Black Boys and Literacy

Black Boys and Literacy

Introduction

Background of the study

Rising high school dropout rates remains a crisis for American society. According to 2007 data from the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, national high school graduation rates vary between 68% and 71%, which indicate that approximately one-third of all high school students do not complete school (Swanson, 2008). A disproportionate number of minority students, especially African American males, fail to graduate from high school (Garibaldi, 2010; Jackson, 2007; Noguera, 2008). Although much research and many prevention efforts have been devoted to this issue, dropout rates continue to remain alarmingly high. High school dropouts face tremendous obstacles. They experience higher levels of unemployment than do high school graduates and have significantly lower annual incomes, with high school graduates earning on average 1.5 times more than high school dropouts (England, Egeland, & Collins, 2008).

In addition to lower lifetime earnings, dropping out of school has broader economic implications. The unemployment rate for high school dropouts is 31%, and one out of every four individuals in full-time working families where the head of household did not have a high school diploma is living in poverty (England, Egeland, & Collins, 2008). Not only are individuals who have dropped out of school more likely to be impoverished, but they are also 3.5 times more likely than those who completed high school to be imprisoned at some point during their lifetime. These problems affect society as well as individuals who have discontinued school. Estimates indicate that the total lifetime costs to society for each individual who drops out of school ranges from $234,000 to $388,000 (England, Egeland, & Collins, 2008).

Problem Statement

Many of the factors that place students at risk for dropping out of school, such as their ethnicity, socio-economic status, and prior learning experiences, are variables over which educators have no control (Noguera, 2008). Thus, the task remains for school personnel to identify and to address other risk factors that educators can influence and change. Part of the intent of this study is to examine these students' behaviors, perspectives, and beliefs in the context of Herbert Kohl's theoretical construct which is based on the premise that marginalized minority students make a conscious choice not to learn from teachers, especially from White teachers.

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this ethnographic study will be to describe and to examine the shared perspectives, beliefs and behaviors of a group of African American high school students as they transitioned from an alternative learning center (with a population of 50 students with behavior issues) into two mainstream, regular high school settings of approximately 1,600 students. All of the African American males in this sample will came from lower socio-economic status households and will be deemed by administrators as being at-risk for dropping out of school, primarily due to their grades and behavior issues.

Research questions

What successes and challenges do African American males experience in the traditional school setting?

What is the school experience like for the participants as African American males ...