Essay on Motivating African American Males in Public Schools: Exploring the Role of Principals

Introduction

This study purposefully explores the experiences of African American males in public schools and the roles played by principals in promoting their student motivation. The analysis is based on student's achievement as well as the assessments shared by principals in regards to student's motivation unfolding how African American students are affected by high states assessments. The research incorporates various methods in order to establish the benefits and importance of motivating African American students as well as the expected outcomes. This study also examines the prevailing belief on the barriers that affect the motivation of African American males in schools as well as the roles played by educators in improving African American male's academic achievement. The experiences of three school leaders are used to derive the research background as well as the contextual information on African American males.

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Data collection involved comprehensive interviews, on-line journals, and data endowed by the key participants. The context illustrates the key approaches endorsed by the school head in an attempt to promote academic excellence among their culturally diverse schools. This research establishes key factors that affect African American students relating to their poor academic performance. Stakeholders are highlighted as key players in decision making and promoting student's motivation. This chapter elaborates key finding as well as their implication of the performance of African American students, describe the limitation of the study, provide recommendation for future research, and derives conclusions from the study.

Interpretation of the Findings

This section contrasts the research in the literature review section with the results obtained in this study on the grounds of major issues. The following research questions guide this study:

1. What do principals perceive as the role of motivation in the success of African American male students in a high stakes testing environment.

2. What do principals perceive as the role of culturally relevant pedagogy in the success of African American male students in a high stakes testing environment.The results of the study established various factor emergent in the academic jurisdiction and operating in the students setting. The factors are chronologically listed and interpreted based on the participant viewpoint and experience.

Mentorship

The motivation of African American students is the essential centre of this study. Mentorship is conversely stipulated as an essential approach in motivation African American students to promote their academic achievement. Mistry, White, Benner, & Huynh (2009) research illustrated the significant gender disparity undermining African American higher learning. The black population are significantly affected hence creating the need to help them through guidance as well as progress overview. The information derived from the participant suggests that teacher does not pay close attention to their students. The context also establishes that if teachers chat with their students, they can easily uncover ways to help them as well as build a positive relationship suitable in motivating students. Contrariwise, the established research illustrates the failure of the teacher to provide adequate mentorship to their students based on the major issues that affect them. Mentorship plays an essential role in facilitating the growth of students founding its importance in the context of this study. Mentorship should purposely be aimed at enhancing student's self-realization and social establishment based on the school's environment. Conversely, mentorship promotes motivation essential in the contextual school environment.

School Environmental Interaction

The context ascertains the significant importance of a school's environmental basis in promoting cultural diversity in the school. Additionally, instructors perform a vital role in ensuring the effective provision of a favourable environment for African American students in order to boost their motivation. A school environment endorses norms, values and relationships that shape the overall perspective and the factors influencing high stakes testing. The collaboration of African American male students, their peers, and teachers can aid in creating a propitious environment. Additionally, the finding from the interviews established the need for support policies as well as practices influencing better student's outcomes. Heilig (2013) furthermore, concur with the finding because though the Civil Rights movement aided in establishing the academic advancement of students of color; African American students are still vulnerable to poor performance. The contextual viewpoint of interaction creates its significance in enhancing social diversity. This viewpoint also establishes the perspective that it's up to African American male students to realize the efforts put by instructors in providing a favorable environment to conversely focus on success. Positive and supportive environments are stipulated as the mainstream endorsing academic excellence among students of various cultural grounds. Hence, both the management and students should collaborate to better their environment to attain their academic success.

Racial Biasness

The context findings establish the impactful damage caused by racial biasness in a school setting. Racial biasness leads to demotivation of African American students affecting their school's activities negatively. Although various approaches have been taken to curb racial biasness in school, passive racial biasness still affects students. Brown v. Board (1954) establishes the efforts to abolish among racially affected school though the finding acknowledges the racial disparity in the current school setting. The finding stipulates that the management should take charge in their environmental setting to ensure equity and racial balance are restored. Additionally, affected African American males should be motivated and mentored to prevent low self-esteem that may affect high stakes testing in schools. Racial and ethnic problems constitute a significant issue that affects the society soaring underperformance of among students. The basis of this subject suggests the need to encourage African American males to build their courage as well as skills on how to tackle different challenges and tests constructively. The promotion of a positive attitude is a key aspect set to restore balance in education.

