African-American Student Academic Success: Strategies and Programs

Introduction: The Academic Achievement Gap

Do African-American students use different strategies to achieve academic success than other groups? The strategies suggested by African-American students themselves carry significant merit when it comes to their own academic achievement. In a research study published in the Child Study Journal (Tucker et al., 2000), 22 elementary and 21 high school students completed an open-ended questionnaire exploring how to enhance the academic success of African-American youth.

The questionnaire was administered to the 43 students because, as the authors note, "there exists a persistent and substantial gap between the school performance of African-American and European-American students." The central questions addressed in this paper are: what explains this gap, and what strategies and programs need to be implemented to bridge it, prepare more African-American students for a successful college experience, and thereby provide greater economic power to those young people.

Student Perspectives on Dropout and School Performance

The authors also noted that "the views of African-American students, who are, perhaps, the real experts regarding problems that occur among themselves, are often excluded from this theorizing and intervention planning." The results of another survey — conducted through interviews with thousands of parents, teachers, and 10,000 students, also reported by Tucker et al. — showed that students on the whole reported "high levels of school satisfaction." However, there was "general displeasure" among the 10,000 students regarding the lack of effectiveness of school counselors and administrators, as well as "the limited encouragement given by teachers."

When asked "Why do African-American students drop out of school more often than European-American students?", the 22 African-American elementary students (13 females, 9 males) responded as follows: 28% said Black students "have to work" or "girls get pregnant"; 21% cited "disinterest in school"; 17% pointed to "peer pressure"; 14% attributed it to "badness"; and 10% blamed "racism." Among high school students surveyed, 31% believed their Black classmates "just give up"; 21% cited "personal problems"; 17% named "racism"; 14% pointed to "lack of attention at home"; and 10% selected "peer pressure."

Both elementary students (51%) and high school students (26%) indicated that parental help with study skills would improve grades. Yet the single most important factor identified by students at both levels — in terms of building stronger academic foundations in preparation for college — was that teachers need to "ask questions" specifically designed to determine whether students understand the material, and if not, "provide further explanations." Research on the achievement gap in the United States consistently highlights similar themes of instructional quality and student engagement.

The Role of School Counselors in Urban Settings

On the subject of counselors, an article in the High School Journal (Butler, 2003) argues that African-American students do indeed need different strategies to achieve academic success. Because a portion of African-American adolescents live in single-parent households and below the poverty level, and as a result "are likely to question the relationship between educational achievement and economic progress," school counselors must adopt strategies that go beyond their formal job descriptions. "At different times," Butler writes, "their positions may require that they function as advisors, consultants, and advocates." Such interventions might include "peer instruction strategies, collaborative learning assignments, and an infusion of culturally relevant material into classroom curricula."

Counselors, the article continues, could and should encourage family members and respected community adults to become "active participants in interventions" targeting specific African-American urban high school students. Counselors could also nurture "cultural pride and foster academic achievement and career aspirations" through activities such as "field trips to local professional companies that have large African-American staffs or leaders." The importance of school counselors in supporting minority students is well documented in educational psychology literature.

Conclusion: High Expectations as a Path to Success

Perhaps a key to the success of DAPCEP, and other programs that introduce African-American students to pre-college subjects that challenge and prepare them for lucrative careers, is the emphasis on a curriculum that "places high demands and expectations on participating students." Many students have the ability — they simply need the encouragement, opportunity, and high expectations to realize it.