<p>So there seems to be a huge disproportion of females who are successful academically than males of all races. But in the African-American community it seems to be most evident. I decided to start this thread because on the thread entitled "What kind of schools do you attend?" many posters commented on the lack of black males in AP and honors courses, so I propose we discuss it here. (Oh and I wanted to ensure that there are more posts in the AA Students section so the moderators don't decide to delete it, bc I think it is a good idea.)</p>
<p>That's a very interesting thought. I never noticed that there were a lack of black males in Honors/AP classes[okay I did but in comparision to the females]. I mean, black girls are a lot different from black guys; and there's always a higher female proportion in comparision to the male ratio.</p>
<p>I wouldn't say that there is a fundamental difference between black males and black females, only that there is more representation of the former.</p>
<p>I think in my area black boys are not being actively engaged in the different programs available for gifted youths. Recently it's come out in Iowa schools, black boys are more likely to be put in special ed. or labeled as behavioral disordered, something I know that in white children might be a clue as to their "gifted"-ness. As a matter of fact, in elementary school when the G/T program sent out those pamphlets about how to properly parent a gifted child, it said that parents must be advocates for their children and they may be labeled as disruptive, behavioral disordered, or any number of euphemisms that are constantly affixed onto black male youths without question. </p>
<p>I also think that poor white males fall through the cracks too easily as well, as my poor white friends are not properly represented in higher level classes. But black males in particular are also given harsher punishments on average for the same unacceptable infractions.</p>
<p>Psssst! Check this out!
The</a> Education Trust - Closing the Achievement Gap</p>
<p>Sort for graduation rate gaps at the bottom.</p>
<p>I know in my school the black males who have the potential to do well in aps and honors dont take those courses bc its not considered cool and its not expected of them. For females its a little diff, no other females look down on me bc i challenge myself academically, boys get a lot of flack for it</p>
<p>The white population at my school do not expect a black male to be smart. when a black male does achieve, teachers and other students act so surprised, like it not normal for them to be intelligent. This year there were 3 black females who got the national achievement, and one black male. Even I was surprised at this boy bc he doesn't take any honors/ap and doesn't do any other activities. Clearly he is not living up to his full potential </p>
<p>I think it has much to do with our culture and music. Role models for most black males are athletes, rappers, etc(and this is speaking from observing the black males around me), not men like Barack, Collen Powell, etc. Until Obama, the black boys in my school could care less about politics and education, they actually looked down on it. I like rap, but when u think of it, this genre of music reveres men who kill, sell drugs, get hoes, and survive 9 shots!! Most of the high achieveing blk females i know listen to this music but dont succumb to it. The boys do.</p>
<p>In my school I find there are more females that care about their education and look up to those who succeed in other areas than sports, singing, acting, etc</p>
<p>These are my observations.</p>
<p>Hmmmmm...my experience is that I never idolized rappers. I much more found role models in men like Colin Powell.
There is certainly a perceptional issue at hand, I truly believe that the only reason that black people (and black males in particular) fail to achieve a high level of academic merit, is because they fail to SEE the images of successful black males outside a mere monetary capacity.
I put emphasis on the "SEE" becuase there are numerous successful black males in our society, but often times I think that those individuals are marginalized within a percetual complex to acting white or some equivalent moniker.</p>
<p>I agree on the seeing thing, and yes the black males in my school equate the actions of these successful black males as "acting white", it makes my blood boil to hear ppl say things like that, how can u act a race???? </p>
<p>maybe its where i live but all the males idolize rappers, the scarcity of ppl like Dbate who do look to high achieveing black men as role models greatly contributes to the disparity between achievement</p>
<p>
[quote]
I put emphasis on the "SEE" becuase there are numerous successful black males in our society, but often times I think that those individuals are marginalized within a percetual complex to acting white or some equivalent moniker.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I think the cause for this is that a lot of the ideal black role models aren't easily accessible. You kind of have to be involved in politics to really even know who they are which many kids (not just black ones) aren't. Rappers on the other hand are part of American culture as a whole.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I agree on the seeing thing, and yes the black males in my school equate the actions of these successful black males as "acting white", it makes my blood boil to hear ppl say things like that, how can u act a race????
