Escape Gate Or Escape Goat? (Student Athletes)
"Whereas sports have become a pathway for black athletic students to escape poverty, it is narrow and straightway. However, less than 10% of the dreamers, who escape through the gate, get selected to a professional team."
Online, April 19, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Dr. Claude Mayberry, Chairman of the Board for the National Council on Educating Black Children, and Publisher and CEO of the children's periodical Science Weekly commends US Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan's recommendation that colleges be held accountable for the academic standards of their black athletes at the same high level of accountability that colleges place on athletic performance and winning. Whereas sports have become a pathway for black athletic students to escape poverty, it is narrow and straightway. However, less than 10% of the dreamers, who escape through the gate, get selected to a professional team.
The problem doesn't begin in college. It begins in pre-elementary school. When 52% of our black males are dropping out of high school, why should we expect the dropout rate for college to be different? We must change the academic environment that produces pools of black athletically talented students-who are pushed through elementary and high school without ever developing the skills necessary to perform satisfactorily, much less excel, at the college level. The result is that most of these black athletic dreamers end up back in their poverty-stricken communities. We should prepare students to see sports as an option, but not at the risk of poor academic performance, or thinking that sports is the only door to escape poverty.
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The National Council on Educating Black Children (NCEBC) is hosting a Town Hall Meeting on April 28, 2011 at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our topic: "Creating a Healthy Learning Environment in schools to Inspire success Among Students, Especially Black Males" will kick-off the 2011 Annual National Convention in support of our objective to provide materials and strategies to break down barriers that deny African American children access to the resources necessary for high academic performance.
Online registration is recommended and available at: NCEBC 2011 Convention Registration
Onsite registration will begin Wednesday April 27, 2011 at 4:00pm. Please visit the web site or contact the National Office for more details.
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Tags: Dr. Claude Mayberry, National Council on Educating Bl, student athletes, US Department of Education
