9th grade intervention a key to keeping black boys from dropping out of school
09.05.08
A program that targets black freshman boys at high schools with the highest dropout rates is showing promising results in its first year.
Instead of using faddish curriculum, new textbooks or unusual teaching methods, the program does two simple but apparently effective things:
First, the students were given a mentor - usually a black male - with whom they have daily contact. Second, they participate in field trips and other activities well beyond their realm of experience. The activities ranged from attending a speech by Sen. Barack Obama, participating in a summer careers seminar or touring the campus of Morehouse College in Atlanta.
