A RESOURCE GUIDE FOR APPLYING NCLB IN HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOMS
COMPONENT: Assisting African American Students
DEFINITION: The No Child Left Behind Act provides for African American students under the major racial/ethnic subgroups in the provisions for making adequate yearly progress, for ensuring that all students are challenged by the same academic content and student academic achievement standards, and for closing the achievement gaps between low and high performing high school students.
SUMMARY OF NCLB REQUIREMENTS

The No Child Left Behind Act requires all students, including African American students to:
  1. Meet the same challenging academic content and student academic achievement standards in reading or language arts, mathematics, science, and other subjects determined by the State.

  2. Receive instruction and support from highly qualified teachers who use scientifically based teaching methods, materials, and instructional technology.

  3. Participate in the same annual academic assessments in reading or language arts, mathematics, science, and other subjects assessed by the State.

  4. Meet annual measurable objectives for determining adequate yearly progress toward reaching the proficient achievement level in reading or language arts and mathematics by 2013-2014.

  5. Consider options to transfer to other schools if their schools are identified for school improvement, corrective action, or restructuring.

In addition, the No Child Left Behind Act requires that assessment results be disaggregated for economically disadvantaged students, students from major racial and ethnic groups, students with disabilities, and students with limited English proficiency. At least 95 percent of African American students must be included as part of their subgroup in academic assessments for determining annual yearly progress (AYP).
SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Working with low achieving African-American students will require the use of complementary and interactive strategies and professional services. The following examples are appropriate for enhancing academic programs for African American high school students. The purpose of these strategies and services is to raise the academic performance of African-American students in their classes, on State academic assessments, and on State requirements for high school graduation.

After School and Week End Program - African American under achieving high school students can raise their academic performances through the implementation of carefully structured and effectively operated after school and weekend programs. Program administrators should look for innovative curricula and activities that promote greater achievement results. The curricula offerings and activities should include materials of special interest and importance to African American students. The programs should be flexible in order to meet individual students needs and strive to have a better student/staff/adult ratio. Multi-age groupings are encouraged. Goals might include: building self-worth and age-appropriate independence; substance abuse and anti-social behavior resistance; reinforce school day learning; quiet study, enrichment; enhanced motivation; job readiness; career and career training options information. (Reference 1)

Cooperative Learning - African American students can benefit substantially from involvement in cooperative learning activities, during or after the school day. This strategy, supported by research, is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. The learning teams may include students of varying degrees of skills development. The teams and the students as individuals make a solid commitment to learning the required tasks. Team members are not only responsible for their own learning but also assume responsibility to help others learn. As members of learning teams, the students can build collective commitment to academics, attain content standards, acquire necessary habits, develop leadership and responsibility skills, increase linkages to classmates, school and community. (Reference 2)

Motivation - Motivation is an internal state or condition that serves to activate or energize behavior and give it direction. If low-performing African American high school students are to increase their levels of academic performance, they must raise their motivational levels. This is in addition to the other required changes of the No Child Left Behind Act such as increasing teacher quality and performance, the use of research based instructional improvement strategies, and standardized testing. Many African American high school students associate learning with drudgery and fail to invest themselves fully in the learning experiences. Motivation to learn is a competence that can be acquired. “Equality of Academic Results” will involve the equalities of opportunity, resources, motivation, effort, and assessment. (References 3, 4)

Building Connectivity - Researchers have begun to point to student attitudes as a major, if often overlooked, factor in school achievement. Many attitudes are related to the students’ sense of “school connectedness” or not. A likely premise is that the greater the sense of connection of students to school, family, city, neighborhood, and nation; the greater the motivation of students to do well on their academic assignments. That being the case, an after-school program serving low performing African American students should develop strategies that will heighten the sense of connectivity of the students to the school and to each other. The program teachers must work to foster strong relationships with students and make them feel valuable contributors to the classes and to the school. (Reference 5)

Technology Mastery - A special focus should be on helping African American high school students acquire computer and information technology skills. With more skills, these students will be able to better bridge the achievement gaps between themselves and non-minority students. The students should use the technology to increase their performance in the academic requirements. The students should become eager and effective users of the Internet and take advantage of its endless sources of information. Improvement programs can focus on the use of national distance learning networks. Learning teams of students can be trained to become technology tutors to elementary age students, their peers, and adults. A special technology linkage can be made with N.A.S.A. and its educational program to booster interest and scores in mathematics and science. (Reference 6)

Assessing for Learning - Many low performing African American high school students may see the new high academic standards and the demand for higher test scores as unattainable. And they may possibly give up in hopelessness. Therefore, both the in-class and after school programs should develop a system of assessment of learning as well as assessment FOR learning. Assessment for learning must involve students in the process. Program staff will use the classroom assessment process and the continuous flow of information about student achievement that it provides in order to advance, not merely check on, student learning. They do this by: having clear achievement targets and learning goals, building students’ confidence, providing frequent descriptive feedback and insights on how to improve; adjusting instruction based on results; and providing constant communication with students and families. (Reference 7)

Providing Adult Mentorship - A strong relationship with a teacher, counselor, or administrator in high school can help propel students to succeed in school and to propel them to aim for college or other postsecondary education. Research shows that African American students, however, are less likely than their white peers to develop the type of bond with an adult at school that facilitates high academic performance and subsequent entry into higher education. Adults can serve as valuable role models, encourage higher expectations on the part of youth, and transmit values and principles that can guide youth to more positive choices relative to their actions, attitudes and life styles. (Reference 8)

Multicultural Competence - Many low achieving African American students need to find their place in society. They need to view themselves in what they are learning and how history and cultures shape their lives. They need to develop their own identity in the context of the past, present, and future and understand their history and their struggles to become full Americans. They must appreciate the power of our constitution and our system and process of government. This exploration will heighten their self-esteem, solidify their sense of equality, and build capacity to work effectively with all citizens. They must rise above evidences of continued racism by some and resist self-pity, despair, and hopelessness. (Reference 9)
SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

References

Reference 1 - From a Review of Effective After School Programs, Toks Fashola: CRESPAR 1998)

Reference 2 - http://www.ed.gov/pubs/OR/ConsumerGuides/cooplear.html

Reference 3 - Raffini, James. Winners without Losers: Structures and Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation to Learn, Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1993.

Reference 4 - Brophy, Jere. On Motivating Students. Occasional Paper No. 101 East Lansing Michigan, Institute for Research on Teaching, Michigan State University, October 1986

Reference 5 – National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a survey of 72,000 students, iversity of Minnesota’s Center for Adolescent Health and Development. – Robert Blum.

Reference 6 – Community Learning and Information Network, Washington, D.C.

Reference 7– Assessment for Learning, Rick Stiggins, Assessment Training Institute

References 8/9 – High School Issue Papers, Research for Democracy – A joint project of the Temple University Center for Public Policy.

Other Sources

School to Prison Pipeline: Charting Intervention Strategies of Prevention and Support for Minority Children Conference, Harvard Civil Rights Project, May 16-17, 2003.

Best Practices: Ensuring Equitable and Effective Discipline that Supports High Achievement for All Students, 1999. Milwaukee Catalyst and Designs for Change.

Small Schools Project of the Center for Reinventing Public Education.

Making the School the Object of Student Learning: Youth United for Change in Philadelphia.