There are plenty of studies about the black gender gaps, but not that many efforts to do something about them that appear to be paying dividends. That’s what makes the Call Me Mister program so important. The program is based at Clemson University and run by Roy Jones, who oversees a statewide recruitment program where young black men are given tuition help in exchange for a commitment to teach.
On Saturday I had an opportunity to speak before the group and met nearly 200 young men who are either in college or currently teaching. Impressive, and worth imitating in other states. Teaching literacy skills effectively in the early grades was something these young men “got.”
Having a black man standing in front of a classroom can make an important difference. And all-boys charter schools in the inner city that marry black male leadership with a powerful teaching program are producing some stunning results. The most impressive school I visiting during my book research was Excellence Boys Charter School in New
York City, currently the top-rated school in the city for those grades.