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Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Book Gives African-American Students Tips for Success in High School and College

By Debra Dominguez-Lund
Journal Staff Writer
    Manzano High School sophomore Simone Crum says the biggest challenge faced by her and her black peers is that they lack parental, educational and community support.
    "Having someone show us they really care really helps," said Crum, whose high school reported one of the city's higher black student populations in 2005-2006 at 5.9 percent.
    In the 2005-06 school year, 4 percent of the district's 94,556 students were black, according to Albuquerque Public Schools.
    "If people would just encourage us, be role models and go that extra mile telling us we're 'doing a good job' every now and then— I believe we'd really do better," Crum said.
    That's why the 15-year-old student said she's glad the New Mexico Office of African American Affairs has published a new guidebook for parents, educators and black students.
    It's called "Accelerating African American Student Achievement in New Mexico Public Schools Grades 9-12" and it's free.
    It was published to help black students better prepare for high school graduation and become proficient enough to enter college, said Harold Bailey, executive director of the office.
    "Although the publication is designed for African-American students and presented from a black perspective, all students can benefit from the book," Bailey said.
    The 65-page publication includes ways to improve black high school student performance by setting tasks for each grade.
    For example, ninth-graders are told to sign up for the "right courses" that will prepare them for college or workplace competency, while 10th-graders are told to develop research skills and "work to control the time you spend watching TV ... and hanging out."
    Bailey hopes the book will help increase black college attendance rates and reduce high school dropout rates.
    In 2004-2005, total student enrollment in New Mexico high schools was 98,202— with the black student population making up 2,342 students or 2.38 percent of the total, the book says.
    According to 2004 Education Trust data, about 33 percent of black students graduating from New Mexico high schools enroll in college within four years, the book states. Black students comprise 2 percent of the enrollment in two-year colleges and 2 percent in four-year colleges in the state, the book said.
    The dropout rate for black high school students was 5.5 percent in 2003-2004 or 128 of the 2,286 black students enrolled, according to the state education department.
    Crum said she believes many of her black peers don't succeed because they think achieving academic success is to "act white."
    "It's like they don't know success is OK, so, they end up acting different in class, not answering questions in class to impress each other," Crum said. "I'm an honor student, and so are my friends, but I know some other black student groups think of us as a group of 'goody two shoes' because we study.
    "But we study anyway," she said. "I think that's what other black students should do, too: Get together and support each other."
    Crum plans to meet with black students at other schools to talk about the publication and its advice.
    Bailey said his office has already distributed the publication to more than 70 teachers, 300 black students and 500 parents and community members statewide.
    He said New Mexico Secretary of Education Veronica Garcia also requested more than 175 copies to distribute to state superintendents and administrators.
    Garcia said she believes the No. 1 issue facing black students and most students of color is poverty.
    She also said students of color are often subjected to low expectations as a whole.
    "We need to break down those barriers and raise our expectations of them," Garcia said. "I think the book is an excellent project— one that should help us close the academic achievement gap for African-American students in New Mexico. And it's a critical resource for educators to help them meet the specific needs of African-American children."
   
How to get it
    The guidebook, "Accelerating African American Student Achievement in New Mexico Public Schools Grades 9-12," can be downloaded at www.state.nm.us/hsd/ oaaa under the student achievement guide link. Free copies are available at the New Mexico Office of African American Affairs, 1015 Tijeras NW.
   
Tips for parents and mentors
   

Know how your child is performing in each school subject.
   

Know how your child's school is doing overall compared to New Mexico academic standards and whether it is meeting "Adequate Yearly Progress" or AYP.
   

Obtain information about your child's school performance with specific groups of students, including African-American students.
   

Know that if you ask, the school must have regular meetings with you to discuss your concerns about your child's education.
   

Transfer your child to a higher-performing school or get tutoring to raise the academic achievement of your child at "no cost to you."
   

Show that you think homework is important and that your child has set aside enough time for homework.
   

Look for warning signs in the homework that might indicate your child is not being academically challenged, like finishing homework very quickly or having no homework at all.
    -- Source: "Accelerating African American Student Achievement in New Mexico Public Schools Grades 9-12."
   
   
   
Enrollment
    Percentage of African-American students at Albuquerque high schools, 2005-2006 school year:
   

Albuquerque— 5.7 percent
   

Cibola— 4.6 percent
   

Del Norte— 6.3 percent
   

Eldorado-- 2.4 percent
   

Highland— 8.8 percent
   

La Cueva— 2.3 percent
   

Manzano— 5.9 percent
   

Rio Grande— 1.4 percent
   

Sandia— 3.5 percent
   

Valley— 1.8 percent
   

West Mesa— 3.7 percent
   

    -- Source: APS