Parenting 101: Let's close the achievement gap #NoMoreExcuses

No Excuses Allowed

I have to co-sign 100% with the premise of following article:

There is no excuse for the widening achievement gap of young African Americans and their peers.

However, we would be remiss by not extending culpability to the adult world for failing to provide our children with nurturing environments conducive for success.

Parenting Matters

Poverty, racism, single-parent households, home instability, under-performing schools, violent neighborhoods are all factors that provide relevant context for this dilemma, yet in still, they are all hurdles that can be overcome with committed adult support.

The following post was written by Roger Madison. It originally appears on Black Star Journal, under the title of , “Let’s Close the Achievement Gap: No More Excuses.”

By: Roger Madison

I am tired of listening to excuses.

I am quite frankly puzzled by the growing achievement gaps in testing results that we read about among Black students. It appears to me that someone hoodwinked many Black people into believing that we cannot perform well on tests. We must teach our students that “life requires you to pass all sorts of tests every day.”

When challenged to excellence, what I am seeing is a roll out of all the excuses.

I am tired of listening to excuses. If we truly want our children to escape a future of permanent underclass status, we need to challenge them from the time they begin to speak to become “learners” who are prepared at any moment to prove that they have learned what they must know to succeed.

We live in the Information Age, where knowledge is power.

In this fast-paced world, you need to be who you say you are, and you must prove that you know what you say you know.

Let me give you a few examples:

If you want to be a lawyer, you must pass the Bar exam.
If you want to be an accountant (CPA), you must pass the CPA exam.
If you want to be a doctor, you must pass a state medical exam.
If you want to be a Registered Nurse, or Practical Nurse, you must pass a course of study and many exams.
If you want to be an engineer, you must pass an exam.
If you want to be an airplane pilot, you must pass exams regularly to remain certified.
If you want to design video games, you must pass exams to become a certified Software Developer.
If you want to be a teacher, you must pass exams.
If you want to be a builder, plumber, electrician, or architect, you must pass many exams.
If you want to join the military services, you must pass an exam.
If you want a driver’s license, you must pass an exam.
In fact, most meaningful careers require the passing of many exams.

So, if we want our children to succeed, we must teach them that they will be tested, and that they must do well.  read entire article