In Black America; Black Student Retention

Now let's leave it to me soon. demons out in front of otợs, we're comrades in front of everyone... they were all personally surrounded by those a very common r over mana From the Longhorn Radio Network, the University of Texas at Austin, this, is in Black America. Your problem doesn't start with getting kids out of high school and retaining them in college. Your problem starts in getting them

through kindergarten. Today is Tuesday, right? A Thursday day after tomorrow, here in Detroit and if any of you are going to be here, we invite you to join us. Mayor Archer is putting on an education conference and this conference, the schools in Detroit do not report up through the City Administration. David's need is superintendent of schools and there's a school board but teachers can't do it for five and a half hours in a classroom. They cannot educate our kids. When our kids are worrying about safety to and from school, they're worrying about safety in the corridors. They're not getting the proper nutrition. There's nobody at home making them do their homework and making them understand that they need

to do well in school and stay in school so that they can try to get to somebody's college and get through it. Miss Nelly Sebrook's Deputy City Manager City of Detroit. Last November, Florida and M. University held a 10th National Higher Education Conference on Black Student Retention. The conference brought together University and College Administrators, counselors, faculty, staff, and students to exchange information and ideas that influence factors on the retention of African-American students in higher education. The first conference held in 1985. The original idea was to convene staff members and historically black colleges and universities regarding the declining participation of African-American students in higher education. Through the years, this conference has provided a form to address those concerns. I'm John L. Hanson Jr. and welcome to another edition of in Black America. This week, the 10th National Higher Education Conference on Black Student

Retention Networking to Enhanced Student Retention in Black America. But I want to bring you greetings from the Hill. You heard this before and if you I have not been at every one of these, but I've been to last three or four and Florida University is very proud of this. This has become a national institution. Other universities and people are trying to duplicate it now, but Clanida Ford, who's my longtime colleague, is the originator of this and she and her staff have made it work. And I'm very proud of her and I'm sure that if President Humphreys were here, he would say the same thing. So I think I would like to ask if you'd give Dr. Ford and her people a round of applause at this time. Dr. Charles C. Smith, Dean Graduate Studies, Florida A&M University. In 1983, Dr. Canida Ford has the director of the Title III program at Florida A&M

devised a special model for institutional strategies to increase student retention. The research led her to conclude that although many were concerned regarding African-American student retention, she could not identify a national form that addressed a problem. Two years later, the first conference was hailed. Last November, the 10th National Conference was hailed in Detroit, Michigan. The conference theme was entitled Retention Programs, Design, Meteology, Evaluation and Institutionalization. The opening night session keynote speaker was Dr. Eva L. Evans, former elementary school teacher, English teacher, assistant principal of a junior high school, and former director of elementary education. She is currently Deputy Superintendent for Instruction with the Lansing School District. I've heard in my own community there I sit, it's number two, and I'm in the middle of an argument that says, this is a good school. And other say, no, this is not a good school. This is a good school. No, it's not a good school. Well, until all agree that just because my,

if it's good that my youngsters succeed, but if all youngsters don't succeed, everybody has to own the problem. Black or white, we all own the problem of youngsters who don't succeed. The job of education is to find that strategy or those strategies which include all of the children. That's why I reach out to you as black scholars. We must find those strategies that enable us to succeed with all of the children. I am convinced, as is Kanjufu, that there is a requirement of schools to have teachers who are like the children whose cultural experiences are similar to the children, so that the child in school is not the transgressor in the place where they should be. Too often I hear adults speak of

students as if the student didn't belong there, as if the school was for adults as opposed to for the students. I have heard adults who are angry because the student doesn't know it all when they come, rather than to teach the children what they don't know. In our communities, men and women must join together in this common cause to regain the care and control and moral values of our youth. Did you know that research shows that 80% of kindergarten boys and girls have very high esteem. They think pretty well of themselves when you're in the kindergarten. By the time a student is in the fifth grade, the number has dropped to 20% and by the time the youngster is in college where you live only 2% of the

young people believe in themselves and have high self esteem. Now why is that? Why is that? Does the community, does the school strip a child of their self esteem and their worth? If we're going to retain students in school, they must believe they can stay there. They must believe that they're able to do it and we must do things that reinforce the fact that they can stay in school. Of course there are lots and lots of ways that we can convince young people to stay in school but it's tough. You heard Mrs. Seabrook's talk about young people who come to school without this and without that and without the other. So in public schools though, we pretty well have accepted that challenge that we will, if there is no breakfast, we will give the breakfast. If there is no

lunch, we will give the lunch. We spend a great deal of money in schools for things that probably are not definite right on point for school but they are school related. Money will not buy a good teacher but money will buy a counselor. Money will buy a mental health worker. Money will buy lunch. Money will buy some of those things. As a public school person, I have seen at least in my community the African-American community step up to the rack. I've seen them come forth. I've seen them come to the Board of Education meetings. I've seen them join the school improvement committees. I've seen them get on the cases of us who are not doing what they think should happen with their boys and girls in the school system and this is right. Sometimes I don't need to agree myself with

