Black Focused Schools

[Miss Lead Luv]

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_18652.aspx

Something going on in Toronto right now...

Aside from colleges are there Black schools in the U.S.? Could this help Black kids?

 

[Fuckallyall]

I don't think we should have "black" schools. No need to assist in the Balkanization of America.

 

[QueEx]

What is it that the focus schools will offer that is different from the regular schools ???
Will the math be different? I mean, in the focus schools will 1 + 1 not equal 2 ??? Will
the focus schools teach a different science ???

I'm not meaning to be facetious, but what are those students now failing? If provided
afrocentric history courses, how will that change the other basics: reading, writing, science, math ???

I didn't hear Green say that they're only failing cracka history

QiueEx

 

[thoughtone]

This is interesting, particularly with my (limited) knowledge of Canadian and specifically Toronto politics. Every Black person from Canada that I have met appeared not to be lacking in self pride and overall “class”. There are some public schools in the US that have instituted or at least tried to institute so called “Black” curriculum, but in my opinion public schools have done a poor job of integrating contributions of people of African decent in to the American mainstream educational dialogue. We still have Black History Month, which gives the excuse to limit Black educational assimilation the rest of the year. I am not a native of Atlanta, or the south, but I understand years ago, a black educator here in Atlanta wanted to teach American Civil War history, which is still in the background of so much politics in the south, uncensored and factual. He got no where. The public schools in most Black neighborhoods in the US SUCK! No one seems to care and frankly, many parents who send their children to public schools really don’t care about their children’s education.

Miss Lead Luv, are there any schisms between native Black Canadians, (Blacks that trace their roots prior to the American Civil War, the Underground Railroad) and Blacks of Caribbean ancestry?

 

[QueEx]

I don't think we should have "black" schools. No need to assist in the Balkanization of America.

You know, we had them and we rejected them.
Some of us in this country would like to return
to them. They were called Separate but Equal.


QueEx

 

[Miss Lead Luv]

What is it that the focus schools will offer that is different from the regular schools ???
Will the math be different? I mean, in the focus schools will 1 + 1 not equal 2 ??? Will
the focus schools teach a different science ???

I'm not meaning to be facetious, but what are those students now failing? If provided
afrocentric history courses, how will that change the other basics: reading, writing, science, math ???

I didn't hear Green say that they're only failing cracka history

QiueEx

The math and sciences would be the same I'm assuming. But it be primarily staffed by Black faculty and the curriculum would be centered around Black history and culture.

 

[Miss Lead Luv]

This is interesting, particularly with my (limited) knowledge of Canadian and specifically Toronto politics. Every Black person from Canada that I have met appeared not to be lacking in self pride and overall “class”. There are some public schools in the US that have instituted or at least tried to institute so called “Black” curriculum, but in my opinion public schools have done a poor job of integrating contributions of people of African decent in to the American mainstream educational dialogue. We still have Black History Month, which gives the excuse to limit Black educational assimilation the rest of the year. I am not a native of Atlanta, or the south, but I understand years ago, a black educator here in Atlanta wanted to teach American Civil War history, which is still in the background of so much politics in the south, uncensored and factual. He got no where. The public schools in most Black neighborhoods in the US SUCK! No one seems to care and frankly, many parents who send their children to public schools really don’t care about their children’s education.

Miss Lead Luv, are there any schisms between native Black Canadians, (Blacks that trace their roots prior to the American Civil War, the Underground Railroad) and Blacks of Caribbean ancestry?

Hmmmm...HONESTLY in Toronto I find that the Black Canadian population is not nearly as great as the combination of African/Caribbean/Other immigrant populations of whatever generation...

There is the regular discord that goes on inside the community I guess. Some small island folks not liking Jamaicans, some Jamaicans not liking Somalians etc. Not so much with Canadian Blacks though, I guess because they don't compose much of the greater Black population like it is in the US. Now that I think of it, everyone is pretty segregated Nigerian community in one area, Jamaican in another, Somalian in another...but I assume thats natural and understandable cultures vary even within the greater Black culture...

Black issues parallel (but prob. not as bad as) those in the States...kids killing eachother, racial profiling, etc.

 

[QueEx]

The math and sciences would be the same I'm assuming.

Yeah, I'm assuming that too. Other than teaching black contributions in those areas, I'm finding it hard to see how that part of the curricula would be much different. So, if they are failing in math, science and language arts I don't really see how a focus school would make a difference.

But it be primarily staffed by Black faculty

I can always understand black employment. Unless, however, the students are failing because the faculty is treating them differently, I still don't see how faculty composition is a cause for their failure rate or how changing the faculty. I'm just saying.

