"Acting White": Why Some African-American Students Underachieve
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Researchers Donna Ford, Tarek Grantham and Richard Milner (2004) write that the issue of underachievement among African-American students cannot be addressed without considering issues of racial identity as well. "While previous generations had defined success for one African American person as success for all African Americans, more recently, African Americans are less apt to view the achievements of individual African Americans as progress for all African Americans...[instead, the perception is that] successful African Americans have 'sold out' and are 'acting White' when they achieve" (p. 25).
"To reinforce the belief that they are still legitimate members of the African American community, African Americans may sabotage any chance they have of succeeding outside of it. With this anti-achievement ethic, African Americans may underachieve, drop out, refuse to participate in gifted programs, refuse to accept certain positions, and otherwise fail to reach their academic potential in school and in life" (Ford, Grantham & Milner, 2004, p. 25-26).
"To reinforce the belief that they are still legitimate members of the African American community, African Americans may sabotage any chance they have of succeeding outside of it. With this anti-achievement ethic, African Americans may underachieve, drop out, refuse to participate in gifted programs, refuse to accept certain positions, and otherwise fail to reach their academic potential in school and in life" (Ford, Grantham & Milner, 2004, p. 25-26).
How Teachers Can HelpFirst and foremost, teachers need to recognize and understand the culture and values of their students. Most of America's teachers are white, middle-class women, whose upbringing and culture are quite different from the students they teach. "Research and theory suggest that teachers who understand and integrate the cultural needs and styles of African Americans into the curriculum promote and enhance achievement among these students" (Ford, Grantham & Milner, 2004, p. 21).
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How Counselors Can HelpAccording to Ford, Grantham & Milner (2004), counselors can work with gifted African American students "on such issues as (a) coping with negative peer pressures; (b) working and living in mainstream society and schools; and (c) developing a positive and strong racial identity" (p. 29). Mentoring programs with older students, college students or adult professionals have also been successful with underachieving students.
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The Stereotype Threat: Another Barrier to Student Success
Especially in situations where a minority student is one of the few representing her race (like in a gifted/talented program), the stress of confirming or denying racial stereotypes can keep a student from achieving.
When students in a psychological study were told that their performance on a test was measuring their individual ability, African American students solved about half as many problems as White students. But the two groups of students (White and African American) performed equally in a nonthreatening situation when the same questions were given to another group of students who were told that "the purpose of the test was to understand the psychology of verbal problem solving and not to assess individual ability" (Ford, Grantham & Milner, 2004, p. 26). In the earlier situation, anxiety and stress kept students from performing to the level of their abilities.
When students in a psychological study were told that their performance on a test was measuring their individual ability, African American students solved about half as many problems as White students. But the two groups of students (White and African American) performed equally in a nonthreatening situation when the same questions were given to another group of students who were told that "the purpose of the test was to understand the psychology of verbal problem solving and not to assess individual ability" (Ford, Grantham & Milner, 2004, p. 26). In the earlier situation, anxiety and stress kept students from performing to the level of their abilities.
"Gifted students, and culturally diverse students in general, may operate in classrooms where they are concerned about confirming stereotypes. Psychologically, students carry the burden of being a representative of their group. Attempting to demystify or change negative stereotypes also carries enormous burdens for students" (Ford, Grantham & Milner, 2004, p. 27).