all the issues they come forth with. For example, no Asian parent has ever been in my face about athletics. But you can bet a lot of us out. I don't always agree with all those issues but nonetheless we come forth and we do it and that's the important point that we must stand up as people and demand for ourselves what we believe to be right and good for our children in public schools. We have seen us give more scholarships, more speak to the board, participate in all of the areas around school and I'm convinced that this generation must get the attention of the children and maybe in some instances we're going to have to get the attention of the grandchildren because it's grandmothers that are still strong. We're going to have to get the attention of the grandchildren. Our actions have to be deliberate. We must convince employers and teachers and

others that our children are good can learn. We must convince our children themselves that they do have a future and that they can influence it. We have to convince our children in some instances that there's going to be a tomorrow. Did you know that? There are children who are not totally sure about that. That they're going to have a tomorrow and that they have a place in the tomorrow and I think we have to start early and we have to stop the naysayers about what we can and cannot do. What do I care about Mr. Murray's book? I already went through that. You know, we say, well, I already did that. We did that with Jensen. That's their feeble attempt and feeble it is. But I want to hear from black scholars on those subjects as well. I believe in American public

schools and I believe in the ability of black children to succeed in them if we work at it. Let me leave you something from the poet, Maya Angelou. I don't know if you've heard it or not, but it's one of my favorite things. It's called the Black Family Pledge. And she writes, because we have forgotten our ancestors, our children no longer give us honor. Because we have lost the path our ancestors cleared, kneeling in perilous undergrowth, our children cannot find their way. Because we have banished the gods of our ancestors, our children cannot pray. Because the old whales of our ancestors have failed beyond our hearing, our

children cannot hear us cry. Because we have abandoned our wisdom of mothering and fathering our befuddled children, give birth to children, they neither want nor understand. Because we have forgotten how to love, the adversary is within our gates and holds us up to the mirror of the world, shouting, regard the loveless. Therefore, we pledge to bind ourselves again to one another, to embrace our lollias, to keep company with our lollias, to educate our illiterate, to feed our starving, to clothe our ragged and to do all good things. Knowing that we are more than just the keepers of our brothers and sisters, we are our brothers and sisters. In honor of those who toiled and implored God with golden tongues and in gratitude to the same God who

brought us out of hopeless desolation, we make this pledge. In Lansing, better known as the Big L, Lansing by that big. There's something called the ministerial alliance. Do you all have one in your community? Or the pastor's conference or whatever its counterpart is? Whenever we want to do something that's serious, we make an appointment on the ministerial alliance as agenda and we talk to them about it. Now, we do know that they will get up in the pulpit and talk about it if it's an issue that they feel is relevant to the congregation and almost education, almost 100% is relevant to the congregation. So they will get up and talk about it. We involve them. For example, we have something in Lansing called Labo. It's the Lansing Association of Black Organizations. In every year, we give a major conference. We always give a major education conference

because we believe it takes parents, teachers, students, the school board, administrators, all of us to do this and they always come. But you have to take the trouble to explain the issues to them because everybody wants their attention. But if you explain the issue and tell them what it is that you're after, nine times out of 10, I know they do in Detroit and I know they do in Lansing also. So our strategy is to get to the ministerial alliance, ministerial alliance, or the pastor's conference, or its counterpart. Dr. Eva L Evans, deputy superintendent for instruction, Lansing school district. After the Americans have long possessed a deep faith in the power of education to bring about a change in their status and in the conditions affecting their personal life. During the opening session, a number of Detroit dignitaries addressed the participants attending the 10th annual conference, all stressed

the importance of education, but also new ways in which we as a community must participate in the process. Miss netty C Brooks is deputy mayor for the city of Detroit. Miss C Brooks is the first woman deputy mayor for the city. We're having this conference. We're bringing together the community, the churches, educators, the police department, everybody that you can think of from 830 to 1130 at Cobal Hall, because we're trying to set a climate of community and educational excellence to get our kids through school so that when they get to you, you've got something to, well, first off, so they get to you at all. And then when they get to you, you've got something to work with so that you can try to keep them in somebody's college to get them out so that they can try to be productive citizens, or if they don't go to school at least, they

can be trained to have some kind of skill to become productive adults. That's why we're having this conference. That's why I feel so privileged to be able to come over here and talk to you tonight and tell you how important your work is, how important what you're doing is. I commend Florida A&M for sponsoring these conferences now for these 10 years. I can't tell you how proud we are of you being here at the conference. A Florida A&M, as I say putting it on, my dear friend Eva Evans, whom I've known, in fact Eva was in my sister's wedding 30-some years ago. Yes, but know that in Detroit we support what you're doing, we commend what you're doing. We certainly welcome you to our city and whatever

