Minority Male GPA Levels

Topic: Improving Minority Males school performances

 minority male school performance

Problem:

Minority High School Male students (from the two largest groups – African-American and Hispanic American) perform below the national average in both Math (74%) and Reading (19%).

Math

National Average:  527
White-American: 551
African-American: 435
Asian American: 611
Hispanic American: 470
Native American: 496

SOURCE: Mathematics 

Reading

National Average: 282*
White American: 285
African-American: 256
Asian American: 287
Hispanic American: 266
Native American: 269

*Nationally, High School Male student’s reading scores are 10% lower than Female students.

SOURCE: Reading

Causes:

Poor school attendance (Lateness and family funding for personal care)

Non-parent involvement (Parent neglect in academic achievement)

Not prepared for High School (Below middle school academic skill levels in Math and Reading)

How the 100% Graduation Rate Program Address the Problem:

  1. We held 12 after-school training sessions on Economics and the U.S. Legal System for 9th graders.
  2. We collected each student’s report card, from the 9th to the 12th grade.
  3. We sponsored 3 annual field trips with the students and their rival high school, from the 9th grade to the end of the 12th.
  4. We develop a quarterly academic progress group chart, at the start of the 2nd marking period of the 9th grade.
  5. We met with each student’s guidance counselor at the start of the 10th grade.
  6. We met with each student to discuss their academic needs at the beginning of the 10th grade.
  7. We held 18 after-school Social Skill and study training sessions for 10th graders.
  8.  We did not allow students with a below C average, to attend their high school program field trips.
  9.  We called each student’s parent if a student had any subject, grade below C, beginning at the start of the 3rd marking period in the 10th grade.
  10. We help students in finding summer employment after the 10th grade; if they did not have to attend summer school.
  11. We met with students and their teachers, if a student had a below C average, starting in the 11th grade.

100% Graduation Rate Program Results:

Camden, New Jersey – **Program Participants  Group B (105) compared to Program Sample Group A (105)

The Male Program participants had a 35% higher Grade Point Average of C or Above, at the completion of high school. Compared to the City’s sample group of males – 91% (96 out of 105) to 56% (59 out 105)

**Selection Process:
Each year, the City’s two largest high schools – Camden High and Woodrow Wilson – Guidance Departments selected 15 incoming high school freshmen for the program. These students were classified as at-risk, based on having grades below C in Math and/or Reading, or had a poor student behavior problem.

The students were then randomly assigned to a Program Group- A (Non-treatment) or Group B (Program Treatment) – based on their seating during the program’s orientation.

Our Recommendations:

School Districts develop career path curriculum tracks to:

  • encourage students to seek careers with their related subject interest, starting in middle school
  • expose 4th grade students to professional career day workshops
  • implement a digital system to assure student’s parent have access to their child’s quarterly report cards starting from k thru 12.