What does the future hold for African American boys who are struggling in our nation’s classrooms? Without help from caring adults at home, in the community, and in the schools, those black boys may never be able to rediscover their sense of wonder about learning-indeed, their sense of hope. When that happens, the entire nation loses: "School failure can lead to life failure-including dependency and crime and all the things we don’t want to have to pay for as a society," says James Comer of the Yale Child Studies Center. 

Concerned educators, activists, and parents suggest a range of solutions: 

PARENT INVOLVEMENT: "The quality of any school rests a great deal on how much parents support it," says Harry Morgan. "Parents and teachers need to be partners."

Yet, even though participation is critical it’s not always practical: Many African American families have only one parent, and some of them are working two jobs to earn a decent living. What’s more, many black mother who try to participate in school activities report feeling unwelcome, unheard, and at times intimidated in their efforts.

Forming small, informal support groups may help: "Black parents don’t compare notes about what’s going on in the schools enough," says Michele March. "It’s as if we think asking questions is like getting in each other’s business. But we really need to network more."  

SCHOOL OUTREACH: "Often public school administrators don’t expect the same level of active involvement from poor black and Hispanic inner-city parents that they would from middle-class suburban parents," says Gretchen Booth, a resource specialist in the Los Angeles school district. But when they require input from all parents-single or married, working or not-the effect can be powerful, she adds. "At the Vaughn Learning Center in Los Angeles, the principal reached out fiercely and refused to let any of the parents off the hook," she says, "And, lo and behold, the moms were delighted to be thought of as valuable members of the community."  

TEACHER TRAINING: To improve the quality of education for all students-including black males-instructors will need continuous staff training around cultural, class, gender, and language issues.

Black teachers can also benefit from such in-service training: In the New Orleans study that reported less than half the teachers expected their black male students to go to college, for instance, 65 percent of these respondents were African American. In response to such findings, Antione Garibaldi, provost of Howard University and author of the study, recommends that teachers training courses include a component that examines how African American professionals internalize racism. 

MALE MENTORS AND INSTRUCTORS: The earlier black boys are exposed to black men in academic settings, the better, educators agree. The sight of male teachers in the early elementary grades will help boys appreciate how important school is. "We’ve got to get to these boys while they’re still young-five to eight years old," days Spencer Holland, who also directs a mentoring and academic support program called Project 2000 in Washington, D.C. "Otherwise, they may look at classroom learning as a “feminine thing” that they want no part of."

If there are no black male role models in the schools, mentoring programs, available in larger cities around the country, can help. But volunteers in these organizations don’t have to be black to influence African American boys, says Holland: "White men are just as effective in these mentoring programs as black men. Young black boys won’t see color, they’ll see a nice, caring man."  

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Schools can’t solve all the problems that many black boys face as they grow. Community groups and after-school programs that offer boys social, physical, and emotional outlets for their energy-track clubs, martial arts, music programs, leadership training, and the like-can ultimately help children come to school better prepared to learn.  

SCHOOL REFORM: At the district level, administrators can stop the inappropriate use of ability (or tracking) in the classrooms, task forces can set up ways to make the curriculum more relevant to all children in the classrooms, and resource specialists can reexamine the guidelines for referring students to special education classes. In the end, such reforms could eventually help all students experience excellence.

Unquestionably, there are plenty of effective, creative teachers who give the very best to all of their students regardless of race or gender. Likewise, many principals and administrators are doing all they can to help all children enjoy the best that schools have to offer.

However, too many educators have failed to join their ranks an, in doing so, they have failed African American boys in their charge. For this to change, every parent and every educator must make it their business to see that every child is given the tools he needs to succeed. Perhaps it also takes a village to educate a child.

"We’ve lost out tribal sense of community, and we need to regain it, big time," says Gretchen Booth of Los Angeles school district. "But as society becomes healed of its biases-especially those that say this child matters more than that child-no child’s needs will go unnoticed, and no child will be allowed to slip through the cracks.