the Archer administration can do to help you in the future, Dr. Ford, we stand willing to do it because we understand the importance of saving our children, saving our future generations, and making everybody understand that the bell curve is upside down. Thank you. Thank you so much. We see Brooks and for sharing that information with us and it's going to take all of us to pull through this. We are especially proud and feel very privileged to have a young man with us tonight who I didn't know that we were going to have until late this afternoon and when someone told me this, I thought that they were just joking with me, you know, to make me feel good after all day of the registering and all

of that and so forth, but it's for real. We are so happy that we have the representative Honorable John Cainus with us from the U.S. Congress Honorable Cainus, please. Thank you for the kind introduction and to this very distinguished Dias of leaders, some of whom I've known for a very long period of time, Nettie Seabruck and her sister Mary K. Piper. Eva, I knew I had to check out her last name because it was Eva Alman in school. Dr. Smith and Dr. Ford and distinguished members all that are here. This is a particular honor for me because I have this ongoing interest in all things that deal with

governing and education is really at the base of all of this and I'm so happy to have heard the remarks about the bell curve which is just another new attack trying to square the incredibly cynical posture that is now moving into governing circles. There was once a time when there were skull measurement that we're trying to prove African and African American inferiority. The whole thing that is so ludicrous of course is that the test that there are so many intelligence tests to just throw it out as some sort of general application really is in the front to serious people in education. And there is something more insidious than racism in as I interpret this latest book on the

bell curve which I admit in front that I've not read but what I interpret is a rationale for giving up on most people. This is beyond racism because as Eva and I were talking earlier one of the things that are beginning to impress me and when I first started out I stayed in the schools. Now I don't get back as often but it's shocking to me and I grew up around Bellevue as a matter of fact I would have gone had I stayed on the east side to the Smith School which became the bunch school which is right down the street from Bellevue and what what we're seeing now is a bifurcation even in the African American community. The thing that

is disturbing me is that we now have a sufficient number in the middle class and always in that the political term of the 1994's. I mean it that is so coded. I mean when they start coming with the middle class as soon as you see the context that is being used in you automatically know what what the deal is you know. Not working class but the middle class and that's a that's a world of difference in many cases but what we have now in in our community and building on what the Netty Seabrook our deputy mayor said we we now have enough people in the middle and upper classes like you and me for example to appreciate the

importance of education for our children and who are able to do something about it. I mean like you know what schools you know the curriculum you know that you know this the game the strategy you can succeed as much as anybody else and so what we're having is a serious stratification in which many of us continue to do better and admittedly more continue to come in the middle and upper classes but the overwhelming majority are dropping out at the bottom thereby creating the kinds of attitudes of hate and violence between African Americans. We're not worried about racism anymore. I remember what happened to my

heartstrings one day coming down in my neighborhood by Hampton School on seven-mile road palm or park area. Here is this little chubby fellow going home by himself ten eleven years old. I don't know why I stopped the car and ask him why are you know like what's happening with you. I don't know why. He said because I was gonna get beat up today and I had to go home a different way and this little guy was you know the student type. I think he had glasses. He clearly wasn't a kind of guy you would want to get in the fight with with the local little tuss and I said what what what a horrible situation we find ourselves in where an anti-intellectual mode exists that is so deep it's it's not only anti

intellectual it's anti-establishment it's anti-you and I don't know how to get on top of it at Northwestern High School this week my high school I was told by one teacher a PhD John the whole thing is is wrong we've got to do we've got to change it we've got to do it individually and I said look we can't do it individually because there's too many at each grade each the the child is a different person so we can't tailor schools custom made we've got to take certain areas and work on it I didn't feel comfortable with my response but neither did I feel comfortable with her suggestion that we ought to just turn

the whole system upside down number one you're not going to turn this whole system upside down it's going to be effectuated slowly like turning a ship around in the ocean but it's going to take a lot of people and a lot of intelligence and a lot of commitment to do it because what we have is this growing underclass and I don't I don't mean that to me demeaning but we have this large number of people who don't care who come to school sleepy they come to school to sleep and hopefully to get a meal if they happen to get any education during the course of a semester you've got a skilled teacher that's been on the job because she or he has overcome so much to get people into

into any kind of learning mode and I keep thinking about these young men and women coming out facing all the youngsters out in the suburbs who when they take a course they've gone through half or three quarters of the book with some degree of thoroughness and our kids are getting the same grade level the same high school diploma that speaks of two different kinds of education US congressman John Connus if you have a question or comment or suggestions asked the future in black America programs write us also let us know what radio station you heard us over I would like to thank Florida A&M University for their assistance in the production of this program until we have the opportunity again for IBA technical producer David Alvarez I'm John L. Hanson

Jr. thank you for joining us this week and please join us again next time cassette copies of this program are available and may be purchased by writing in black America cassettes longhorn radio network communication building B U. T. Austin Austin Texas 78712 that's in black America cassettes longhorn radio network communication building B U. T. Austin Austin Texas 78712 from the center for telecommunication services the University of Texas at Austin this is the longhorn radio network I'm John L. Hanson Jr. join me this week on in black America and as we listen to representative Connus and others let us know what we are

about that we are not prepared to give up on the intellect of black people networking to a hand student retention this week on in black America