(I just reminded myself that I am seeing all of this from American eyes. I don't know jack about Canadian people, black or white, or Canadian problems, economic, cutural or racial. That could be why I'm not connecting here.)

and the curriculum would be centered around Black history and culture.

I can understand why courses in Black History and Culture would be good, for whites as well. History is history and should include everyone's experience. But is a lack of such courses the real reason those students are failing

Good thread though . . .

QueEx

 

[Miss Lead Luv]

Yeah, I'm assuming that too. Other than teaching black contributions in those areas, I'm finding it hard to see how that part of the curricula would be much different. So, if they are failing in math, science and language arts I don't really see how a focus school would make a difference.


I can always understand black employment. Unless, however, the students are failing because the faculty is treating them differently, I still don't see how faculty composition is a cause for their failure rate or how changing the faculty. I'm just saying.

(I just reminded myself that I am seeing all of this from American eyes. I don't know jack about Canadian people, black or white, or Canadian problems, economic, cutural or racial. That could be why I'm not connecting here.)


I can understand why courses in Black History and Culture would be good, for whites as well. History is history and should include everyone's experience. But is a lack of such courses the real reason those students are failing

Good thread though . . .

QueEx

The school is open for everyone not just Black kids btw...its just Afro-centric setting and education...

Theory is that Black kids will feel empowered being in a setting that is run by and about people that look like themselves...

PERSONALLY I think most issues that troubled Black kids face are due to socioeconomic class not so much race but I'm open to the idea if it works....

 

[Fuckallyall]

You know, we had them and we rejected them.
Some of us in this country would like to return
to them. They were called Separate but Equal.


QueEx

And here we are, just clamboring for it.

 

[Temujin]

Believe it or not there is some credance to black focused schools not so much for what they learn but how they learn. There have been several studies on how different teaching techniques are more effective on African American children then others.

This applies to both gifted children and children with developmental disabilities.

Black focused schools would be a very positive thing because they could address dynamically the major hurdles black students have in early childhood education. Black schools could more appropriately address the socio-economic struggles black youth disproportinatly face when entering the school environment.

Instead of fitting our problems into a school model not meant to address our problems why not develop schools that are geared to address those problems.

I think black focused education is a very positive thing if done in the private sector.

 

[Fuckallyall]

Believe it or not there is some credance to black focused schools not so much for what they learn but how they learn. There have been several studies on how different teaching techniques are more effective on African American children then others.

This applies to both gifted children and children with developmental disabilities.

Black focused schools would be a very positive thing because they could address dynamically the major hurdles black students have in early childhood education. Black schools could more appropriately address the socio-economic struggles black youth disproportinatly face when entering the school environment.

Instead of fitting our problems into a school model not meant to address our problems why not develop schools that are geared to address those problems.

I think black focused education is a very positive thing if done in the private sector.

So, you're saying out right that we should re-segregate? That we are not equal because of our color ? That we cannot learn with white children ?

 

[Miss Lead Luv]

Believe it or not there is some credance to black focused schools not so much for what they learn but how they learn. There have been several studies on how different teaching techniques are more effective on African American children then others.

This applies to both gifted children and children with developmental disabilities.

Black focused schools would be a very positive thing because they could address dynamically the major hurdles black students have in early childhood education. Black schools could more appropriately address the socio-economic struggles black youth disproportinatly face when entering the school environment.

Instead of fitting our problems into a school model not meant to address our problems why not develop schools that are geared to address those problems.

I think black focused education is a very positive thing if done in the private sector.

Why private?! Noooooo....if its good all kids should have access to it

 

[QueEx]

Missy,

I thought about this idea a lot after my posts above. I'm with you; why not give it a try. Hell, its Canadian money. Lets see what really results. If it works, hey, its something to take a serious look at. If it doesn't, oh well - put that idea to rest.

QueEx

 

[OnSlaught]

Well, since this is your thread and you touched upon the posts of others I decided to use your quotes!

Hmmmm...HONESTLY in Toronto I find that the Black Canadian population is not nearly as great as the combination of African/Caribbean/Other immigrant populations of whatever generation...

There is the regular discord that goes on inside the community I guess. Some small island folks not liking Jamaicans, some Jamaicans not liking Somalians etc. Not so much with Canadian Blacks though, I guess because they don't compose much of the greater Black population like it is in the US. Now that I think of it, everyone is pretty segregated Nigerian community in one area, Jamaican in another, Somalian in another...but I assume thats natural and understandable cultures vary even within the greater Black culture...

Black issues parallel (but prob. not as bad as) those in the States...kids killing eachother, racial profiling, etc.

I have to agree...from the few times I've been to Toronto and surrounding areas like Missassauga I found that nationalities within the black diaspora tend to segregate and discriminate against themselves. However, I think they can obviously be united on one accord, that being struggle in how we are treated by others because of our so called "race" and the issues that we face.

