January 1, 2025

As a product of Chicago Public Schools and a first-generation college graduate, I have been researching and writing about Black male achievement since publishing my first book, “Don’t Quit—Inspirational Poetry” (1990). This led to me working with Black male students in the Los Angeles Unified Schools and Los Angeles Juvenile Court Schools in the areas of writing and public speaking. These experiences led to my engaging in independent research and publishing my first book specifically addressing issues of Black male achievement, “Empowering African-American Males to Succeed: A Ten Step Approach for Parents and Teachers” (1992). That book was followed by “Empowering African-American Males: A Guide to Increasing Black Male Achievement” (2005) and “Teaching, Parenting, and Mentoring Successful Black Males: A Quick Guide” (2007). Collectively, these books outlined research-based, research-responsive, and evidenced-based strategies supporting a systemic approach to increasing Black male achievement. So why are parents, teachers, mentors, coaches, administrators, and school superintendents still struggling with increasing Black male achievement? The simple answer is oftentimes the correct answer—they do not have the will.

Not only in raising our two sons (pictured above) but also in providing college planning guidance for students, we have implemented successful strategies for increasing Black male achievement. For over 30 years, my wife and I have, through the countless hours of guidance provided to Black males through our first contracts with LAUSD in 1992 to our College Planning Program (which began in our church and expanded into our work in Florence School District 3 (SC), Guilford County Schools (NC), and Pinellas County Schools (FL)) my wife and I have continually honed and tuned the strategies presented in these respective books. We have many notable successes such as our younger son Jalani, a Gates Millennium Scholar; our older son Mychal-David, who received a BA in English from Amherst College; Sam Patterson, a Rhodes Scholar; Tar-U-Way Bright, an ELC Scholar; Julian Nelums, a Posse Scholar; Damian Lee, a Northeastern University Torch Scholar; Justin Cleckley, a Georgia Tech Gold Scholar; Justin Matthews, who received a BS in Physics from Dillard and a Master’s in Engineering from Georgia Tech; Chase Williamson, who is now attending Caltech; and many more. More broadly, however, over the past 30 years little has changed regarding Black male achievement.

Here’s Why

According to theU.S. Census Bureau, 50.8% of Black children are being raised in single-parent households. Of these, 46.3% are female-headed households. More Black children are being raised in single female-headed households than all other demographic groups combined. Consequently, single mothers raising Black boys need help; however, support from teachers, counselors, coaches, administrators, churches, community-based organizations, and mentoring programs is lacking. This reality should not be taken to imply that these respective groups of people do not want to be supportive, they simply are unwilling to do what is needed—at least as it pertains to increasing academic achievement. While every stakeholder in Black male success has an agenda, that agenda is rarely academic. Social workers want to keep Black boys in safe households; coaches want to keep Black boys on the team; fraternities and sororities want to make Black boys feel valued; the Boys & Girls Clubs want to keep Black boys off of the streets and out of the criminal justice system; school districts want to keep Black boys in school and decrease high school drop-out rates; churches want to teach the gospel and spread the good news; but none of these stakeholders has a mission to increase Black male achievement. Consequently, because this is not their focus, many, if not all, of these stakeholders are unwilling to do what is needed to increase Black male achievement.

So What is Needed?

The illustration above reflects the comprehensive set of strategies required to achieve systemic and sustainable increases in Black male achievement (Empowering African-American Males, p. x). This is the process that we, as parents, followed to ensure our sons’ achievement, and that we have followed as college advisers to elevate Black males to achievement levels uncommon in their households, schools, school districts, and mentoring programs. These are proven strategies, but they require work and collaboration—work that few teachers, counselors, coaches, administrators, schools, school districts, mentoring programs, and churches are willing to commit to; and a level of collaboration with Black mothers that is almost exclusively social/emotional and rarely focused on student achievement.

Before disagreeing, consider the following questions for any parent, teacher, counselor, coach, mentor, church leader, or organization working with Black males:

  1. How many books and articles have you read about increasing Black male achievement?
  2. What is your “Mission” relative to increasing Black male achievement?
  3. What is your “Vision” of what Black male achievement looks and feels like?
  4. What is the “Climate and Culture” that you must develop to achieve your Mission and realize your Vision?
  5. What is the “Curriculum and Content” that you will rely on to achieve your Mission and realize your Vision?
  6. What is the “Method of Instruction” that you will use to achieve your Mission and realize your Vision?
  7. How will you “Assess” your success in achieving your Mission and realizing your Vision?
  8. How will you adjust your strategies based on your assessment?

This is hard work. Most parents, teachers, coaches, counselors, administrators, superintendents, clergy, mentors, and community-based leaders cannot agree on a shared mission and vision. Because of this, their strategies, no matter how well-intended, have and will continue to fail.

So Where are the Black Males?

Two of our school district partners, after experiencing the enormous success that we were having with their Black male population, decided that they could do it themselves and replicate our success. Their arrogance was astounding. They partnered with our foundation because of their history of failing to significantly increase Black male achievement. They witnessed our ability to achieve with a small budget what they were unable to do, despite spending millions of dollars annually. Then after a few years of observing our success, rather than increasing funding for our program, they canceled it in favor of pursuing replicating our program and results. Needless to say, despite spending a lot more money, both school districts have failed miserably in replicating our results. Why? Because there are no shortcuts. 

One of our fraternity partners has learned that hosting monthly meetings without relying on a curriculum, planning the meetings, or following the process is easier, but will not result in significantly measurable increases in Black male achievement.

Even our church home, despite witnessing first-hand the 15-year success through our time as Education Ministry Leaders, was unable to continue the hard work that had resulted in nationally publicized success in increasing Black male achievement and expanding postsecondary access.

This is not to be taken as criticism of any people, organizations, or programs. I am simply pointing out that until people, organizations, and programs commit to the work—all of the work—Black males will continue to underperform academically.

Here is where we are today (12/31/24):

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is one of the many data sources providing insight into how dire the situation is.

2022 4th Grade Reading results for Black students:

  • 56% below Basic
  • 14% Proficient
  • 3% Advanced

2022 8th Grade Reading results for Black students:

  • 47% below Basic
  • 14% Proficient
  • 1% Advanced

2019 12th Grade Reading results for Black students:

  • 50% below Basic
  • 16% Proficient
  • 1% Advanced

2022 4th Grade Math results for Black students:

  • 45% below Basic
  • 14% Proficient
  • 1% Advanced

2022 8th Grade Math results for Black students:

  • 62% below Basic
  • 8% Proficient
  • 1% Advanced

2019 12th Grade Math results for Black students:

  • 66% below Basic
  • 7% Proficient
  • 0% Advanced

ACT 2024 National Profile Report

The underperformance of Black students on the national reading and math assessments should be a predictor, as they are, of Black college-bound student performance on the ACT.

Based on the 2024 ACT exam results, following are the percentages of Black students who met the college readiness benchmarks by subject area:

  • 27% English
  • 18% Reading
  • 9% Science
  • 8% Mathematics
  • 5% All Four

As reflected in the story of Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody, where there was an important job to be done. Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did. Somebody got angry about it, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.

In these many years since I first published strategies for increasing Black male achievement, the story of Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody is as relevant today as it was in 1992.