Economic Insensitivity

This study highlights the significant effects of economic challenges in the education system not only in the U.S. but also in many parts of the world. Economic challenges negatively affect the physical and mental well-being of students conversely affecting their academic achievement. Conversely, this viewpoint is clarified by McCarthey (2008) research which establishes the negative impact of high stakes testing, which disproportionately affects low-income students negatively. This factor is established as a contributory factor in the demotivation of students and creates barriers that hinder success in high stakes testing. Also, low income hugely affects African American students causing demotivation them as well as discouraging due to the effective low grade that results. The finding also stipulates that low earing students endure under limited resources; teacher's insensitivity to student's challenge leaves them enduring in dire misery. Lack of resources and support negatively impact the student's well-being as well as their educational achievement. Ladson-Billings (2006) additionally establishes the importance of providing opportunity and resources for all students promoting their educational achievements. Economic diversity in schools has raised debates on the approach institutions should take to handle specific student needs as well as promote their performance in high stakes. Additionally, the teacher's quality should be assessed with the inclusion of their economic values. Teachers act as essential guides in enhancing economic impact for high stake testing. Conversely, the research establishes the need for focusing on motivating students as economic challenges are not easily solvable. The research also implies the importance of promoting vital educational policies based on the betterment of the student's economic background. The ineffective delivery methods used by school management have also contributed to the decline of African American academic achievement. Additionally, African American ales students lack external benefits as well as external motivation that favors their success in states assessments. The boundaries of an educational setting limit African American access to better economic basis.

Curriculum Incompetence

The finding of this research establishes curriculum incompetence as the background that negatively affects the diversity in schools. The recognizable efforts from the U.S., State's government and institution in reforming the curriculum in order to incorporate a favorable environment for cultural and social interaction have proved challenging. This study outlines the weakness of the current curriculum, such as lack of proper integration with the core requirements in a school. On the other hand, the essence of curriculum incompetence is also contributed by incompetent teachers lacking the technical knowhow on student's matters. Mentorship is expressed as an important aspect of the curriculum that favors high stake testing. The participants in this study also highlighted the need for more activities in the school's curriculum as well as the adjustment of school programs to facilitates student's engagement. Irvine (2003) establish the need for educators to understand their student background and experiences to find a way in which they may aid in student's achievement. The role of educators in motivating students to establish an approach to better self-sense of worth among African American males' students. The betterment of the curriculum is based on better leadership and the transformation of the educational sector probing the Need for Change. The school administration, as well as teachers, need to take a strategic approach and develop ideas to suit the vast, diverse population of students in schools. Additionally, student's experiences are based on the curriculum creating a broader need for an effective system in school.

Poor Extrinsic Motivation

Extrinsic motivation is a norm that can hugely impact on the behavioural change as well as the typical efforts of students put in academic performance. Poor motivation major causative of poor performance by African American students as established by the research finding. This research additionally confirms the need for external motivation in order to promote student internal motivation. Also, institutions should ensure the provision of a friendly environment to facilitate factors promoting internal motivation. Teachers role in providing necessary information as well as support to students demonstrates the proper education setting constructive for students. This theme establishes the need to coach and mentor all student, not necessarily the minority. The finding establishes poor performance as a result of poor external motivation accorded to the racial minority of the society. The participants in this study concur with the literature review study establishing incompetence of teachers in providing external motivation to students. Also, positive influence by educators in the promotion of external supports the critical values set to improve the altitude of African American males.

Combating Criticism

This thematic study point focuses on limited research based on the effects of criticism to students. The findings establish that criticism affects African American students, as well as their per...