The administrators said they were concerned that the 8th graders, whom they described as extremely “smart” and potential “leaders,” were disconnected from their classrooms and did not think it was “cool” to be smart. The administrators wanted to figure out how to get the boys to harness their strengths in a positive way.
They were brainstorming with Michael V. Walker, the director of the Minneapolis school district’s Office of Black Male Student Achievement. As the lead figure in a district effort focused on its 8,963 black boys, Walker has the job ultimately, of helping close the achievement gap between them and their peers. In the 2014-15 school year African-Americans made up 37 percent of the 35,300-student district, Minnesota’s largest.
In this city, as in many others, the data show the impetus for this effort. On almost every indicator related to school success, black boys are at, or near, the bottom. Nationwide, black boys are more likely than almost any other demographic slice of the school population to be suspended or expelled from school and to score at the lowest achievement level. They are also less likely to take honors classes or go to college.
Thus, Minneapolis is among a growing number of districts looking to right such imbalances by establishing specialized offices or dedicating staff members to work on equity, diversity, and inclusion. Although many districts were already doing that work, President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative has been a galvanizing force for others, said Michael Casserly, the executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, which represents the nation’s largest school districts.
The program is focused on improving educational and employment opportunities for boys of color.