The school is open for everyone not just Black kids btw...its just Afro-centric setting and education...

Theory is that Black kids will feel empowered being in a setting that is run by and about people that look like themselves...

PERSONALLY I think most issues that troubled Black kids face are due to socioeconomic class not so much race but I'm open to the idea if it works....

My only thing about having an Afro-centric school setting is that science and math should be emphasized TWICE as much. That's what the Japanese, Indian, and Chinese do as well as some other nationalities, and look at their success rate when given the opportunity to advance and progress. I think that if you are to have kids taught at such a school, there should definitely be a "truthful" representation of history, emphasis on Afro-centric contributions to society in order to instill inspiration, motivation, and pride, and a highly accelerated course work schedule (meaning that kids right when they step into the school are expected to excel at the highest level possible and are taught in that manner...no diluting the kids with watered-down expectations, and those that are slower to learn have extra time dedicated to their advancement).

Why private?! Noooooo....if its good all kids should have access to it

I agree!

 

[thebxbomber]

there are only 4 all black boarding schools in the us...... i konw of two.. i went to pine forge academy in reading pa {7 day adventist}, and my nephew went to Laurinburg Institute in Laurinburg, N.C. good schools,
antoher good sopt used to be nyerere institute in new brunswick, nj......... everybody who graduated did so with a full ride to where ever they wanted to be.......... that was a day school.... if its still open..... you need to check 4 Mr. Lewis Dunbar ........................ the brother is super sharp....... dont know if he still teaches......

google:

Columns: Black boarding schools provide haven of discipline, learning
The civil rights movement -- which gave blacks the right to attend previously all-white public schools -- changed everything. Black support for the boarding ...
www.sptimes.com/2003/03/30/Columns/Black_boarding_school.shtml - 42k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this
A rich, but disappearing legacy: remembering Black boarding ...
The tradition belongs to historically Black boarding schools, ... Among the Black boarding schools, the Mather schools in Beaufort and Camden, S.C., ...
findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DXK/is_13_20/ai_106913421 - 31k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this
)
CHURCHFOLK SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES HISTORICALLY BLACK BOARDING SCHOOLS ... The Piney Woods School - Founded 1909 Piney Woods, Mississippi ...
www.churchfolk.com/black_boarding_schools.html - 4k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this
St. Timothy's School - Boarding School Profile
The Black Awareness Club · The Moongate - Literary Magazine · The Seward - Yearbook ... List: More boarding schools in Maryland, More all-girls schools ...
Map of 8400 Greenspring Ave, Stevenson, MD 21208
www.boardingschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/191 - 57k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this
JSTOR: The Status of African Americans at the Nation's Most ...
Piney Woods is the largest and most prestigious of the black boarding schools. Established in 1909, Piney Woods has a 2000-acre campus about 20 miles ...
links.jstor.org/sici?sici=1077-3711(199624%2F199724)14%3C26%3ATSOAAA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S - Similar pages - Note this
Stone Mountain School - Boarding School for Boys
Our boarding school specializes in pre-adolescent and teenaged boys with learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, emotional issues, ...
Map of 126 Campelliott Rd, Black Mountain, NC 28711
www.stonemountainschool.com/ - 7k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this
Costly boarding schools offer more aid - The Boston Globe
The boarding schools, like elite colleges, essentially are in a bidding war ... of the school's approximately 1000 students are Asian; 6 percent are black; ...
www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/04/18/costly_boarding_schools_offer_more_aid/ - Similar pages - Note this
Black Boarding Schools Suffer Unexpected Closings - New York Times
So far this year he has attended three black coed boarding schools. The first two closed for financial reasons, leaving only six others nationwide. ...
query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F04E5DD1530F936A35750C0A961958260 - 50k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this
Black Independent Schools--Africana Library, Cornell University
New York And New Jersey Directory of Historically Black Independent Schools: Including East Coast Boarding Schools. New York: Toussaint Institute Fund, ...
www.library.cornell.edu/africana/guides/indschools.html - 16k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this
Black/African American Parenting At BlackRefer.com
Abundant Life Academy is a powerful Christian boarding school for unmotivated ... Azuka Network is designed especially for Black African American Parents, ...
www.blackrefer.com/black_parenting.html - 38k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this


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[Izayoi]

There's a primarily black boarding school in DC that is looking to expand into Baltimore. I think boarding schools are an interesting idea- there's so much genius stifled by stressful and unhealthy home environments. For some children if the schools don't "parent" they will receive little to no support.

This particularly school doesn't have an afrocentric angle, but its enrollment is mostly black children from the inner city.

