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Black Students’ Poor Academic
Achievement: |
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| Part III: Students | |||||
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STUDENTS, YOU ARE! If you can
read and understand this column, you are old enough and smart enough to be
responsible. Though you may believe that others are responsible, YOU must
ultimately pay the costs for your miseducation. If you have not read my previous
columns about your parents and teachers, do that immediately. However, their
responsibility for your poor academic achievement does not excuse YOU from being
responsible.
Do you understand what your test scores mean? Don’t believe “They are not important”. They are. Others judge how smart you are and what you can accomplish by these scores. You must know where you stand. Your current station in life does not determine your future life unless you say so or act as if it does matter. |
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| Percentiles Scores | |||||
| The average African-American student’s
scores are in the 30%iles (percentile) while the average White student is in the
50-60%iles range. That is a huge gap. Let’s examine what this means.
A %ile tells the percentages other students scored above and below what you scored on a particular test. Thus, 30%ile means you scored better than 30% of all students taking that test and that 70% scored better than you. The average college looks for at least 50-60%ile scores to be a successful average student. Ivy League colleges and other exclusive colleges are looking for 90+%ile’s to compete in their environment. |
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| Ability Versus Achievement | |||||
| Most standardize tests use %iles or
similar variations to compare achievement or predict abilities (intelligence) of
people. Achievement refers to what you have demonstrated; whereas, ability
(intelligence) refers to what your possibilities are.
Most people in this country assume that your intelligence is fixed, is mainly inherited, and is not learned. I strongly disagree. You, regardless of your current scores, can be trained to learn at high levels and increase what is called intelligence. You have been untrained, but you are not underbrained! |
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| 7 Questions and Actions | |||||
| Yes, you can improve your academic abilities. It may not be easy or quick. Here are seven questions that you must answer and follow-up with actions: | |||||
| Planning | |||||
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1. |
Is the word “excellence” in your vocabulary and life? | ||||
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a. Understand what excellence means in
the real world of standardized tests, grades, Advanced Placement courses and
employment. b. Be committed to excellence. Are you willing to pay the short-term costs to gain the enormous long-term rewards? |
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2. |
What are your academic strengths and weakness? | ||||
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a. Ask your counselor and teachers for
a very honest assessment of your skills and attitude. b. Ask them what you need to do to be very successful in college. Have them write it out. |
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| Academic Coach | |||||
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3. |
Who is your academic coach? | ||||
| a. Find an adult who will be your
academic coach and mentor. b. With your coach, create a detailed plan for success and excellence. c. What is expected of students in top schools? Visit top schools. d. Just like in athletics, pursuing academic excellence and great achievement requires planning, coaching, training, and consistent practice. e. Put in more time with academic learning than athletes do with athletics. |
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| Life Coaches | |||||
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4. |
Who are the other adult coaches you need? (Your friends and peers seldom make effective coaches. They lack adult experiences, are preoccupied with their own issues and thus, are not good predictors of what the future may hold.) What are the plans you need to create? | ||||
| a. Spiritual | |||||
| i. What is ultimately important in life? How do you
explain why good and bad things happen? ii. Who do you look to for guidance in spiritual matters? |
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| b. Health | |||||
| i. What are your physical and mental health plans? Are
you physically fit or are you often tired or overweight? ii. Do you have effective techniques to handle the stress of every day living? Do you get annual physical examinations? |
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| c. Relationships | |||||
| i. Have you figured out that your peers do not know much
more than you about relationships? ii. Who are the experts in relationships or at least can provide insights and recommendations that work? |
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| d. Finance | |||||
| i. How will you have the financial resources to live a
good life? ii. How will you pass wealth down to your great-grandchildren like the Rockefellers do? |
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| e. MasterMind Group | |||||
| i. All of your coaches - academic, spiritual, health,
relationships, and finance – makeup your MasterMind Group. They have specialized
knowledge and resources. ii. These are adults committed to your success and well-being. They remind you about your commitments when you go astray from your path. Listen to them and follow their recommendations. iii. What is your plan for the next five years of your life? Identify the roadblocks. Read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill |
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| Your School | |||||
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5. |
Will your current classes move you to excellence or hold you back? | ||||
| a. Attend my “Getting What You Need: a
Success Workshop for Teenagers”. I will assist you in creating your plans
for a successful life. b. Demand that your classes be powerful and have a positive learning environment. Are your teachers committed to you being excellent? c. Do not put up with bad behavior from your fellow students. They are stealing your education. d. In middle and high school, take college prep courses that include higher order thinking skills, Advanced Placement, and “X” courses. Strong math and science backgrounds are essential. e. Emphasize being excellent in logical thinking, reading, math, and computers. f. Master the computer. Know how to research any issue or topic. Use your skills to earn extra money on weekends and summers. g. Study at least two to three hours each day even if your classes do not require it. h. Know that knowledge and skills are more important than grades. And, know that grades are important. i. At the end of the school day: |
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| i. Write summaries for each class. What skills or
knowledge did you learn? ii. Using only one sentence, list at least five things you learned about yourself. Share these with your coaches and parents. |
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| j. Join extracurricular activities
that enhance your academic abilities, critical thinking or knowledge of the
world (like debate club, international relations club, chess club, and the
Panda Games). k. Start an Excellence Club for serious students. l. Learn to be good at chess. It helps in planning and logical thinking. m. Have and use a library card. Anything you want to learn about, someone has written a book about it. |
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| Attitudes and Social | |||||
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6. |
Do your attitudes and social habits get in the way of excellence and achievement? | ||||
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Embrace being different. Excellence and achievement will appear different
or strange to your peers and many other people. Let your positive
differences be OK. b. Know the differences between “wants” and “needs”. Ask your support team to provide all that is “needed” and some of your “wants”. c. Give up all dope (including marijuana), cigarettes, and alcohol. Keep away from those who indulge. d. Avoid pregnancy and fatherhood. Have children after marriage and after the age of 25. e. Read at least one non-school book monthly and read the entire newspaper daily. f. Keep a daily journal of your life experiences. It may become a best seller. g. Know your family history and African-American History. h. Do not have a car while in school. It is a financial and time drain. Your grades will decline! i. Your real work is education, not a job. Do not work during school days unless it is absolutely necessary. Work only on weekends and during the summer. j. Save at least 20% of any income you receive. Buy Blue Chip stocks and have money forever. Ask for stocks as gifts. Stocks can make money for you while you are sleeping. k. Be around winners and positive people. Have friends who are committed to excellence and are going to college. l. Keep a positive attitude in-spite-of the problems of your life |
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| Support | |||||
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7. |
Can you enroll your parents, relatives, and friends into your new commitments? Those who will not support your new efforts, thank them, and move on. There are others who will if you are serious. Ask! | ||||
| Action Now | |||||
| You must start today. Start with one
item and do it well. The most important item is to get an academic coach.
Each day remember to say to yourself: “I am responsible for my life and my education. I will be successful because I am committed to my plan and I am working my plan. I am worthy of support.” YOU, and only you, are responsible for your life. Step up, plan your life for success and enjoy success or have a life of struggle or disappointment. The choice is yours. What will you do? |
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| ©May 2003 by Paul L. Hamilton | |||||
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