College In And Out
Mahogany Momma Web Guide #8

The doors we open for our children today determine the types of opportunities we make available to them tomorrow…

The College In And Out edition of Mahogany Momma is all about how to get more of our children into College.

In order for more black students to excel, more black parents have to understand that today’s Bachelors degree is equivalent to yesterday’s high school diploma. In other words, if you want your child to have access to better careers and a better way of life tomorrow, then planning for college is something you should have started yesterday. The truth is that it’s never too early to start the college preparation process because it involves more than simply starting a college fund. You need to know how to successfully build your child’s academic resume so that he/she can realistically apply, attend, and graduate from college. The key is to get your child on the right academic path at the right time and that is what the College In and Out issue of Mahogany Momma is all about. From exploring College Prep Programs to learning College Life Skills, this special edition of Mahogany Momma outlines the types of information and resources that Parents of Color and Minority Students need to be aware of if they are interested in learning more about college.

Featured topics:

• College Focused Time line for students from Junior High to High School Graduation
• Online College Preparation Websites for Black Students
• Black College Life Resources
• Black College Tours
• Whereto Research Historically Black Colleges: HBCUs
  
• Minority Scholarship Sites and listings
• Pre-College Programs for Black Students
  
• An extensive listing Black College Life resources and books

• Black Students Scholarships, blackstudents.blacknews.com
• Diverse Issues In Higher Education, www.diverseeducation.com
• A Better Today Brings a Brighter Tomorrow, www.msoyonline.com/abtabt
  

Here are a series of articles and resources for black parents interested in making this year a great academic year for their kids. For those interested in getting a head start on college or filling out applications and getting scholarships, please read the info about the College In and Out Guide for minority students.

• Mahogany Momma's Back To School Blog Posts
  Check out my Black Parenting Blogs Back To School Section, with posts specific to Black Education and Students of Color from toddlers to teens.
• College In And Out, Mahogany Momma Web Guide #8
  This College Guide for Students of Color includes a College Focused Timeline for students from Junior High to High School Graduation,with an extensive listing Black College Life resources, books, sites & more.
• Black Parents Regain Control of their Children's Education
  Homeschooling, Charter Schools, and Beyond Black Parents Regain Control over their Children’s Education
• Black Youth Benefit from Afterschool Programs
  If we're really go to talk about Back to School then let's talk about what we do with the kids After School. Whether it be on the weekends or during the week, every parent wants to make sure their kids are being looked after and that their academics are on point. Furthermore, everyone wants to find the best child-friendly, low-cost no-cost programs.

Homeschooling, Charter Schools, and Beyond
Black Parents Regain Control over their Children’s Education

The secret is out. Many black parents are taking their children out of the American public school system and everyone is talking about it. Empty promises are no longer quieting poor minorities and the inner city masses. People are tired of waiting for smaller classes and bigger budgets. Black parents specifically are tired of seeing their children transform from bright eyed elementary school students into unmotivated, poorly educated, high school dropouts. Every year these kids receive an alarming amount of mental/behavioral misdiagnosis and negative criticism in their classes rather than proper encouragement and guidance. Moreover, beyond merely acknowledging these poor educational conditions, public schools have done very little to improve the state of education for black students. It is for this reason that Black Flight is on the rise. More black parents are seeking alternative solutions to the public school system in an effort to regain control over their children’s education.

Home schooling is by far one of the most popular and effective alternatives available to black parents today. It gives them the power to define their own educational methods; integrating stronger Afrocentric curriculums as well as moral and religious values into their daily lesson plans. The end result for many of these families is a revitalized interest in learning. As studies show, homeschooled children average 30 to 37 percentile points higher than their peers in public school, across all subjects on nationally standardized achievement tests.[1] In fact, according to a comprehensive study conducted by Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute, white and minority homeschoolers scored at the 87% percentile in reading and minorities trailed whites in math by a mere 5 points. Moreover, 63% of the minorities in this study were black and Hispanic, which proves that it is possible to close the educational gap between minority students and their white peers.[2] Is it really any surprise then that black parents are taking their children out of public schools? Blacks are now the fastest growing demographic of homeschoolers totaling about 110,000 among a total number of 1.1 million homeschooled children in the United States, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.[3]

Homeschooling is clearly on the rise within the Black Community, but it isn’t the only path parents are choosing to take. Across the country public school officials are noticing a decrease in enrollment largely due to black students entering charter schools. In Minneapolis, the district enrollment is projected to be down 30%. And in the last five years, the Washington D.C. school district has lost 10,000 students; 25% of which are now enrolled in charter schools.[4] These schools are actually independent public schools of choice that operate outside many of the regulations that govern traditional public schools. Governed by a group or organization (ex: a group of educators, a corporation, or a university) under a contract or charter with the state, charter schools generally aim to better serve a particular population or improve the achievement performance within a preexisting school.[5] For the most part, a growing number of charter schools are successfully meeting their goals, which in turn is convincing many minority parents that school choice is the way to go. According to a 2004 report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education, charter schools are smaller than conventional public schools and serve a disproportionate and increasing number of poor and minority students. This is in large part due to the fact that the greatest achievement gains can be seen among African American, Hispanic, or low-income students. According to a December 2004 Harvard University study, these students are more likely to be proficient in reading and math than their peers in neighboring conventional schools.[6]

