Alarming Stastics that Call for Real Solutions

Today I came across a study by The Schott Foundation for Public Education entitled Yes We Can: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males. Looking at this report for the state of Illinois, the statistics are highly alarming:

In the state of Illinois:

• 47% of African American males graduate from high school (versus 83% for white males in Illinois)
• 52% of African American males are below basic reading level in 8^th grade (versus 19% of white male 8^th grade students)
• 53% of African American males are below basic math level in 8^th grade (versus 50% of white male 8^th graders)

• 18% of the state’s population of male African American students were put on out of school suspension during the 2006-07 school year (versus 5% of the state’s white male student population)
• Over 6 times as many white male students were placed in Advanced Placement Mathematics and Advanced Placement Science classes as compared to African American male students (given their respective shares in the student population)

Needless to say, this paints a pretty bleak picture for the educational prospects of African American males in this state. In an era and in an economy when a college degree does not even guarantee a person's employment, less than half of African American males in this state are earning their high school diplomas. And realistically, the picture is not terribly bright for white male students either: 17% not graduating high school and 50% below basic math level is definitely disturbing.

Studies such as this highlight the urgency for programs that offer students one-on-one attention. Based on the data, students obviously need extra academic help they are not currently receiving in the classroom. But in addition to one-on-one tutoring, they also need people to offer them support, to model career opportunities they might not otherwise know about, and to believe in them as both a student and as a person. This blend of academic support and life coaching is what makes a one-on-one tutor/mentor relationship an ideal way to tackle the above statistics on the individual student level.

One of the interesting statistic to me is the difference between African American and white males in their likelihood of being placed in Advanced Placement (AP) math and science classrooms. The other statistics like differences between reading levels amongst white and African American males, can certainly explain at least a portion of this disparity. However, I think it is also an issue of access. Even Evanston Township High School District 202, located in an affluent and mostly white part of the Chicago suburb, Evanston, recently voted to eliminate its honors humanities courses for freshman. How much less access do kids from low income neighborhoods have to opportunities to be in these types of advanced classrooms where high expectations and high success rates are the standard?

The issues of unequal access are certainly relevant to tutor/mentor programs, too. The opportunity for students to receive this extra help is often limited by location, transportation issues, and even the ability to travel within safe neighborhoods. I have spoken to parents before who don’t want to send their kids to tutoring/mentoring programs in their own neighborhoods, because they simply worry about the safety of their sons or daughters.

These problems are tied up in range of complex societal issues such as inequality, poverty, and segregation. But we can’t afford to merely feel defeated at these statistics. On an individual level, there are ways to become involved in tutoring/mentoring programs as a volunteer, donor, or advocate. On a broader level, we as citizens need to hold our politicians and leaders accountable to getting more resources and programs—like tutoring and mentoring programs—in all parts of Chicago.

As the Schott Foundation says regarding their maps displaying this information: “This new, interactive tool is designed to provide compelling graphic information that can be used to spark action and hold policymakers accountable for implementing the systemic changes needed to provide Black male students the opportunity to learn and succeed.”

Just as the Schott Foundation has made interactive maps to help educate people and “spark action,” Tutor/Mentor Connection is dedicated to using maps as a resource to guide the decisions of leaders and the voting public.

Read the Mapping for Justice blog article to see Mike Trakan's explanation of how maps can help point politicians to places in the city where tutor/mentor programs are needed and also to assets like churches and businesses within those communities that have a vested interest in helping youth in that neighborhood succeed.

Happy First Day of School!

For thousands of kids around the country, the day after Labor Day means the same thing: Ready or not...the First Day of School.

I always loved the first day of school. But then again, I had great teachers, my school felt safe, and my parents were able to afford fresh school supplies as I started each September. I had opportunities both inside and outside the classroom that jump-started me on a pathway toward completing high school and then college.

As CC, T/MC President, Dan Bassill, discusses in his recent blog article, improving access to opportunities for youth living in high-poverty neighborhoods takes more than improving schools themselves. Non-school tutoring/mentoring programs play a vital role in giving students networks of adult role models, enrichment activities, and quality academic opportunities catered to their individual needs.

Thus, paralleling the beginning of the school year, tutoring and mentoring programs all over the city of Chicago are starting. This week, Cabrini Connections holds orientations for both volunteers and students to prepare them for this year’s sessions. Similarly, hundreds of programs throughout the city are holding their own orientations, planning tutor/mentor training sessions, matching students and mentors, and preparing their 2010-2011 year of programming.

While schools operate in “districts” that have centralized governance, tutoring and mentoring programs work fairly independently of one another. Although these programs tend to operate along similar annual calendars, tutoring and mentoring program leaders generally plan everything on their own.

When Dan Bassill founded Tutor/Mentor Connection, he realized how much more efficiently and effectively tutoring and mentoring programs would operate were they to share best practices and collaborate in annual efforts like volunteer recruitment and mentor training. He founded Tutor/Mentor Connection in an effort to facilitate increased interaction and collaboration between programs and ultimately, to improve the availability and quality of tutor/mentor programs throughout the city of Chicago.

In the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to witness some exciting conversations take place between program leaders. Last Monday, we held a meeting in our office attended by many Executive Directors and staff of Chicago-area tutoring/mentoring programs. During this meeting, program leaders discussed issues surrounding their programs—issues as wide-ranging as finding operating dollars, wondering what background checks to use for volunteers, and questioning how to use social networking tools to market their programs. Where some program leaders had questions, others jumped in with answers.

These types of collaborations cannot easily be measured in quantifiable terms, but the benefit of sharing best practices amongst programs is readily apparent when sitting in on conversations like these.

As we prepare for the Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference in November, I am excited to watch as leaders work together to the benefit of all programs--and ultimately--to all students involved.

Time to Turn the Calendar...

Don’t get me wrong, I love summer. But each year growing up, I was always itching to go back to school by the time August rolled around. I remember the nervous excitement that would build through the entire month of August as I gradually found out about teachers, bus routes, and locker assignments.

Although Chicago’s current blazing heat would suggest otherwise, the school year is quickly approaching. Along with the chance for department stores to capitalize on “back-to-school sales,” it is also a time when the media turns its attention to the state of American education.

As discussed in a recent New York Times article, our country’s “dismal” college completion rate is an issue that must be addressed while youth are still in their kindergarten through high school years. Even for those of us not living in neighborhoods with failing schools, this issue should cause us deep concern. In fact, the president of the College Board asserted that “The growing education deficit is no less a threat to our nation’s long-term well-being than the current fiscal crisis.” Sorry for the bad news.

While distressing statistics pervading the news should certainly elicit our alarm, they should not leave us feeling powerless. In fact, this is an excellent opportunity for us to reflect upon what we can personally do to turn things around—if not for entire school systems, perhaps for an individual student.

As T/MC President Dan Bassill discusses in his recent blog entry, this is a vital time for tutor/mentor programs to recruit volunteers and supporters. I urge you to explore the T/MC Program Locator to find a program in the Chicago-land community where you can become a mentor for the 2010-2011 school year. If working with students directly is not where you feel drawn, consider what else you might offer an organization: website design, event planning, administrative work, advocacy, donations…the list goes on. Any type of support is desperately needed to sustain the hundreds of tutor/mentor programs throughout the city (not to mention thousands of other programs throughout the U.S.).

Having just graduated from college, I am still in the habit of thinking of this season as a time of transition and an upcoming “fresh start.” Although this mentality might change as I move from school toward a career, I still hope to use this time period to think about my personal choices, aspirations, and commitments. I encourage you to join me in reflecting upon what we can each do during this season to invest in education—be it our own or that of someone else.