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Morgan State UniversityCommunity College
Leadership Program
THE SANKOFA INITIATIVE
go back and take Promoting Student Success for
African American Males in the Community College
A Preliminary Discussion David Mosby Lorenzo
Esters
October 13, 2006
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Outline

• Reshaping the Lens How Society Views Young Black
  Males
• Purpose
• State of Urgency
• National Statistics
• A Closer Look
• Factors Promoting Academic Success
• Promising African American Male Initiatives
• Call to Action
• Future Sankofa Reports

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Reshaping the Lens How Society Views Young
Black Males

• Honors Thesis Project
• Created Micology Movement
• Positive images of self through the arts
• Addresses socio-academic issues facing youth in
  K-12 and higher education
• Spotlight Entertainment
• Think tank behind documentary
• Connecting with youth through visual media

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Sankofa Team Members

• Christine Johnson McPhail, Program Coordinator,
  Community College Leadership Doctoral Program,
  Morgan State University
• Doctoral Students, Community College Leadership
  Doctoral Program
• David Mosby
• Lorenzo Esters
• Michael Robinson
• Wayne Beckles
• Resource Consultants
• Dr. Irving Pressley McPhail, President, The
  McPhail Group, LLC
• Dr. Irvin Clark, Director of Student Services,
  College of Southern Maryland
• Dr. Kadian Clark, Assistant Professor Mathematics
  Education, Penn State University

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Purpose

• Launch a national conversation about the
  achievement and persistence patterns of African
  American males in community colleges
• Examine interventions that promote the academic
  success of African American males attending
  community colleges
• Serve as a catalyst for more in-depth review of
  best practices in recruiting, retaining and
  graduating African American males in community
  colleges

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Framing the Crisis

• When community college leaders discuss their
  greatest challenges these days, we believe that
  recruitment, retention and graduation of African
  American male students should be on the top of
  the list. The situation is not a future crisis
  it is a clear and present crisis. Traditional
  interventions to address the situation have been
  narrow in their approach and have focused on a
  deficit model. Community college trustees should
  be prepared to help present the case for
  interventions that focus on the strengths of
  African American learners and the unique social
  and cultural experiences in which they have
  developed.

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State of Urgency

• 33 of African American males between the ages of
  20-29 is under some form of criminal justice
  supervision on any given dayeither in prison or
  jail, or on probation or parole.
• Over 40 of African American males in the U.S.
  are functionally illiterate, 17 are expelled
  each year and 40 in the major cities in the U.S.
  drop out of high school.
• Suicide has increased 146 in the African
  American community and the increase is mostly
  among young African American males.
• IPEDS study revealed Blacks, non-Hispanics
  possess the lowest graduation rate (27) of all
  ethnic groups.
• The challenge is to keep African American male
  students long enough to obtain a degree or
  prepare for transfer to a 4-year institution.

• Source Civil Rights Project (2004) Kunjufu
  (2001) Mauer (1999) Postsecondary Education
• U.S. Dept of Education (2000) U.S Statistical
  Abstract (2000) Livingston (2006)

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National Statistics
Source U.S. Department of Education, National
Center for Education Statistics, Integrated
Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS),
Spring 2004.
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A Closer Look
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A Closer Look
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Factors Promoting Academic Success

• Most studies center around best practices to
  predict retention of African American males in
  community colleges
• Factors Promoting Academic Success include
• Rites of passages programs
• All male academies
• Appropriate mentors and mentoring initiatives
• Early career exploration programs
• Fusion of African/ cultural teaching pedagogy
• Summer bridge programs
• Family support (especially mothers)
• Personal confidence and motivation
• Recognition of unique learning styles
• Training and development of a pedagogically
  effective faculty

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Promising Initiatives

• Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB)
• North Carolina Community College Systems
  Minority Male Mentoring Project
• The University System of Georgia Pilot Initiative
  for African American Males
• Kansas University-The African American Male
  Leadership Academy
• The City University of New York (CUNY) Black
  Male Initiative
• Portland Community CollegeThe Success Academy
• West Virginia State University and West Virginia
  Technical and Community CollegeMen to Men
  Initiative
• Community College of Philadelphia-The African
  American Mens Book Club

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Call to Action

• Represent the Common Good Recognize the boards
  responsibility for promoting success of all
  learners including African American males.
• Set the Policy Direction Explicitly state the
  expectations of community colleges for closing
  the achievement gap between African American
  males and other learners.
• Monitor Performance Periodically assess the
  effectiveness of the college and establish clear
  goals in evaluating whether community colleges
  are meeting those expectations.
• Create a Positive Climate Serve as advocates in
  support of closing the achievement gap between
  African American males and other learners.

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Future Sankofa Reports

• Survey of existing community college programs and
  interventions to promote the success of African
  American males.
• Administer online survey of community college
  presidents, compile report and disseminate
• Funding Sources
• Needed to launch pilot student success programs
• Promising Program Summit
• Hold Summit to identify best practices
• Conducting focus groups with African American
  males

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Contact Information

• Sankofa Initiative Website
• http//www.morgan.edu/Sankofa/index.asp
• Email Address
• sankofa_at_jewel.morgan.edu