Victor Davis provides background information about himself and his education credentials. He then discusses attending the 40th Annual Conference of the National Alliance of Black School Educators in November 2012 in Nashville, TN. The document also includes the mission statement of NABSE, Victor's problem statement regarding the achievement gap of African American males in grades 9-12 in ELA and mathematics, the variables that will be measured in his study, his methodology which will include quantitative and qualitative research, and references several literature sources relevant to his topic.

1. Victor Davis
EDD 9800
Dr. Morote
Fall 2012

2. About Me

 Hofstra University, B.S Business Computer
Information Systems
 Hofstra University, M.A Secondary Education Social
Studies
 College of St. Rose, Post Graduate Certification in
Educational Administration and Leadership, SBL &
SDL
 Dowling College, Doctoral Student Fall 2012
 East Islip High School, Secondary Ed. Teacher, Social
Studies

3. About Me


4. Conference

 Join us for the 40th Annual Conference of the National Alliance of
Black School Educators (NABSE) and be one of nearly 6,000 attendees
from across the country participating in workshops, visiting over 250
exhibits, fellowshipping and networking with other members and
friends of the nation's premier association of African American
educators.
 November 14-18, 2012, Nashville, TN

5. National Association of Black School
Administrators (NABSE)
Mission Statement

 The National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) is the
nation's premiere non-profit organization devoted to furthering
the academic success for the nation's children - particularly
children of African descent. Now in its 38th year, NABSE boasts
an outreach to more than 10,000 preeminent educators
including teachers, administrators, superintendents as well as
corporate and institutional members. Founded in 1970, NABSE
is dedicated to improving both the educational experiences and
accomplishments of African American youth through the
development and use of instructional and motivational
methods that increase levels of inspiration, attendance and
overall achievement.
“Education is a civil right”

6. Problem Statement

 How are the new pedagogical shifts in ELA and
Mathematics in the new Common Core Learning
Standards addressing the achievement gap of
African American Males in grades 9-12 in the areas
mathematics and ELA

7. Variables Measured

Independent Variables: Pedagogical Shifts in ELA/ Literacy:
1. Balancing Informational & Literary Text: Students read a true balance of
informational and literary texts.
2. Knowledge in the Disciplines : Students build knowledge about the world
(domains/ content areas) through TEXT rather than the teacher or activities
3. Staircase of Complexity: Students read the central, grade appropriate text
around which instruction is centered. Teachers are patient, create more time
and space and support in the curriculum for close reading
4. Text Based Answers: Students engage in rich and rigorous evidence based
conversations about text.
5. Writing From Sources: Writing emphasizes use of evidence from sources to
inform or make an argument.
6. Academic Vocabulary: Students constantly build the transferable vocabulary
they need to access grade level complex texts. This can be done effectively by
spiraling like content in increasingly complex texts.

8. Variables Measured

Independent Variables: Pedagogical Shifts in Mathematics:
1. Focus: Teachers significantly narrow and deepen the scope of how time and energy
is spent in the math classroom. They do so in order to focus deeply on only the
concepts that are prioritized in the standards.
2. Coherence: Principals and teachers carefully connect the learning within and across
grades so that students can build new understanding onto foundations built in
previous years.
3. Fluency: Students are expected to have speed and accuracy with simple
calculations; teachers structure class time and/or homework time for students to
memorize, through repetition, core functions.
4. Deep Understanding: Students deeply understand and can operate easily within a
math concept before moving on. They learn more than the trick to get the answer
right. They learn the math.
5. Application: Students are expected to use math and choose the appropriate concept
for application even when they are not prompted to do so.
6. Dual Intensity: Students are practicing and understanding. There is more than a
balance between these two things in the classroom – both are occurring with
intensity.

9. Variables Measured

 Dependent Variables:
1. Academic achievement of African American males
in grades 9-12 in ELA on New York State
achievement tests as reported on the New York
State school report cards
2. Academic achievement of African American males
in grades 9-12 in Mathematics on New York State
achievement tests as reported on the New York
State school report cards

10. Methodology

 Quantitative Research Analysis:
 I will be analyzing the new New York State School Report
Cards to perform a statistical analysis of the new data versus
data from previous years New York State School Report Cards
prior to the new shifts in pedagogical models from the new
Common Core Learning Standards. I will be looking to see
how the shifts have effected the achievement gap of African
American males in the areas of ELA and mathematics
 Qualitative Research:
 I will be conducting interviews with principals and
superintendents in charge of curriculum and instruction, to
ascertain how the new pedagogical shifts are effecting the
achievement gap of African American males at their schools in
the subjects of ELA and mathematics.

