One of the main points Patrick Welsh (teacher) makes in that
piece is this: The reason African American kids (as a group)
display an educational achievement gap is that they don't
have fathers at home.

I propose that this is likely a case of correlation rather
than causation. Here's why...

1. If you did a study of ALL kids who are growing up in
fatherless homes, this hypotheses would suggest findings
commensurate with current African American achievement. So,
MOST kids without fathers - regardless of socio-economic
status or ethnic identity - would have similar test scores. I
seriously doubt that this is true. My guess that the
achievement of fatherless kids will break down according to
socio-economic strati, and not ethnic or racial. (Anyone want
to research this?)

2. After reading Paul Tough's book on Geoffrey
Canada, "Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change
Harlem and America," I propose a different hypotheses: The
reason African American kids (as a group) don't do as well as
Caucasian and Latino kids is that a greater percentage of
them are in a lower socio-economic class. AND the values of
that class DO NOT INCLUDE reading and reasoning with kids
from a very early age. As Geoffrey Canada found out,
the "middle class values" of lots of talking, lots of
reading, lots of questioning, lots of discussion designed to
impart curiousity and thinking skills ... well, these values
are simply not held by most people in the lowest socio-
economic groups.

3. To create more educational success in the African American
community in Harlem, Geoffrey Canada has created parenting
programs which actually teach those middle class values to
the parents in each home. And it seems to be having a
profound impact.

So, my guess is that the African American students in Patrick
Welsh's classes were not read to when they were young, and
were not intellectually stimulated by a parent who held the
development of their child's thinking skills to be of
paramount value. Most kids with home backgrounds like this
will come to kindergarten WAY unprepared, and will have an
extremely difficult time catching up. Without the bedrock of
reading and thought development, they simply flounder in
deeper and deeper water with each new grade level. By the
time they get to high school (IF they get to high school),
their competence and confidence levels are incredibly ... and
oh-so-frustratingly low.

Incidentally, one of the other points in Welsh's article
relates to the lack of "discipline" created by the lack of a
father in the home. Ironically, the other major difference
that Canada found in Harlem is the TYPE of "discipline" that
these parents were using. The Harlem parents were doing a lot
of hitting/spanking and shouting, and NOT the middle class-
valued behaviors such as emotional coaching, time outs,
reasoning, helping the kid develop an understanding and
different coping strategies so they can "do it differently
next time...."

Again, it's associated with class and not skin color, with
the middle class discipline structure imparting skills with
support success at school, and the lower class structure
throwing mental/emotional roadblocks to that same success.
And simply having a father in the home to deliver MORE of
that ineffective discipline (louder shouting, harder hitting)
will likely just make things worse.

All my best,

Tom

Share This Post | Report This Post

Next Post >>

Posts on this thread, including this one