Educational orientation Essay

According to the journal for American association for counseling and development (2008) and Zweigenhaff and Domhoff (2003) the African Americans value very much education and are ready to make sacrifices to achieve the education qualifications. Though they have that desire and willingness to have a good education background they are faced with a number of challenges that affect their performance in school. According to Rovai et al (2007) African American students as compared to the other students have lower performance standards and this is raising concern because this area has not been given much consideration to determine what could be the actual reasons behind their low grades. Lincoln et al (1990) and Henderson and Sumler (1999) discusses some of the reasons why these students do not perform well as others as to include difficulties to integrate and accept the various people from different cultural backgrounds they encounter in school and where they live. The hip hop culture is also said to contribute to the low grades because more of this students have indulged themselves in weird lifestyles that cannot allow them to have enough time with their studies. As argued in Cross (2005) and Wayne (2005) most of the African American students come from average family background and when they go to school with the white American they are seen by the fellow white students as being inferior which psychologically will affect them in their education as they find that they are discriminated. This creates a gap between them that and limits the way they will associate with the others and their presence in the school is threatened. The other reasons for their low grade as discussed in smiley (2006) include the poverty that they live in that makes them struggle to meet their basic needs and making them lose enough concentration to the education and even at times dropping out of school to try life elsewhere. The other reasons according to Obiakor (2002) and Ashe (2002) leading to low academic performance among the African Americans include the way they select the schools that they go to which might have low standards, having different curriculums that may not cover all the necessary topics and choosing areas of study that they are not competent in and also some of the teaching staff may not be giving them support because they tend to display behavior that show no much concern to their education. How to address the problem. Ogbu (2003) and Wright et al (2001) suggests that the teachers and the schools have a responsibility to encourage and support all the students they have under their care to perform well. He also argues that this will be done by helping the students to change the various negative attitudes they have towards their teachers, other students and the education materials like books. Obiakor et al (2002) suggests that the learning environment needs to be made conducive for all the students so that nobody feels threatened by the other because it will help the students settle in their education. As argued by Allen et al (1998) and Wayne (2005) the parents and guardians are encouraged to give moral support to the students and they should encourage them to develop interest in the religion as it offers psychological support. References A. P. Rovai, Louis B. Gallien, & Helen R. Stiff (2007): Closing the African American achievement gap in higher education. National association for college admission counseling. Retrievedonline http://www. nacacnet. org/PUBLICATIONSRESOURCES/BOOKREVIEWS Alex B. Henderson, Janice Sumler (1999). Freedom’s odyssey Clark Atlanta university press. Allen K, Stelzer, P & Wielkiewicz, M (1998). The ecology of leadership: adapting to challenges of a changing world. The journal of leadership. Bertram D. Ashe (2002). From within the frame. Routledge publishers Charles E. Lincoln, Lawrence H. Mamiya (1990). The black church in the African American experience. Duke university press. Cross T. (2005). The persisting racial gap in college student graduation rates. The journal of higher education. Festus E. Obiakor, Bridgie Alexis ford (2002). Creating successful learning environments for African American learners with exceptionalities. Corwin press Faye Z. Belgrave, KevinW. Allison (2005). African American psychology. Sage publishers. .J. Hale (2001). Learning while black. JHU publishers. Journal of counseling and development by American association for counseling and development vol 79 2008. Ogbu J (2003). Black American students in an affluent suburb: a study of academic disengagement. Lawrence Erlbaum publishers New Jersey. Tavis Smiley (2006): The covenant with black America. Third world press. W. Wayne (2005). African Americans and the color line in Ohio. Ohio university press. R. Zweigenhaft, G. Domhoff (2003). Blacks in the white elite. Rowman and Littlefield. Richard Wright, A. Chapman, Malcolm (2001). Black voices. Signet classic publishers