Dr. Theodore J. Davis Jr. is a professor in the Department of Political Science & International Relations at the University of Delaware.
I recently attended a virtual conference titled “The State of Boys’ Education: Evidence, Explanations and a Path Forward,” hosted by the American Institute for Boys and Men. The purpose of the conference was to promote the release of a document, “Educating Boys: Bridging Gaps and Building Futures.”
Among the document’s findings was that boys are lagging behind girls in several important measures of educational achievement and attainment. Nationally, boys are performing worse than girls in reading, and girls have closed the gap with boys in math, to the extent that there is almost parity (a good thing). Boys are increasingly exhibiting behavioral problems, dropping out of school at higher rates, enrolling less in college and having problems engaging and getting motivated.
It was suggested that schools are failing to implement new approaches to educating male students in light of societal changes. This is especially problematic given the disappearance of traditional male jobs, a decline in male participation in the workforce and the threats to traditional male employment posed by technology and artificial intelligence.
Educating boys is of great importance to the social and economic development of our state. However, this issue is especially important when it comes to the state’s Black male population. Black males are roughly 11% of Delaware’s population and 14% of the public school population.
In Delaware, Black boys’ academic performance is at a crisis level, and it is having devastating consequences for the state’s Black community on many fronts. Black boys are a special case that deserves special attention for several reasons.
First, the poor academic achievements of Black males today will have negative consequences for the state’s economy and future economic growth, given their proportionate population size.
Second, the state’s public schools will never move into the top half of the nation’s public schools without attention being given to the needs of male students, especially Black male students.
Third, Black males in Delaware rank last in every measure of well-being and first in the negative factors that stymie community and human development.
Black boys in Delaware are struggling with reading and literacy, are less likely to graduate from high school and are less likely to go to college when compared to their White male counterparts. They are more likely to be suspended or expelled from school. Mental health issues among Black boys are often ignored or written off as deviant behavior. As adults, Black males in Delaware face higher rates of unemployment, and they are overrepresented in the state’s adult and juvenile justice systems.
There is a need for state-supported data-driven initiatives in Delaware to specifically address three questions regarding educational achievement and attainment of Black males: 1.) What’s happening with the group (especially Black boys)? 2.) Why it is happening? and 3.) How can resources in the state be better used to address the problems?
Quality educational and social services that strengthen the development of all students, especially Black male students, should be a priority for the state. In no way am I minimizing the importance of addressing the needs of males in general or females (especially Black females), but the way to strengthen a chain is to strengthen the weakest link.
Several states have taken action to address the seriousness of this problem. For example, Indiana has a Commission on the Social Status of Black Males. The aim of the Indiana commission is to “study and make recommendations regarding the challenges faced by Black males in five key target areas: employment, health (mental and physical), education, criminal justice, and social factors.”
Another such program is the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance. This is a federal initiative launched by Barack Obama in 2014 to urge the nation and the states to address opportunity gaps faced by young men of color. The program is structured around six milestones critical for the success of such men.
Other nongovernmental initiatives have emerged to address the seriousness of the problem. There is the 2025 Campaign for Black Men, which is a comprehensive, multidecade advocacy blueprint designed to eliminate structural factors that negatively affect Black men through coordinated efforts among government, grassroots organizers and nonprofits.
This is not a zero-sum proposition. Addressing the social and economic development needs of Black males in the state has spillover effects, including 1.) addressing the growing educational needs of “all males” in the state; 2.) dealing with the academic issues facing the Black female student population, as well; and 3.) tackling the social problems currently facing some parts of Delaware’s Black community.
It is time for Delaware to become proactive in this space for the future of all Delawareans.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
