(Re)inscribing Meaning: An Examination of the Effective Approaches, Adaptations and Improvisational Elements in Closing the Excellence Gap for Black Students
From great African nations like the Ancient Kemites, Akan and Gikuyu, the world witnessed the development of the most powerful social structures, governance systems, ground breaking innovations in science and technology, and systems of thought that still exist today. Hence, in looking at the low performance levels of Black students today, the question becomes, how do the descendants of those who created writing, mathematics, and science; and then in the face of episodic disruptions laid their lives on the line to read, write, and built public schools, Sabbath schools, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, close the excellence gap between their actual performance and deeply rooted cultural expectations? The present study reviews the essential questions and proposed solutions for closing the excellence gap that have been offered by previous generations of scholars. Africana Studies methodological framing questions were used to examine the long-view experiences of African people as well as a three tier critical ethnographic research methods approach. The study revealed that Black students gained a level of excellence in the face of disruption through: (1) Collective Training, (2) Spiritual and Moral Balance, and (3) Content Mastery. The prerequisite for sustaining educational excellence was found to be in the individual roles female and male representatives play as the primary educators of Black children. Secondly, nurturing a sense of identity through a spiritual understanding of social order and moral responsibility to the collective is also a requirement. Nevertheless, what unites and emerges as the chief element is content mastery. The ability to retain and keep content through listening and reading; and present a level of mastery on that information through speaking, writing and action to solve problems, completes the reciprocal process of educational excellence.
African American Studies, Education, Education, Early Childhood, Achievement Gap, Black Eduction, Black Family, Black Men, Black Women, Excellence Gap
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