Too Important to Fail: Tavis Smiley Report - Essay Example

Too Important to Fail: Tavis Smiley Report Presenting the problem The American education sector continues to face a multitude of diversified challenges, which impair the image of this crucial sector. Notably, among the escalated and disturbing aspects defining the image of the American education is the concern of the increased dropout rates among the teenagers in school. Moreover, the concern of the school dropout is worse for the young people of the African American descent. Further, the issue of concern is that even as the dropout rates increase, the correspondence to the increasing incarceration rates is alarming. This means that many of the young African American students after dropping out of school engage in crime activity leading them to prison; hence, shaping the path of school to prison life. In statistical evidence, it is notable that less than 50% of the young black American males that join school do actually graduate from high school (Too Important to Fail: Tavis Smiley Report). The crisis incorporates the high rates of dropout from teenage to those at the brink of adulthood. In the overview of the investigative feature by Tavis Smiley, Too Important to Fail, he reports on the critical matter of the disturbing aspects of the education sector in America, as the young black males are highly dropping out of school and ending in prison. Root causes explaining the high dropout rate for young African American males Tavis presents the report from the investigation in the episode, featuring the root causes of this worrying trend despite the milestones made in facilitating education in the country. Moreover, the report also factors the various responsive measures to engage in addressing the alarming concern. As Tavis says, a new focus shift towards the black boys is a renewed approach to alleviating the challenges in the society of America. In reflection, there are several factors of consideration, which affect the rate of the black young boys in their quest for education. Notably, it is evident from past findings that as many experts cite, issues affecting the society are the leading role. For instance, the experts cite issues such as generational poverty and pressure from single parenthood households as leading in affecting the span of concentration for the child in school (Too Important to Fail: Tavis Smiley Report). Moreover, the experts also cite aspects such as the continued unemployment rates among the blacks as well as the absence of positive role models to guide these young people in their pursuit of education. Notably, without employment, many of the parents are unable to sustain their child needs, forcing the young black males to drop from school to fend for their needs. Moreover, lack of positive male role model does become a factor as these young boys are not motivated and guidance expected, particularly when they are from single parenthood households (Too Important to Fail: Tavis Smiley Report). Further, the experts also cite elements such as the influence of crime, drugs and gangs as key contributing factors in the face of the urban setting within which these young black males in school live. Further, the condition of the urban schools is another key factor, which is contributing significantly to the alarming rates of student dropouts. For instance, in research, it is evident that the traditional class setting works such that the teachers handle very huge classes. Moreover, in their handling the students, the teachers concentrate on the active boys in the class, and give them priority accordingly; whereas, the fewer active boys in the class are seen as less focused and this is taken as a disciplinary issue. Further, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy that the fewer active boys in the class do fail as the teachers expect them to fail, making them feel less suited for the education settings. Hus, from these elemental concerns, the students continue to drop out out of school accordingly, despite the measures put in place to ensure that all children in America do have access to quality education. For instance, in this episode of Too Important to Fail, Tavis talks to these education experts, as well as the young black boys in school concerning the said challenges that they face. He also seeks the procedures that can be redirected to address the needs of these young Americans. In his interviews, he speaks to Dr. Alfred Tatum, who is the head of the literacy program in Chicago and among those grappling to reverse the dropout rates, which are alarmingly high. In addition, he also speaks to the educational consultant, Dr Jawanza Kunjufu who shares the concern that the country if the crisis in contention involved the white boys, the response would have been immediate (Too Important to Fail: Tavis Smiley Report). This sentiment implies that indeed there are aspects of racism in the educations sector, which are also contributing accordingly to the high dropout rates among the young black males. This is of concern particularly considering that it is unacceptable that children of the blacks are being placed in special education, and a majority is not proficient in reading at the time they are in their eighth grade. Moreover, only about 2.5% of the blacks are getting to the college degree, a factor that is unacceptable. Moreover, the illustration of Jamill at age 17 and Brandon at age 16 is the key to the causative issues of the alarming rates of dropout. These