Study: Teaching Black Children about Black History, Culture and Racism Improves Their Educational Success

A recent study[1] presents very compelling evidence that African American children whose parents (a) prepare them for racial discrimination and (b) teach them about African and African American culture experience greater educational success than their peers. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Harvard University. Results were published in the September/October 2012 issue of the journal Child Development.

The study examined data from 630 high school-aged African American male and female students. The students completed questionnaires, face-to-face interviews and telephone interviews. The researchers also looked at students’ academic records and spoke with students’ primary caregiver. Findings indicate that instruction about racism and Black culture can lead to improvement. The four academic areas examined were: academic performance, educational aspirations, school identification, and cognitive engagement.

While the study is novel and offers an important perspective for both parents and educators, it is not the only study of this type. This study adds to a growing body of research that is providing evidence that Black children benefit when parents and educators teach them in honest open ways about both racism and about their Blackness. Below are ten interesting facts from the study.

The first five facts are drawn from prior research that was presented in the Wang and Huguley (2012) article.

 

Fact #1: African American youth have a keen understanding that systemic racism exists and that it works to their own detriment. This is extremely important to acknowledge. The practice of many parents of Black children is to shield their children from racism by not discussing it and by pretending that it does not exist. However, it is clear from prior research that not discussing racism does not make it go away. Avoiding it is tantamount to sticking our heads in the sand. A more effective approach is to help Black children to better understand racism.

 

Fact #2: Anywhere from ¼ to ½ of African American teenagers report that they have been either discouraged from joining advanced level courses, unfairly disciplined, or have received lower grades than they deserved because of their race. Members of our research team have characterized this type of behavior as teacher brutality. It is the often unseen and unacknowledged version of police brutality. It receives less attention because it is harder to identify and the effects are not immediately recognizable. However, it is no less real and detrimental to Black children and Black communities.

 

Fact #3: Discrimination in schools has been shown to result in both psychological distress and lower academic performance. The negative effects of discrimination are more pronounced in African American males than in African American females. It seems that males are more likely to retaliate against perceived discrimination than are females. Teachers, administrators and sometimes peers use the retaliatory behavior to cause further problems for Black male students.

 

Fact #4: “Cultural socialization” is one way that Black parents protect their children. Cultural socialization is the process of instilling in children racial knowledge and pride.

 

Fact #5: “Preparation for bias” is another way that Black parents protect their children. Preparation for bias involves making Black children aware of racial bias before it happens, as it happens and after it happens and also giving them strategies for fighting against racial bias in ways that are productive.

 

The last five facts are drawn from findings that resulted from the study conducted by Wang and Huguley (2012).

 

Fact #6: Teacher discrimination was shown to negatively impact all four academic areas (academic performance, educational aspirations, school identification, and cognitive engagement). On one hand, this is not rocket science. It is a rather obvious outcome. There is an old saying that, “if a man will not treat you right, he will not teach you right.” On the other hand, little has been done in policy or practice to acknowledge or address this obvious outcome. For example, there are no widespread efforts to keep racist teachers out of classrooms with Black students. There is no effort to even test teachers to assess their degree of racial bias.

 

Fact #7: Parental cultural socialization was shown to reduce the negative impact of teacher discrimination. This is often referred to as a “protective factor.” To some degree, cultural socialization serves to inoculate African American students against discrimination from teachers.

 

Fact #8: Peer discrimination did not impact academic performance, educational aspirations, or cognitive engagement. However, it did negatively impact school identification. This suggests that discrimination from a peer would not necessarily result in lower grades, a decreased interest in going to college, or a disinterest in schoolwork. However, discrimination from peers would result in a disinterest in the school.

 

Fact #9: In the face of discrimination, either from peers or from teachers, African Americans showed lower school identification. This is great news! Black children do not like being mistreated. Nobody does. What is more, neither cultural socialization nor preparation for bias changed this result.

 

Fact #10: Increased cultural socialization was shown to lead to higher cognitive engagement, academic performance, and educational aspirations. This research suggests that time spent studying the history of African people is time well-spent!

 

 

 

Jomo W. Mutegi, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Science Education at the Indiana University School of Education in Indianapolis. He is also a member of the (ES)² Research Program, which works to advance STEM curricula that position people of African descent to improve their current social condition. To learn more about the (ES)² Research Program visit: www.ES2RP.org.

 

---

[1] Wang, Ming-Te, & Huguley, James P. (2012). Parental racial socialization as a moderator of the effects of racial discrimination on educational success among African American adolescents. Child Development, 83(5), 1716-1731.

From the Black Kids Read Mailbox, March 19, 2015

My Surprise. When I was in graduate school, I had the opportunity to meet a professor whose work I had been reading. I was planning on using a theory that he popularized. So when he visited our campus, one of our professors made sure that I had time to speak with him about his work. At that meeting I expressed to him how much I appreciated his writing. He was noticeably flattered. This response surprised me. He was the professor… the published author… the one whose work I was studying. I was the one who should have been flattered that he would take time to speak with me one on one.

