Studies of successful programs for black boys

We asked children how they felt about themselves e. Higher scores on the items indicated more positive self-views. Six items from the centrality subscale were used. We also used six items from the private regard subscale, which measured how the participant felt about other Blacks. Subscale items were rated using a five-point Likert scale indicating the degree to which participants agreed with each item.

Alpha tests of reliability are consistent with other studies on racial identity in children e. Parents reported age, race, education, employment, and income information. Previous studies report strong reliability and validity of these subscales e. The Cultural Pride Socialization Subscale included six items e. The Preparation for Bbias Subscale included six items e. The Egalitarian Subscale included four items that measure the extent to which racial equality is emphasized e.

The Self-Worth Subscale included five items that measure messages stressing the positive characteristics of the child e. Because of variability within the treatment group on adherence and attendance, both of these variables were used as covariates to reduce their impact. We considered the location in which children received the intervention. We expected parents who actively enrolled their child in CSBY to be more involved e.

We also used T-tests and chi-square analyses to determine if children and parents varied at the time of the pre-assessment across demographic and outcome variables. These analyses revealed no significant difference between groups at baseline on demographic factors or outcome assessments i.

Analyses revealed that children in the treatment group reported higher self-esteem at post-assessment than those in the wait-list control.

Specifically, the partial Eta squared was. See Table 4 for relevant statistics and effect sizes. Specifically, parents whose children were in the treatment group reported providing more egalitarian messages to their children than parents of children in the wait-list control group.

We found no intervention effects for other parent socialization messages. Table 4 provides relevant statistics and effect sizes. We designed CSBY to promote self-esteem, enhance positive racial identity, and increase racial socialization practices. Emphasizing the strengths and the rich cultural heritage and history of African Americans as a way to promote psychosocial adjustment and well-being among African American youth were key tenets of this preventive intervention.

In contrast to universal programs with a broader target audience that may fail to address the needs of specific cultures Alvy, , we created CSBY with concepts and skills that are specifically applicable to African American children and their families. From specific cultural pride messages to handling discrimination experiences, CSBY offers African American youth a variety of activities designed to promote positive development in a warm, supportive, entertaining group experience.

Research suggests the positive impact of CSBY on enhancing youth self-esteem and parental racial socialization messages. These data contribute to the growing body of support for strengths-based, culturally relevant preventive interventions for African American youth Lerner et al. Results demonstrate that children in the TX group reported higher levels of self-esteem at post-assessment than children in the WLC group.

Thus, even though the levels of self-esteem among youth in this sample were high, CSBY was associated with additional positive impacts on self-esteem. Contrary to our predictions, racial centrality did not increase as a result of the CSBY intervention. It is possible that, although we emphasize racial pride in the curriculum, the messages of racial equality and general self-esteem were more salient to youth in the intervention.

For example, results showed a significant increase in egalitarian messages, or those that emphasize racial equality, from parents post-intervention. As a result, the most prominent messages children received from the intervention and from their parents may have been feeling positive about themselves and embracing the importance of all races. Thus, their levels of racial centrality remained high throughout the study period, but were not changed by the intervention.

It is also likely that as children age, their exposure to discriminatory experiences as well as normative identity exploration may elicit other types of parental racial socialization. Another possibility is that changes in racial centrality may have appeared after we collected our follow-up data, perhaps as a function of the increasing importance of identity development during the adolescent years.

If this is the case, follow-up assessment at a longer time period than immediately post-treatment might pick up additional possible benefits. Future research is needed to further examine this finding. Results indicated that parents in the CSBY treatment group reported higher levels of egalitarian messages post-intervention than parents in the wait list control group.

Researchers describe racial socialization as a bi-directional relationship in which parents communicate messages about race both on their own and following prompting from their children. In this case, it is likely that as a result of CSBY, children began asking more questions about race, and parents were prompted to provide racial socialization messages.

Parental involvement in the CSBY program is another likely factor in the increased use of egalitarian messages. We invited parents to attend three CSBY sessions, one of which focused specifically on building a sense of community and cooperation - themes strongly aligned with messages of egalitarian ideals. We investigated three other parental racial socialization messages in this study: cultural pride, preparation for bias, and self-worth. We were surprised to find that there were no significant changes in any of these messages post-intervention.