Similar to home schools, charter schools foster more parental involvement, better student assessments, and a stronger sense of cultural identity among the minority populations that they serve. For those families looking for an entirely different approach to learning, these alternatives are definitely the way to go. For those parents who are more so interested in filling the gaps within public schools rather than replacing them all together, supplemental educational programs are another option. They provide additional academic services to students who are in low-performing schools and they happen to be very popular.[7] As a matter of fact, everyday children across America attend these after school and pre-college programs at which they generate a renewed sense of themselves through new arenas of support. In spite of overcrowded classrooms and out dated books, students can further develop their minds with the help of the one-on-one training and co-curriculum classes that these organizations provide. For the most part, these programs typically offer tutoring, mentoring, summer instruction, workshops, internships, artistic development, college guidance, and career counseling. We will review more of such programs in the chapters to come.

From new school choice initiatives to after school programs, alternative educational avenues are becoming more accessible and sought after within the Black Community. As these changes continue to translate into decreasing enrollment rates at public schools, a few things are becoming clear to the American public at large. For one, school choice isn’t simply a privilege for those who can afford a private school education; it is a viable option for every American citizen. Secondly, politicians and school district officials alike can no longer count on minority and low-income parents to stand behind an educational system that is failing their children. And most importantly, irregardless of how much certain people want to portray Black Flight and Charter School segration as a problem, the increasing number of these minority students excelling past their public school peers is an indication to black parents that in regaining their control, they have actually found the right solution.

[1] Homeschooling Helps Minorities, by Lee Safley, Illinois Christian Home Educators, www.iche.org/pages/articles/focus.php?ID=19&parent=3

[2] Why Black Children Benefit From Home Schooling, by Jennifer James, Suite 101 - Multicultural Homeschooling, www.suite101.com/article.cfm/african_american_homeschooling/111986/1

[3] Home Schooling Basics: Facts and Myths, by Jennifer James, Black America Web, www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/family/homeschool50106

[4] Black Flight, by Michael Strong, TCS Daily, www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=040706D#_edn1

[5] Definition of a Charter School, www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&rls=RNWE,RNWE:2005-15,RNWE:en&defl=en&q=define:charter+school&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

[6] All about Charter Schools, The Center for Educational Reform, www.edreform.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=document&documentID=1964

[7] Supplementary Education Programs, Black Alliance for Educational Options, www.baeo.org/programs?program_id=5&program_category_secondary_page_id=19


Additional Black-Education Related Posts
- Websites for African American Homeschoolers
- Find Black History / African Culture Books
- Mahogany Momma BookStore

About the Author:
This article is an excerpt of A Better Today Brings a Brighter Tomorrow, (abt.msoyonline.com) a resource guide for African American parents, self-published by LaShanda Henry. Visit www.lulu.com/msoy to purchase a copy of this book or email lhenry@msoyonline.com for details.

© LaShanda Henry 2005

NOTE: You are welcome to forward or “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” info at the end and the copyright notice), and you send a copy of your reprint to lhenry@msoyonline.com.

If we're really go to talk about Back to School then let's talk about what we do with the kids After School. Whether it be on the weekends or during the week, every parent wants to make sure their kids are being looked after and that their academics are on point. Furthermore, everyone wants to find the best child-friendly, low-cost no-cost programs.

Here is an excerpt of my Black Parenting Guide, that talks about supplemental academic resources for students of color...

In any well rounded political debate education is one of the top five topics of discussion. This is the case because with regards to our educational system there is always room for improvement. Practically every academic improvement up for discussion should be prefaced with the word ‘More’; more teachers, more books, more schools, and more supplies. More often than not at the top of constituents’ academic ideals is the belief that more money will create better schools.

In the midst of this outcry for more, students unable to attend the top schools are getting less. Beyond losing potential opportunities, they are losing their desire to learn. While many parents are left with their demands for more, anxiously awaiting a day when quality education will truly be accessible to all, the rest of us seek alternative solutions outside the school walls.

Everyday children across America attend after school and pre-college programs at which they generate a renewed sense of themselves through new arenas of support. In spite of overcrowded classrooms and out dated books, students can further develop their minds with the help of the one-on-one training and co-curriculum classes that these organizations provide. For the most part, these programs typically offer tutoring, summer instruction, workshops, and career counseling.

