Arial;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>

<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Myth # 1 It Is Community Outreach, It

Cannot Be That Hard</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;">:  <o:p></o:p></span></div>

<span style="font-family: Arial;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>

<span style="font-family: Arial;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>

<span style="font-family: Arial;">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.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>

<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Myth # 3 Community Outreach Cannot

Contribute To The Bottom Line:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;">  <o:p></o:p></span></div>

<span style="font-family: Arial;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>

<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Myth # 4 Strategy Not Needed:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>

<span style="font-family: Arial;">Community

outreach does not require a strategic assessment and implementation and can be

effectively conducted via a willy nilly 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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>

<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Myth # 5 Staff Departure:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>

<span style="font-family: Arial;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>

<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #777777; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">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 <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Forest</st1:placetype> Of <st1:placename w:st="on">The Rain Productions</st1:placename></st1:place>, an Internet

communication company, whose mission is to expand the voices in and about

education.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>

Robinson, visit <a href="http://www.forestoftherain.net/">www.forestoftherain.net</a>

or email at <a href="mailto:forestoftherain@gmail.com">forestoftherain@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>

Parental Talk

Visits From Engaged Parents and Dedicated Educators

Pages

Saturday, April 21, 2012

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

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Five Myths About Community Outreach Educational Institutions Need To Know

Living Education eMagazine: Winter Edition. vol. 2

Living Education: The Magazine Discusses Bullying

School Of Fish

The Journey Begins: Radio for the Engaged Parent and Dedicated Educator

Education4and2Parents: A Podcast Resource Center

Search This Blog

About Me

Followers

Blog Archive