11. Literature Review

 African American Male Achievement: Using a Tenet of Critical
Theory to Explain the African American Male Achievement
Disparity: (Palmer, Maramba 2011)
 Although African Americans continue to demonstrate a desire
for education, Black male enrollment and completion rates in
higher education are dismal when compared to other ethnic
groups. Researchers and scholars have noted various theories
and philosophies responsible for the academic disengagement
of African American men in higher education. This article
provides a new contextual lens for understanding the academic
disengagement of Black men using a tenet of critical theory as a
method to explain the African American male achievement
disparity. Additionally, this research offers employable
strategies and activities that may encourage Black male
achievement.

12. Literature Review

 Leaving Us behind: A Political Economic Interpretation of NCLB and the
Miseducation of African American Males: (Donnor, Shockley 2010)
 The purpose of this article is to discuss the misalignment between public school
assessment policies and teaching practices in accordance with the No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), and the human capital, curricula, and soft-skill
needs of the global economy. The authors suggest that changes regarding the
nature of learning, how it is assessed, and the skills taught are critical to the
educational and social success of African American males. This article consists
of four sections. The first section explains federal elementary and secondary
education reform practices that have been mandated by No Child Left Behind
(NCLB). For the purposes of this article, the authors focus their discussion on
NCLB on how Title I schools are affected, because the majority of school age
Black males attend schools with this government designation. The second
section articulates the divisions of labor and soft-skills needed in the global
economy. Section three highlights the divergences between NCLB, the
occupational competencies for high-tier employment, and the skills determined
to be important in the knowledge economy. The authors conclude the article by
discussing the effects current federal educational policies will have on African
American males' opportunity to participate in the post-industrial workforce.

13. Literature Review

 New Visions of Collective Achievement: The Cross-Generational
Schooling Experiences of African American Males: (Hucks, 2011)
 The purpose of this study was to allow African American
males across generations to share their perceptions of the
factors that affected their schooling experiences and influenced
their achievement in and beyond school. Individual interviews
were conducted with men and boys within the context of their
home environment; outside of the schools the boys attended.
The participants' schooling experiences call for establishing a
model of collective achievement that captures and delineates
the engagement and investment of the multiple stakeholders
involved in their education. Such a model will bring about a
higher level of multiple stakeholder accountability that would
likely improve students' schooling experiences and increase the
academic and life outcomes for African American males.

14. Literature Review

 Pursuing Racial Equity in Our Schools: Lessons Learned from
African American Male Teachers in a Suburban School District
 In a "Multicultural Teaching and Learning" course, racial equity is one
of the many issues explored. When discussing racial equity in our
schools, teacher education students in the course focus their attention
on such issues as the achievement gap, referrals to special education
of African American and Latino males, the racism of low expectations.
When faced with these issues, the mostly White student population is
often times silent, color-blind, or oblivious to the racialized dynamics
of schooling. In an effort to expand student understanding of racial
equity, but also explore the complexity of race in schools, seven
African American male teachers in a suburban school district were
interviewed. As a result of these interviews, it is apparent that racial
equity conversations must also assist teacher education students in
understanding the relationships between African American and White
teachers.

15. References

 Palmer, R. T., & Maramba, D. C. (2011). African American Male Achievement:
Using a Tenet of Critical Theory to Explain the African American Male
Achievement Disparity. Education And Urban Society, 43(4), 431-450.
 Hucks, D. (2011). New Visions of Collective Achievement: The Cross-
Generational Schooling Experiences of African American Males. Journal Of
Negro Education, 80(3), 339-357.
 Donnor, J. K., & Shockley, K. G. (2010). Leaving Us behind: A Political
Economic Interpretation of NCLB and the Miseducation of African American
Males. Educational Foundations, 24(3-4), 43-54.
 Simmons, R. (2010). Pursuing Racial Equity in Our Schools: Lessons Learned
from African American Male Teachers in a Suburban School District. AILACTE
Journal, 733-47.