Similar to the search for a good school, in the world of after school economics, the demand is always greater than the supply. Moreover, the best institutions are sometimes the best kept secrets. Fortunately, supplemental Educational programs for youth come in a variety of shapes and sizes. There are tutoring/mentoring programs, pre-college programs, community centers, camps, youth focused internships, talent searches, and career training programs. Use these organizational categories as buzz words and guides. Look online and through local newspapers to find out where such programs exist and how your child can take advantage of them.

A Better Today Brings a Brighter Tomorrow is a resource guide that features supplemental education programs for students of color and their parents. This book is available for purchase at www.lulu.com/msoy and on amazon.com. Additionally, the guide’s website, abt.msoyonline.com, includes an online directory of community outreach programs, more informative articles, and helpful forums for parents.

As long as poorly funded schools remain an issue within countless black communities, supplemental education programs will continue to provide as many students as possible with well-rounded academic experiences. We must all actively advocate for the improvement of our schools, but as a parent it is equally important you, not the schools, control your child’s academic experience. Look outside the school system for a new pool of opportunities to dive into and a self-made village in which to raise your child.

Afterschool / Mentoring / Pre-College Programs featured in this book:

Groundwork Inc.
www.groundworkinc.org

Upward Bound Program
www.ed.gov/programs/trioupbound

College Summit
www.collegesummit.org

Ventures Scholars Program
www.venturescholar.org

Additional Resources:

Score! Educational Centers
www.escore.com

Higher Learning for Minority Students
www.msoyonline.com/theezine/higherlearning.htm

About the Author:
This article is an excerpt of A Better Today Brings a Brighter Tomorrow, (abt.msoyonline.com) a resource guide for African American parents, self-published by LaShanda Henry. Visit www.lulu.com/msoy to purchase a copy of this book or email lhenry@msoyonline.com for details.

© LaShanda Henry 2005

NOTE: You are welcome to forward or “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” info at the end and the copyright notice), and you send a copy of your reprint to lhenry@msoyonline.com.

In any well rounded political debate education is one of the top five topics of discussion. This is the case because with regards to our educational system there is always room for improvement. Practically every academic improvement up for discussion should be prefaced with the word ‘More’; more teachers, more books, more schools, and more supplies. More often than not at the top of constituents’ academic ideals is the belief that more money will create better schools.
In the midst of this outcry for more, students unable to attend the top schools are getting less. Beyond losing potential opportunities, they are losing their desire to learn. While many parents are left with their demands for more, anxiously awaiting a day when quality education will truly be accessible to all, the rest of us seek alternative solutions outside the school walls.

Everyday children across America attend after school and pre-college programs at which they generate a renewed sense of themselves through new arenas of support. In spite of overcrowded classrooms and out dated books, students can further develop their minds with the help of the one-on-one training and co-curriculum classes that these organizations provide. For the most part, these programs typically offer tutoring, summer instruction, workshops, and career counseling.

Similar to the search for a good school, in the world of after school economics, the demand is always greater than the supply. Moreover, the best institutions are sometimes the best kept secrets. Fortunately, supplemental Educational programs for youth come in a variety of shapes and sizes. There are tutoring/mentoring programs, pre-college programs, community centers, camps, youth focused internships, talent searches, and career training programs. Use these organizational categories as buzz words and guides. Look online and through local newspapers to find out where such programs exist and how your child can take advantage of them.

A Better Today Brings a Brighter Tomorrow is a resource guide that features supplemental education programs for students of color and their parents. This book is available for purchase at www.lulu.com/msoy. Additionally, the guide’s website, abt.msoyonline.com, includes an online directory of community outreach programs, more informative articles, and helpful forums for parents.

As long as poorly funded schools remain an issue within countless black communities, supplemental education programs will continue to provide as many students as possible with well-rounded academic experiences. We must all actively advocate for the improvement of our schools, but as a parent it is equally important you, not the schools, control your child’s academic experience. Look outside the school system for a new pool of opportunities to dive into and a self-made village in which to raise your child.



About the Author:
This article is an excerpt of A Better Today Brings a Brighter Tomorrow, (abt.msoyonline.com) a resource guide for African American parents, self-published by LaShanda Henry. Visit www.lulu.com/msoy to purchase a copy of this book or email lhenry@msoyonline.com for details.

© LaShanda Henry 2005

NOTE: You are welcome to forward or “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” info at the end and the copyright notice), and you send a copy of your reprint to lhenry@msoyonline.com.

Visit Afrocentric Learning Tools, a new black website that highlights products and services that aim to educate Black Students and promote the development of Multicultural educational tools. The site includes lesson plan ideas, product reviews, news and resources for Black parents, Educators of Black Students, and African American Homeschoolers. As well as entertainment and online activities for young black boys, girls, and older teens.

