academic experiences of African American males in an urban midwest foster care system, The

ABSTRACT

The social studies has a wealth of opportunity and the responsibility to create equitable learning environments for diverse populations. It is a discipline well suited for the introduction of versatile pedagogy by culturally competent social studies instructors who adapt to students' cognitive abilities and behavioral aptitude. Perhaps no group is in greater need of specialized learning opportunities than the subjects of this study, African American males living in foster care.

Past studies have shown that African American males in general and African American males in foster care in particular are lagging behind other children in the classroom (Dubowitz & Sawyer, 1994; Mech, 1994; James-Brown, 1995). An aggregate of factors may be responsible for the academic struggles of African American males, including poor ecological conditions in the home and neighborhood, feelings of inferiority, lack of compatibility between preferred learning styles and teacher instructional methods, and ambiguous teacher posturing. African American males in foster care face similar impediments to academic success plus additional obstacles associated with living in foster care. Research has shown that this group is over represented and under serviced members of the child welfare system (Woodley-Brown & Bailey-Etta, 1997).

This study examined impediments to academic achievement for African American males in foster care. Data was collected from the Ohio Proficiency Test and from questionnaires distributed to foster parents and social workers. Test scores for African American males in foster care were compared with test scores for a number of other groups on the fourth, sixth, and ninth grade proficiency tests. Questionnaires asked foster parents and social workers to rate the impact of various aspects of foster care on academic achievement for African American males in foster care. The study found that African American males in foster care achieved consistently lower scores than the comparison groups on most portions of the proficiency test, and differences were significant in many cases.

Introduction

In this country, the academic experiences of African American males in foster care are unlike the experiences of any other group in or outside the foster care system. They are subject to the same barriers which seem to confound and encumber the academic progress of many African American males while also being subjected to a host of barriers unique to their status as foster children. These children are faced with the task of overcoming obstacles to academic achievement imposed by the education system, plus they must grapple with an assortment of obstacles as over-represented and under-serviced members of the child welfare system (Woodley-Brown and Bailey-- Etta, 1997). African American males are absent from and dropping out of school at unparalleled rates and they are placed in the foster care system more frequently and stay longer than other populations (JamesBrown, 1995; Public Children Services Association of Ohio, 1996). Inherent in this volatile combination is the capacity for academic chaos among African American males in foster care.

To determine if foster care is contributing to irregular academic results for African American males in foster care, a study was conducted in a Midwestern, urban center. Studies examining the relationship between academic achievement and foster care have been conducted previously but none has specifically addressed the concerns of African American males, the group seemingly impacted the most by out-of-home placement. The present study focused on African American males as it empirically examined the relationship between academic achievement and foster care. Specifically, fourth, sixth, and ninth grade proficiency test results for African American males in foster care were compared with the proficiency results of four other groups of students: all African American male students, all African American students, all male students, and all students. Eligible study participants included all those attending a selected Midwestern, urban school system (student enrollment of approximately 60,000). Data were also collected through questionnaires distributed to social workers and foster parents employed by a children's services agency located in the same county as the school system. The questionnaires asked both groups to rate the impact of various aspects of the foster care system on the academic achievement of African American males.

Proficiency Test Results

Effective social studies pedagogy, perhaps more so than any field of study, recognizes the influences of culture on the learning process. Social studies instructors must consider the impact of group and institutional ideologies on student cognition and behavior in creating comforting classrooms and equitable learning opportunities. Only those instructors who are culturally competent are able to achieve these objectives. Instructors who understand how to engage and communicate with students at the cultural level are able to create classrooms that are responsive to the needs of diverse groups. The nature of the social studies increases the likelihood that a moniker of cultural competence be genuinely applied to innovative instructors in this discipline.