But here’s a more hopeful story from Detroit:

 November 12, 2009

EDITORIAL

No boys left behind at Detroit public school

The school-to-prison pipeline, especially in poverty-plagued cities like Detroit, has become a national disgrace. Nearly eight in 10 African-American males drop out of Detroit public schools.

As someone who spends a lot of time in Michigan’s prisons, I see where too many of them wind up. Black men make up more than half of the nearly 50,000 people locked up in Michigan, and a similar slice of the more than 2 million people imprisoned in America.

Nationwide, more than half of high school dropouts, ages 16 to 24, are jobless, and an estimated one in 10 male dropouts are in jail. It’s no accident that prisoners typically read at a sixth-grade level.

Community leaders, including Mayor Dave Bing and Bishop Edgar L. Vann II, will seek some solutions to this local and national tsunami during the “Boys to Men” education forum on Saturday. I’d suggest they also spend some time at Detroit’s Frederick Douglass Academy, an all-male middle and high school that’s changing lives and switching the statistics.

Formerly an alternative school for bad boys, Frederick Douglass has become, over the last five years, a high-achieving college preparatory academy. All 32 of this year’s graduating class were accepted to college, clocking $1.2 million in scholarships and financial aid. It was one of only a handful of Detroit public high schools to make adequate progress under the No Child Left Behind Act.

With 320 students, Michigan’s only all-boys public high school takes students from all over Detroit. Nine of 10 are eligible for free or reduced lunches, and many come from single-parent families. They are kids who might fail elsewhere but flourish here, with smaller classes, academic discipline, conduct codes, hands-on learning and dedicated teachers who love and push them to stay on the grind.

“Students don’t care what you know unless they know that you care,” band director and School Improvement Chair Michael Carrauthers told me.

That may sound trite, but when it’s real, it works. Grading at Frederick Douglass consists of A, B, C and F. Students perform or fail and take required after-school tutoring. Parents and students sign contracts on school attendance, uniform and other policies.

“Our students take ownership of learning and the school’s mission,” said Principal Sean Vann, a 1979 graduate of Finney High School who drove Frederick Douglass’ turnaround.

Attendance is taken at the door. Parents are notified right away if a student doesn’t show, and attendance rates exceed 90%. The dress code is strict: Students wear crested blazers, white dress shirts, rep ties and khakis four days a week — and no earrings or sagging pants. The uniforms ease jealousies and thefts, teachers say. Single-sex enrollment also reduces drama and distractions. All freshmen take JROTC to instill almost military-style discipline. The school day starts with a group affirmation. Standing together, boys declare their integrity, courtesy and respect. Structure is important, educators say, especially for young men coming from single-parent families.

Sixth-grader Orlando Cole, 11, said he wasn’t eager to attend a school with no girls. Not everyone is stoked about the dress code. Still, students accept the discipline, knowing it will elevate them.

“The uniforms make you look professional — ready for the real world,” said senior Caleb Littlejohn, 18, who transferred from Cody High School. “It builds a stronger male. The black male needs to get ready for business, know how to tie a tie, keep his pants up and hold a conversation with someone he doesn’t know. When I came to Frederick Douglass, I found a group of young men who wanted success. That made me want to succeed.”

Class sizes average 15, instead of the typical 25 or 30, and they are essential to give disadvantaged students needed attention.

“It’s really hands on,” said Quinton Watkins, 18, a senior and student body president with a 3.54 grade-point average. “It’s easier to have a one-on-one relationship with your teachers. They’re like family.”

Like many Frederick Douglass students, Davon Tolbert, a 17-year-old senior, was pushed here by his mother, after getting in trouble at Maya Angelou Elementary School. “I had an attitude problem, but coming here changed my life,” he said. “I felt that people were trying to help me, not fight me.”

Davon plans to go to film school. Orlando is considering culinary arts. With a full scholarship, Quinton plans a music or broadcasting career. Caleb has a shot at West Point.

It’s a shame that many of their brothers, with equal potential, have dropped out, headed for a life on the margin or even to prison. Schools like Frederic Douglass Academy show how Detroit, and the nation, can flip that script.

JEFF GERRITT is a Free Press editorial writer. Contact him at gerritt@freepress.com or 313-222-6585.

Related content
‘Boys to Men’ forum

Mayor Dave Bing, Bishop Edgar L. Vann II and others will lead an education forum Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., on improving Detroit’s 25% high school graduation rate. “Boys to Men” will be held at Wayne County Community College Downtown Detroit Campus, 1001 W. Fort St., and is open to the public.

The event includes panel discussions moderated by Fox 2 Anchorman Huel Perkins and is intended to develop policy recommendations on education and reducing violence.

To register, contact Vanguard Community Development Corporation at 313-872-7831, or www.vanguardcdc.org.

——————————————————————————–

 

Tags: detroit black males

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 9:23 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.