young boys do not have their fathers, a factor that they cite as leading challenge in their pursuit of education (Too Important to Fail: Tavis Smiley Report). Their single parenthood homes lack the positive male impact that a father can input in a Childs education. Further, their economic struggles were also elemental as they explain the challenges they faced in their previous schools. They explain that aspects of anger and retaliatory feelings were key in impairing their education path, as they would have easily opted to join gangs to react against the pressures of the society. The feeling that only their moms were the only people that care about their feelings is dangerous. This lack of positive role models would easily derail them from their current achievements. Correlation between young African American males dropping out of school and entering prison In a reflection of the statistics in the American prisons, majority of the 2.3 million Americans incarcerated in the U.S. prisons are people of the black ethnicity. Moreover, they are people with issues of drugs and crime. Notably, these people have particularly low levels of educational attainment and a history of unemployment. The implication of the case is that the dropouts are unable to secure meaningful employment, facing them to succumb to the high costs of living and pressures of the society. Consequently, some of these black young males join gangs, which they engage in drugs and crime to gain a source of life for themselves. Consequently, as their criminal activities continue, they are caught ending in prisons, a factor that is disheartening considering that they once had a chance of a bright future, only if they had continued with their education. For instance, as the episode presents, Tavis reflects on the scenario that in a low-income and high crime neighborhood, all one sees is a group of hard-looking young teens along the streets or around a corner (Too Important to Fail: Tavis Smiley Report). The expectation is that they are probably school dropouts who lack any positive activity to engage. Thus, indeed, as these young people do drop out of school, all they engage in is creating gangs, which they eventually influence negatively, causing them to end in prison. Thus, this model of the society creates the school-to-prison string, which is highly impairing the American society and education sector accordingly. Solutions to address the high dropout rate of young African American males In reflecting the undeclared crisis in America as Tavis presents in the report, the rate of school dropouts among the young black males continues to remain an emergency for the education sector. The evident aspects of low rates of graduation, which are further propagated by the disproportionate suspensions and expulsions of these young black students, continue to fuel the state of crisis in education sector. The frontline experts and educators that Tavis engages in the course of this report facilitate a narration of practical approaches to use in addressing the matter of concern for these young people. For instance, in response to the crisis, the episode facilitates the working example of Principle Wade, who helped Jamill and Brandon in their time of crisis. He picked them, realizing they had no fatherly figure to motivate them positively and gave them the mentorship they required. Therefore, in this illustration, the first active and workable solution is to engage the use of mentors in the society. Particularly, the school setting is key as the teachers spend the most time with these young people. The teachers should act as first mentors of these young people irrespective of what happens in their homes, to ensure they focus accordingly on their education; hence, reducing the chances of becoming school dropouts. For instance, Tim King the CEO of Urban Academies in Chicago says, he encourages the teachers to give the students the time they need to learn and thrive. The second approach to take in engaging these young people is the use of supportive programs such as the literacy program in Chicago, headed by Dr. Alfred Tatum. Such programs produce remarkably positive results as they encourage these young people to take their education seriously, facilitating their learning process accordingly. Such developments are core in facilitating the learning process for the African American males, thus, preventing the high school dropout rates. Taking action early in advance is also key as Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu reflects the sentiments against if the case was affecting the white boys. Notably he states the response would have been immediate; hence, the response in the case of the young black males needs to be immediate to alleviate the situation from becoming worse (Too Important to Fail: Tavis Smiley Report). Conclusion The recent developments in the education sector, including the establishment of the act that no child should be left behind in education are the key to fueling the success of the education sector in America. However, despite these policy measures being put in place, the crisis for high dropout rates particularly for the young African American males remains high. Thus, addressing this concern is the key to facilitating in addressing the issue associated with school to prison path that most young African American males follow. Work cited Too Important to Fail: Tavis Smiley Report, LINK: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/tsr/too-important-to-fail/ Read More