Cultural pride messages emphasize the history and accomplishments of African Americans. One possible explanation for the lack of change in cultural pride messages is that they are instilled often in children and usually introduced at a young age Caughy et. Preparation for bias messages seek to reduce the effects on youth of racial discrimination and provides suggestions on how to deal with those experiences. It is possible that parents focused on equality as a whole and not on individual self-worth throughout the program, which may explain why self-worth messages did not increase over the course of the intervention.

Treatment fidelity indices should also be included in future studies. Despite these positive results, there were important limitations to this study.

Because of a small sample size, power to detect change across time was low 2. We would need to implement CSBY with a larger sample of children in order to fully explore effects on our various outcomes of interest. Still, the increased self-esteem and egalitarian messages we found for the treatment group underscore the value of this program in promoting positive outcomes.

The participants in this efficacy trial were mostly middle class African Americans. Mothers in this study were generally well-educated and were mostly employed. Our study provides important information for understanding the developmental experiences of middle class, not-at-risk families, expanding our understanding of normative development within this understudied and often overlooked niche of African American families Smetana, Also, children with significant clinical issues e.

Expanding this program to focus on at-risk youth African American youth is an important future direction, since evidence suggests the protective function of positive racial identity and racial socialization such youth Harris-Brit et al.

The CSBY child participants ranged in age from 7 to Although the present study contributes to our understanding of the development of African American children in the elementary and middle school years, identity development in general, as well as racial identity in particular, become particularly salient during the transition to middle school.

During the adolescent years, African American adolescents face increased exposure to discrimination experiences Seaton et al. The CSBY curriculum was developed for a younger sample, but future work on this program should focus on modifying it for use with older adolescents and focusing more specifically on how this tool could be used to buffer the impact of discrimination experiences. As we depict in our conceptual model, racial socialization and identity are important protective factors for survival in a broader social context where discrimination experiences and other risk factors are realities for many African American youth.

Supporting self-esteem development and promoting positive racial identity for African American youth remains an important issue.

African American youth remain at risk for less optimal social and emotional development. CSBY is a promising tool that could be used to help youth navigate through the difficult process of identity development and bolstering self-esteem. Including parents in this intervention appeared to be associated with positive effects for parents as well as youth.

The CSBY program clearly warrants continued exploration and development. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. J Prim Prev. Author manuscript; available in PMC Oct 1. Naidi Okeke-Adeyanju , Ph. Taylor , Ph. Craig , Ph. Smith , B. Targeting race is politically tricky. But educational researchers are starting to marshal the evidence that one aspect to attacking the achievement gap in a diverse society is a race-specific and race-conscious approach.

This story about black male students was written by Jill Barshay and produced by The Hechinger Report , a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter. The Hechinger Report provides in-depth, fact-based, unbiased reporting on education that is free to all readers. But that doesn't mean it's free to produce. Our work keeps educators and the public informed about pressing issues at schools and on campuses throughout the country.

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Your email address will not be published. These mirror books highlight cultural histories, music, the arts, language varieties, fashion, cuisine, and other culturally rich experiences found in Black communities to engage Black boys. Here are some picture books that feature Black boys facing the kinds of situations children might see in their everyday lives.

Seeing characters like themselves in these books can help Black boys develop a stronger sense of themselves, including their abilities to pursue their goals and tell their own stories. Culturally responsive classrooms honor and value the cultural and personal identities of all children, and Black boys in particular.

One area in which this can be challenging is typical measures of readiness for kindergarten. Teachers can avoid the effects of unconscious biases by taking a strengths-based approach to readiness.

One common indicator of kindergarten readiness is how long a child can sit quietly in a classroom. Sustained periods of quiet sitting may be helpful from a classroom management perspective, but they do not reflect what we know about the importance of movement in learning. Verve is a great description of how many Black boys behave when they are excited about learning.

With the concept of verve in mind, culturally responsive teachers can encourage indoor and outdoor large-motor and whole-body experiences, such as by putting mats in spacious areas to encourage Black boys—and all children—to tumble and roll. Another common indicator of readiness is how well children follow rules. The ability to meet school and classroom expectations is considered good behavior.