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I also don't see this happening too much with the standard "black role model." I don't think that I've ever heard of someone disregarding Rice, Powell, Obama, other Obama (Michelle <3), etc for acting white. I think people recognize that they at least deserve some respect. As for people like me (a youngin) things are much different. I'm criticized all the time for acting white, but alas I'm over it (although it troubled me for a while in my youth).</p>
<p>It bothers me too when people say that I "act white". It especially bothers me because I think it's like saying black people aren't capable of intelligent conversation and behaving in a civilized, mature manner. What's worse is that more black people say that as opposed to white people. It's that attitude that makes feel like I "fit in" with white people better but in reality I fit in the the AP students better where the majority happen to be white.</p>
<p>At the school where I go to our African-American population is around 80% yet in my AP's there are only 2-3 black guys per class. I know of 5 other black guys who take AP level classes. There are about 4-6 black girls in an AP class but I know of many more black girls in the AP level classes as opposed to the guys. In each class, I'd the black representation per class is less than 25%. I think that is a dismal number in comparison to the total population. </p>
<p>It should also be noted that the majority of the students in our AP classes are labeled "gifted". I am opposed to this because I did not meet the qualifications for "gifted" but I consistently do much better than my other classmates. </p>
<p>The honors classes at my school reflect an even greater gender disparity. I would say that 50% of the honors classes are comprised of black students but the majority of them are female. There are only 2-3 black male students in the honors level as well.</p>
<p>I think that one reason is the need for black guys to be cool and reflect the images that they see around them whereas black women typically want to achieve better than what's around them. I also feel that it is harder for black women to find good strong husbands than for black men to find good strong wives.</p>
<p>
[quote]
"It bothers me too when people say that I "act white". It especially bothers me because I think it's like saying black people aren't capable of intelligent conversation and behaving in a civilized, mature manner. What's worse is that more black people say that as opposed to white people. It's that attitude that makes feel like I "fit in" with white people better but in reality I fit in the the AP students better where the majority happen to be white."
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It seems that all of the high achieving minority students have the same experiences, I get called white by more white and Asian ppl bc the only other black people that I talk to on a regular basis are also the ones who "act white".</p>
<p>my school has about 4,000 kids..
of all of them I am the only one in AP Calculus..</p>
<p>note there are 4 AP Calculus classes for calc in my school
Calculus Ab, Calculus Bc
Ap Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC</p>
<p>they span over the course of 2 yrs, but anyone can enter if they want to</p>
<p>Aside from me, NONE have any africans americans...</p>
<p>Honestly, its a lack of effort on most african american's part..
Most dont care, then there are the studious few who actually care.</p>
<p>People dont even think I'm black.
I only have 1 black friend who acts white... the rest of my friends are white and some Asian</p>
<p>Well, in my school there is definetly a lack of african americans in general. Only 2 % of a 1000 student population are minorities, which includes the ALANA. There's 3 african americans in my class including me and only two of us take AP courses (the only two african american girls in the senior class of 150) The other student who is male does well in school but he doesn't care about challenging himself and most of our class view him as "the next rapper" because he's good at spitting rhymes. I feel like some african american males are underestimated of their capabilities. The students in my school don't see any potential in african americans in general except for "football players, basketball players, and rappers" not as intellectuals. It's sad to see this, but I don't think it's always the case that they don't care I think some african american males just don't have the confidence. I mean how can you tell an african american young man that he can make it when the news headlines are saying that african american males are more likely to go to jail in their lifetime. Sometimes it seems like there's no hope. All caucasian friends at my school expect me to know the lyrics to every rap song but the funny thing is they happen to know the songs more then I do. Stereotypes can be the biggest weapon against african-americans. My first experience at a school I've now been at for five years, on my first day believe or not was when my best friend and I were sitting at a lunch table in eighth grade mind you. We were sitting at lunch with another african american young women and a caucasian young women. One of our teachers walked over and asked the girl why she was sitting with these "colored" girls. How can a 12 year old respond to a teacher calling them colored? I couldn't do anything, experiences like that could drive someone to not care about school or anything, but I took it the opposite way, I decided to work hard and prove to her I'm more then my color. I think African-American males just need support and encouragement that they CAN do whatever they want in the future. A perfect example would be Obama, although he's not full black he is perceived as black because of his appearance. He's the perfect idol for an african-american young man right now. </p>
<p>p.s. sorry this is long, I got a little carried away (lol)</p>
