The Crisis of Low Expectations for College-Bound Black Students

[delph998]

Originally Posted by RBL

I was dealing with a very similar story a few years back. Literally had the berate the parent for not being more involved and caring more that her son could barely do simple Math and he wasn't reading that well either. It took months before I could get her to really discipline him and get him to focus (while I wasn't around). The only time she would raise an issue with him at school was when he would lose eligibility to play basketball. I was so tempted to just give up ..but I persevered and monitored/tutored him from 8th grade to 12th grade. Around 10th grade he started to come around academically he ended up graduating with a 2.6 GPA in high school and will be completing his freshman year at NC A&T this Spring. The first semester he earned a 2.8 GPA and he thinks he will get above a 3.0 when this semester ends.

That's a beautiful success story! It feels so great to hear discouraging situations turn into encouraging testimonials; which is why I know that our African American students can be more than prepared for college, but there's something lacking.