Madison School Board President James Howard says parent engagement is key to black students' success

Pat Schneider:

T: The assumption in the discussion of parent engagement and academic achievement is that it is African-American parents who are not engaged.

JH: I think that's the reality of it. The question is: why aren't they engaged? The latest survey we had showed that roughly 40 percent of African-American high school students were not engaged. Why? What happens to the kids? We seem to lose them over time, and we lose the parents.

CT: That's a pernicious thing for black youth, isn't it? Why do you think it's happening?

JH: I think one of the things is that we need to create a culture in our schools that these kids can feel they are more a part of. For example, we don't present "American" history -- there's a lot of African-American history that never makes it to the books. So, if we as a country, as a community, would depict the true picture and make them part of it, I think kids would remain engaged longer.

Related: An interview the Henry Tyson, Superintendent of Milwaukee's St. Marcus school.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at July 16, 2012 2:04 AM
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