A new school curriculum has been created to work on the academic and social
achievement gap between black and white kids.
Youth Communication Inc. publishes essays, stories, pictures and other projects created by teenagers and has developed the Real Men Resource Kit. The kit contains a full curriculum, called Real Men: Urban Teens Write About How to Be A Man, as well as an activity guide and a film based on one teen’s success story.
The curriculum, which schools must purchase ($375), provides stories and lessons written by young black men who talk about breaking out of stereotypes and achieving their goals. Here’s a sample:
“Now that I’m about to graduate from University Heights, I realize that many things about it have helped to make me a better person. Number one is that I always feel like I’m important there. The teacher’s care about me and not just the work I do. Knowing that has made a big difference in the amount of effort I put into my work and in my feelings about myself and my future.”
As JJIE.org reported last week, the Council of the Great City Schools has called on the federal government focus more heavily on the social and academic disparities between black and white kids. Among several recommendations involving federal involvement, the Council calls for a White House conference to create a plan of action.