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OVER 100,000 AFRICAN AMERICAN PARENTS ARE NOW HOMESCHOOLING THEIR CHILDREN
BY: DR. JAWANZA KUNJUFU
We hear so much about the plight of Black children and their low test scores. We have
not heard that African American children who are homeschooled are scoring at the 82% in
reading and 77% in math. This is 30-40% above their counterparts being taught in school. There
is a 30% racial gap in schools, but there is no racial gap in reading if taught in the home and only
a 5% gap in math.
What explains the success of African American students being taught by their parents? I
believe that it’s love and high expectations. I am reminded of Booker T. Washington High School.
They were honored several years ago for producing the greatest turnaround as a Recovery school.
The principal had the opportunity to pick and choose her staff and emphatically stated, “If you want
to teach in this school you must love the students”. Researchers love promoting that the racial gap is based on income, marital status, and the educational background of the parents. Seldom, if ever, do they research the impact of love and high expectations.
Since the landmark decision, Brown vs. Topeka in 1954, there has been a 66% decline in
African American teachers. Many African American students are in classrooms where they are
not loved, liked, or respected. Their culture is not honored and bonding is not considered. They
are given low expectations – which helps to explain how students can be promoted from one
grade to another without mastery of the content.
There are so many benefits to homeschooling beyond academics. Most schools spend
more than 33% of the day disciplining students. And bullying has become a significant issue.
One of every 6 Black males is suspended and large numbers are given Ritalin and placed in
Special Education. These problems seldom, if ever, exist in the Homeschool environment.
Another major benefit is the summer months. Research shows that there is a 3 year gap
between White and Black students. Some students do not read or are involved in any academic
endeavor during the summer. Those students lose 36 months or 3 years if you multiply 3 months
times 12 years (grades first -12) Homeschool parents do not allow academics to be forsaken for 3
months.
Finally, in the homeschool environment, parents are allowed to teach their children
values. Large numbers of parents are teaching their children faith based morals and principals.
And many are teaching their children with the Africentric curriculum SETCLAE. These children
are being taught truths like, Columbus did not discover America; Abraham Lincoln did not free
the slaves; Hippocrates was not the father of medicine and that African history did not begin on a
plantation, but on a pyramid.
Until public schools give more love, higher expectations, better classroom management,
greater time on task throughout the entire year, values and the SETCLAE curriculum, we can
expect to continue to see an increase in African American parents homeschooling their children.
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