Event Title

The "X" Factor: The Role of Women in Minority Male Academic Success

Location

BF Goodrich

Type of Presentation

50 minute presentation

Audience Type

College teachers or advisors, High school parents, College parents

Description

The “X” Factor The Role of Women in the Academic Success of Minority Males

Linda Lanier, BASW, M.Ed. Assistant Professor, Counseling

Cuyahoga Community College

Lisa Belcher-Nelson, BSHSS, M.S.Ed., Assistant Professor, Counseling

Cuyahoga Community College

From the White house to the Southside of Chicago there has been a collective push for two decades to “save” the African American male child. To address the issue, grassroots level initiatives have sprung up in schools, churches, and community centers. The primary focus of these programs is the connection of African American young men to professional accomplished male mentors.

Vigorous efforts have ensued to increase male-to-male mentoring, male academies, and the recruitment of minority men to education and social services. Despite the herculean efforts there is little positive movement statistically with this particular demographic. As researchers gather information, there are several pieces of data that are consistently present: 1) 67% of African American males live in women headed households, (Kids Count Data Center, 2015) and 2) African American males are educated in schools where 84% of their teachers are women (Feistritzer, 2011).

To significantly change the current status of young men of color we must empower, encourage and educate those who engage and interact with these young men on a daily basis. These women - mothers, teachers, counselors, and administrators “touch” and in some cases are direct influencers of their life choices. Teaching women strategies and other structured interventions which develop positive masculinity, competitive excellence, leadership and purpose, will enable them to open pathways of success through secondary and post-secondary institutions.

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The "X" Factor: The Role of Women in Minority Male Academic Success

BF Goodrich

The “X” Factor The Role of Women in the Academic Success of Minority Males

Linda Lanier, BASW, M.Ed. Assistant Professor, Counseling

Cuyahoga Community College

Lisa Belcher-Nelson, BSHSS, M.S.Ed., Assistant Professor, Counseling

Cuyahoga Community College

From the White house to the Southside of Chicago there has been a collective push for two decades to “save” the African American male child. To address the issue, grassroots level initiatives have sprung up in schools, churches, and community centers. The primary focus of these programs is the connection of African American young men to professional accomplished male mentors.

Vigorous efforts have ensued to increase male-to-male mentoring, male academies, and the recruitment of minority men to education and social services. Despite the herculean efforts there is little positive movement statistically with this particular demographic. As researchers gather information, there are several pieces of data that are consistently present: 1) 67% of African American males live in women headed households, (Kids Count Data Center, 2015) and 2) African American males are educated in schools where 84% of their teachers are women (Feistritzer, 2011).

To significantly change the current status of young men of color we must empower, encourage and educate those who engage and interact with these young men on a daily basis. These women - mothers, teachers, counselors, and administrators “touch” and in some cases are direct influencers of their life choices. Teaching women strategies and other structured interventions which develop positive masculinity, competitive excellence, leadership and purpose, will enable them to open pathways of success through secondary and post-secondary institutions.