My New Appreciation. Since that time, I have gained an appreciation for his perspective. Writing is challenging work. As an author, I often take months and sometimes years to craft ideas into finished products that I think will be meaningful to readers. And even then, I am not always certain that the finished products have the impact that I desire. So, it is often encouraging to hear from parents and children who have read my books. It is especially encouraging to know that they are walking away from the text with meaningful insight. I recently heard from Dallas (one of our Black Kids Read All-Stars) and her mother Donnella. This was one of those encouraging letters. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

From Donnella and Dallas.

***

Jomo,

Let me say congratulations on writing this children’s book. Dallas & I read it together, when we first received the book. I would read the words that she didn’t know and then let her read the words that she already knew. Some words I did help her sound out so she could pronounce them correctly.

Dallas enjoyed the book. She did notice the various different chickens that each family member had, and asked why each one had their own different chickens. Also, she asked how many different chickens were there and why? My answer to her was that each family member’s purpose for having their own was different from the rest of the family. The daughter was learning how to raise her set, the brother did it as a hobby, the mother had hers as pets and the father (the farmer) had his laying eggs and another set as meat. She said are these the chickens that we eat? (lol) I said yes. In this book she also learned the types of foods that chickens eat, and the various parts that make up their body, in which I didn’t know some of the names, so it was informative for me too.

So after we read the book, I asked her would she like to go to a farm and see the various types of chickens that a farm may have? She said yes, so I’m hoping to be able to find a farm this summer that allows visitors to come and learn about the habitat of chickens and other farm raised animals. We do go to the Indiana State Fair every year, which they have an animal section for everyone, and chickens are there, but they don’t show you how to raise the chickens.

Now this is off the record, so I asked her how she liked her chicken she said, fried, baked, and barbeque. However, to know my child, she LOVES to eat meat!!! And chicken is one of her favorite meats that she likes to eat. Oh, and don’t forget the hot sauce! So then she says, mo

mmy that meat in the packages that you buy me, it says chicken on it. Did that come from a chicken too? I said yes. You know the deli sliced meat, I always get her either turkey or chicken. She’s a mess.

We enjoyed reading the book together and it was at a level for her understanding. The words in the book were very age appropriate for her by her being in Kindergarten, she recognized a lot of site words that she knows very well.

Thank you for letting us be a part of this and sharing our feedback to you.

Donnella & Dallas

***

Thanks! Keep the good news coming.

And remember… Have Fun!


Jomo W. Mutegi, Ph.D. is an author of science-related children's books, and an Associate Professor of Science Education at the Indiana University School of Education in Indianapolis. He is also a member of the (ES)² Research Program. To learn more about Dr. Mutegi’s books, visit www.JomoMutegi.com. To learn more about Dr. Mutegi’s research, visit www.ES2RP.org.

One Thousand Words (Hip Hop & African Culture)

To read more, consult...

• Shockley, K. (2014). Theoretical musings on hip hop from an African centered perspective. African American Learners, 3(1-2). 

Tell Me Who I Am: The Journey Begins (DVD)

A Product Review
 
The Lookout. Like many African American parents, I am often on the lookout for books, music, toys, videos and other products made for African American children. I am especially excited when I see products that present African American people in a positive light and that speak to issues important to people of African descent. This is one reason that I began writing books for African children.
The Product. In the past few months I have come across a number of products that are created for children of African descent. One product that I found to be an excellent resource is a cartoon called Tell Me Who I Am.
The Story. The story's main character, Nia, is a princess from Timbuktu. As the story begins, Nia's people are being attacked by a villain named Komo. Nia is given a necklace that contains ancient secrets, and she is charged with protecting these secrets from Komo. Nia and a companion named Funzi escape in a time machine. Throughout the story, Nia and Funzi travel to both 21st Century America and ancient Kmt, where they meet Imhotep. The friends they meet along the way help them to escape Komo and learn more about African people.
The Quality. The cartoon has a very high quality of production. There is plenty of great music throughout the story. The illustrations are bright, attractive and compelling. For the most part, the characters are good representations of African people. The story also provides strong emphasis on the scientific and historical accomplishments of African people. One oddity is the presence of two token caucasian kids in the story. Their characters do not seem to be necessary. The story would work well without them.

Tell Me Who I Am was developed by Darryl Grayson, who is a former BET executive. The company website indicates that Mr. Grayson has invested over $1.5 million in the development of this product. As far as I can determine, only one episode has been created. However, it is clear that Mr. Grayson created the story with the idea of having multiple episodes.
The Recommendation. I purchased two copies of the video, one for myself and one to gift. I highly recommend it. You can learn more by visiting www.kidpositive.com. An accompanying activity book is also available. This is definitely a product worth trying. If you do get a copy, let us know how you like it.

And remember... Have Fun!


Jomo W. Mutegi, Ph.D. is an author of science-related children’s books, and an Associate Professor of Science Education at the Indiana University School of Education in Indianapolis. He is also a member of the (ES)2 Research Program. To learn more about Dr. Mutegi’s books, visit www.JomoMutegi.com. To learn more about Dr. Mutegi’s research, visit www.ES2RP.org.