Afrocentric Learning Tools Brought to you by:
LaShanda Henry, founder of Multiple Shades of You Online an ecommunity that produces and promotes quality online content for people of color (http://www.msoyonline.com/)

ALT URL: http://afrocentriclearningtools.msoyonline.com

When in pursuit of a quality education, the first place to look is the top. There you will find the best private, public, and specialized schools that your state has to offer. Apart from being labeled ‘the best’, the common thread among these institutions is the availability of great academic opportunities. Your child will reap the benefits of an academic career filled with dedicated teachers, modern learning materials, pre-college courses, and an abundance of extracurricular programs along the way. As you begin to map out your child’s academic future, consider these schools as excellent starting points.

In the past forty years, there have been a number of extraordinary people who have created amazing programs to help underprivileged students enter the best, and often times most expensive, private institutions. Such organizations recognize every child’s potential for academic excellence and every parents need for financial guidance. Below is a detailed explanation of the benefits of a private school education as well as a listing of programs that aim to place gifted minority youth into Independent Schools.

In a private school all doors are open. From practicing Latin after an engaging class reading in English, to eating lunch with a math teacher before a game of basketball, prep schools offer an enriching academic experience from the time the first bell rings to the time the last student heads for home. With smaller classes, teachers can spend more time teaching and less time taking attendance. With better facilities students have access to computers in the class room and healthy lunch options in the cafeteria. Moreover, with a dedicated staff, parents can explore every aspect of their child’s education in detail.

Prep schools can provide the highest standards of education because they have the finances to back their efforts. Similar to the price of a college degree, inclusion in such schools can cost upwards of $20,000 a year. If you are a parent with an annual household income below or slightly above $40,000 you can rightfully define this as an impractical expense. Meeting your family’s basic needs undeniably takes precedence over devoting 50% of your income to school tuition. You shouldn’t have to make such an extreme sacrifice, and surprisingly you don’t have to. Help is available in different ways from various sources.

Everyday New York City kids attend private schools with the help of programs like Prep for Prep and A Better Chance (ABC). In addition to gaining access into some of the most selective Independent Schools, many of these students have gone on to acquiring degrees at the top colleges and universities across the country.

Each program has it own unique approach and structure. Among the wide-range of services offered you might come across the following:

• The chance to enter into Independent Schools, which allocate spaces in support of students from these programs.
• Academic Preparation Courses that outline the material and teaching styles used in independent schools.
• Step by Step guidance through the Private School Admissions process.
  Need-Based Financial aid packages given by the school after successful completion of the application process.
• Additional Services ranging from tutoring, counseling, career training, and college planning.

More than just a list of services, these not for profit programs are significant because they provide valuable community resources for free. Of course nothing in life is entirely free. In most cases the word free is followed by a catch and in this case the catch is the competition! Given the nature of these programs the number of applicants is often higher than the number of available spaces. This creates a highly competitive process. Prospective students are encouraged to embody the type of drive that will keep them at the top of the talent pool. Furthermore, for those students who are accepted, the post-admission road ahead is far from easy. After months of weekend classes, late night homework sessions, and countless school visits, both parents and students begin to realize the cost of such an opportunity is time rather than money. Without a doubt, this is one of the most challenging academic processes for young people commit to, but all their hard work does pay off in the end.

If your child is not accepted to one of these programs, consider the experience to be a life lesson rather than a deterrent. Learn from it. Utilize that new found knowledge and consider applying to independent schools on your own. Remember, a gifted student will go far with or without special programs. The key is supportive parenting and personal self determination. If needed, you can apply for financial aid, specialized high schools entrance exams, or supplementary educational program ranging from pre-college prep, after-school guidance and support.

The following is a list of Independent School Placement Programs in New York City:

Prep for Prep
163 West 91st Street
New York, NY 10024
www.prepforprep.org
(212) 579-1470

The Oliver Program
The School at Columbia University
556 West 110th Street, 3rd Fl.
New York, New York 10025
www.theoliverprogram.org
(212) 851-4223

A Better Chance
240 West 35th Street, 9th Fl.
New York, NY 10001-2506
www.abetterchance.org
(800) 562-7865

City Prep
1406 Merriam Avenue
Bronx, NY 10452
www.cityprep.org
(914) 723-5231

New Jersey SEEDS
303-309 Washington Street, 4th Fl.
Newark, NJ 07102
www.njseeds.org
866-NJSEEDS

About the Author:
This article is an excerpt of A Better Today Brings a Brighter Tomorrow, (abt.msoyonline.com) a resource guide for African American parents, self-published by LaShanda Henry. Visit lulu.com/msoy to purchase a copy of this book or email lhenry@msoyonline.com for details.
© LaShanda Henry 2005