Parental responsibility touches nerve

Eugene Kane

The panel discussion at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee was timely.

The topic: Failing black males in the public schools.

On Saturday, educators, community leaders, students and one journalist gathered for a screening of a documentary, "Beyond the Bricks." The film, directed by Derek Koen, covers the academic struggles and dreams of two Newark, N.J., high school students trying to stay on the right track.

One is a bright young black male frustrated that his peers don't seem to appreciate doing well in school; the other is a disenchanted black student struggling to continue an education offering little stimulation.

It is a timely subject for a documentary, seeing how failing black students are in the news a lot these days due to a rash of reports that suggest black males are doing even worse than previously thought.

My appearance on the panel came before publication of my Sunday column, which also looked at the issue of failing black males and the parents who failed them.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at November 17, 2010 3:40 AM
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