<p>This thread is totally appropriate because as a black female I feel this gap all the time. At my school, about 20% of the population is black. There are SO few in AP classes it is really sad. And I'm constantly ribbed for "acting white" even by white people!</p>
<p>I have a pretty big black population at my school (well in comparison to yours) but in general, both black females and males are lacking in advanced classes, and just in overall motivation for achievement. It's really discouraging just in general because I don't have a lot of people to relate to at my school, esp. guywise.</p>
<p>BUMP</p>
<p>I think the gender disparity might be leveling off:
[Black</a> Men May Have Begun to Close the Gender Gap in African-American Law School Enrollments](<a href=“http://www.jbhe.com/news_views/65_gendergap.html]Black”>Black Men May Have Begun to Close the Gender Gap in African-American Law School Enrollments)</p>
<p>But the black men who have made it far enough up the ladder to make it to the level of enrolling in law school are already a minority (when compared to females), no??</p>
<p>Why are our women more academically advanced than our men? There’s a historical reason for this. Most of us have a Southern agrarian background. This meant that help was needed to work the farms that many of our ancestors lived on, whether as owners or as sharecroppers. Men could do better at the back-breaking physical work than women could, so that’s where many of them stayed, and so traditionally were used to physical labor. That ethic stuck with them during the Great Migration when they began working in factories instead. </p>
<p>Women were less useful on the farm and so many were packed off to get whatever schooling they could. That especially happened in big farm families. Unmarried and uneducated women, as in many traditional societies around the world, were a liability. </p>
<p>Flash forward and you see how we ended up here. Black women have the tradition of schooling, black men don’t. And now that blue collar work has shriveled up in the cities (look at Baltimore, or Pittsburgh, or Chicago or Detroit) it’s the sisters, with their education, that have the advantage. The brothers have to learn a whole new bag of tricks while the women don’t.</p>
<p>I guess I go to an odd school. The school i’m in has a AA majority, while Whites and Asians make up the minority. AA students do like to challenge themselves, with honors/ap courses. But every now and then I have that one class usually in regular English were many just don’t care and sleep in class, that unmotivation spreads, versus the honors/ap were everyone is motivated and work their butt of for an A. Also its equal when it comes to achieving with the genders. Guys and Girls do great but girls do better only slightly.But my teacher pointed it out in my ap class hows there’s always more girls in ap classes.</p>
<p>To the OP; this concept runs through my mind everyday when i’m the only black male walking into the majority of my classes while my school is 75% african american and the biggest subgroup happens to be african american males. it’s ridiculous, yet astonishing, how there’s such a lack of black males excelling in academia and in the social ranks, in general. There’s always 4 or 5 black girls in my ap and honors classes, around 2 hispanic guys and 3 hispanic girls and everyone else, asians and whites, happens to be represented “normally.” but i’m always singled out because i don’t have any classmates around me who can identify with me … sure, i have the girls. but rarely, if not, ever, have i come into contact with another black male in my school who’s actually motivated to complete his work and set examples for underclassmen instead of standing in the halls 20 minutes after the bell rings. it bothers me that i have to represent them all by myself.</p>
<p>at the ron brown scholars selection weekend in DC last week, i happened to meet 7 other black males who have trail-blazed in their respective high schools. it was phenomenal to see my brothers together, discussing things that we all seemed to have common ground in. it was like a lightbulb effect to realize that our opinions on the clear and present gender disparity amongst african americans were essentially the same. </p>
<p>the big question is, what are we, as a race, going to do about it? honestly, i think it all starts within the individual. but there’s always things we can do, collectively, to fight this. that whole rap music thing can’t be used as an excuse though. i love hip hop and yes, i do agree that certain “rappers” convey things to their audiences (typical african american males) that, unfortunately, can instill misleading motives. but rap as a whole can’t be shunned because there are lyricists, such as common, mos def and nas, who actually speak and promote pure knowledge. these three rappers, in addition to other artists who i consider renaissance rappers, have a hard time with record sales because of the fact that their lyrics aren’t appealing to what african american males, in general, consider glamorous and successful. </p>
<p>i listen to all types of rappers; plies, lil wayne, jay-z, kanye and lupe amongst a plethora of others (from the dirtiest to the positively influential), yet my mind hasn’t been swayed to engage in the lifestyles that some of these rappers have experienced. i believe that it’s up to the black males to distinguish between what they want for themselves and the “fantasy realities” of rappers who boast about women and cars. in essence, i’m sure that all black males want the same thing … the american dream. we just have to show them that the american dream is attainable in different ways, other than following what some rappers promote which can inevitably lead to poor academic motivation, amongst other detriments. </p>
<p>another problem is the fact that a lot of successful african american males aren’t passing down the ladder of leadership and progress in our communities.</p>