 

[Miss Lead Luv]

Board okays black-focused school

TARA WALTON/TORONTO STAR
Angela Wilson, left, and Donna Harrow celebrate last night after Toronto public school trustees voted 11-9 to open an alternative Afrocentric school. Email story
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Voices: Opinion divided Speak Out: Black-focused schools Toronto's existing alternative schools How trustees voted Toronto board votes 11-9 after meeting filled with passionate pleas and dire warnings

Jan 30, 2008 12:58 AM
Louise Brown
Brett Popplewell
staff reporters

The black-focused school is a go.

After a heated but civil debate, Canada's largest school board voted 11-9 last night to open an alternative Africentric school to help fight a 40 per cent dropout rate among Toronto's black teens.

An elated parent, Donna Harrow, said she is thrilled the proposal she and fellow parent Angela Wilson had pushed for got through, despite fierce opposition and cries of segregation.

"I'm ecstatic, but the struggle continues and we want this school to open in 2008, not 2009," said Harrow.

Trustees voted on a sweeping package of programs to make schools more relevant to black students, including opening an Africentric school in September 2009.

Trustee Josh Matlow, who opposed the pilot project school, warned that there is no guaranteed funding from Queen's Park yet for even the estimated start-up costs of $350,000.

The entire package of initiatives carries an estimated price tag of $820,000.

In a passionate defence of the school, former chair Sheila Ward urged trustees to keep in mind "the power of symbolism" in endorsing it.

"I don't know what it's like to be a black parent, but I do know pain when I see it and recognize despair when I hear it, from the deepest part of the soul of those who believe time is running out," said Ward.

Prior to the vote, fans and foes of black-focused schools made their case before a crowd of about 100 with all the passion and power that issues of race ignite.

To the mother of Jordan Manners, "this black school thing – no, it ain't right."

"Don't propose it – Martin Luther King thought we could sit at the front of the bus together," pleaded Loreen Small, whose son was shot dead last spring at his school in northwest Toronto.

"My son died at C.W. Jefferys in 2007. If we can all just come together and be as one," said an emotional Small, who broke down in tears in the hall after her presentation.

"If black kids need to graduate, let's get teachers in there and learn how to interact with black kids," she said.

Yet human rights activist Vicky McPhee said an Africentric school "is a right," and the only type of school to which she wants to send her 6-year-old child. She called for these schools in each of the city's 22 wards.

Twelve of the 20 speakers urged the board to open an alternative Africentric school as a way to fight an estimated 40 per cent dropout rate among Toronto's black students.

Longtime community leader Murphy Browne said she was alarmed at the high number of youth being "pushed out" of school by a European-centred system, who then get "caught up in the school-to-jail pipeline."

"Many students say they would do better if they learned about their heritage, but who knows about Mathieu da Costa, (a navigator of African descent) who came to Canada in 1603 as a translator in Champlain's expeditions."

Others warned that an Africentric school would amount to a dangerous step back toward racial segregation.

In an impassioned bid to separate rumours from the real proposal, Donna Harrow reminded trustees that this proposed school would be open to all students.

Harrow said the debate has been made overly charged by those raising the ghost of the segregated South.

"This has turned into a fiasco – we did not propose a school for only blacks, we did not propose a school with all black teachers and all black curriculum.

"Let us stop it. This is a school where all people could come and get support.

No one said little white children could not go there."

Besides the Africentric school, the board passed, by wide margins, measures to:

Launch an action plan to help all black students do better.

Start three pilot programs in regular schools where subjects would be taught from an Africentric perspective.

Work with York University and community agencies to establish a centre of research on how to close the learning gap between black children and their peers of other backgrounds.

While many trustees support more inclusive courses, the stumbling block has long been creating a separate program or school with an Africentric focus with a largely black staff and student body.

It has been a lightning rod for racial debate in Toronto for more than a decade, since Ontario's Royal Commission on Learning in 1995 suggested a black-focused school might help stem the higher dropout rate among black students, often blamed on a curriculum that overlooks their heritage and teachers who don't reflect their diversity.

At the time of the Royal Commission, 40 per cent of black Grade 9 students in Toronto were dropping out, and their prospects haven't improved.

The Toronto District School Board says 40 per cent of Caribbean-born students drop out, and 32 per cent from east Africa.

 

[Miss Lead Luv]

It was approved...lets see how it goes

 

[Fuckallyall]

Sad, we are begging to be treated differently.

 

[QueEx]

It was approved...lets see how it goes

That you sweetie for following-up. Comment forthcoming.

QueEx

 

[hoodedgoon]

You know how fucked up this thing is. The Portuguese have the exact same problem in the GTA schools yet you do not see the TDSB clammering to open a portuguese only school. This shit makes my blood boil.