The reason the AA Task Force included the African immigrant students is because the District categorizes all “black” students as African American. I’ve asked. It does not have separate categories immigrant Africans.

Frankly the less you depend on the parents and homework the better. As far as I’m concerned everybody would be happier and fare better is the public schools ran an 8 to 5 schedule, especially in the proletariat schools. When the kid is sent home, “homework” should be done.

If you can’t easily run the schools through summer sessions, every single summer program that can by put together and advertised for the families is a lifesaver. Even if the program has them going to activities together. The parents need to work and the kids need work on proper socialization (deportment) and getting out to see the ocean or something. A class to read the Oakland Tribune aloud every day would help. Then they could graduate to reading US News & World Report aloud.

When asking an African American teacher whose son attends our school, she had suggestions that were different from the “experts” but valid none the less.

Put computers and software into the low performing students homes. These could be older machines with learning games. These computers do not have to have access to the internet (not affordable for most families to keep up) nor did they need a printer.

Do not keep the kids after school, it will make them feel more “stupid.”

Use a “Score!” or “Kumon” model for extra help for the kids over the Summer and have the low performing kids actively engaged in learning to avoid “brain drain” over the Summer.

Kids learn to read until 3rd grade, then they read to learn from 3rd grade on. Learning to read is critical. I agree with the previous posters about “real learning” and critical thinking. But you have to be able to read for information before you can critically evaluate it.

I know that our school has tutors who work individually with the kids who need extra help. I also believe that many of these families want their children to succeed but believe it is the school’s job to educate the students.

I wonder if as a school district we have even thought of sending learning materials home with these kids in the Summer?

Nonetheless, as I skimmed over the results from a number of schools from across the state, it was upsetting to see how many high performing schools had fewer than 20 African-American students, and how many mid-performing schools had African-Americans scoring one to two-hundred API points below the school average.

As part of the “keep ‘em happy” approach you will see dumbing down of standards, false news and the handing out of phony awards.

The negroes won’t be happy if you confront them with objective indications that they are losing ground – falling further behind the other groups. So you cook the books by mixing the stats for the African immigrants and first generation students – who have academic achievements at par or higher than the whites – with the American Negroes (blacks?). Have you hung out with Nigerians and Ethipoians… They tend to be competitive (an understatement). They also have ways of making sure their children compete.

I’m black, some of my in-laws Are African immigrants and 1st generation black/african mix. The in-laws have no use for the low-functioning American Blacks, and no illusions about what to expect from them. They wouldn’t have survived Africa if they were in the business of denial. They don’t want to return there either, they really like it here.

I have seen such relatives come over here as teens, work at 7-11, and finish Med School and go into specialty practice. And they don’t sit around demanding attention or their own way all the time, either.

And who do you think benefits from AA nowadays? Any attempt to “subsidize” blacks is quickly picked up by the best candidates – which is often immigrants or their children. The locals are simply no match for the competition and that goes double for the children of the black professional class. There are reasons for this.

Will all this lead to friction between the immigrant blacks and the home grown – does anybody care? You have to want Professional School and the life that goes with the efforts – and what I see is that those who do want it are the only ones left standing after all the prerequisites.

And lately they are often African Immigrants.