December 2014—January 2015
PRAXIS 34 o N 117 o W
SBCUSD
Department of Youth Services Ray Culberson, Director
PRAXIS IS:
 Commitment to human
well being and the search
for truth, and respect for
others.
 34°N 117°W are the geographical coordinates of
San Bernardino
Volume 2, Issue 3
Why are many young men of color aspiring to
be superstars and not scholars?
Gilberto Q. Conchas
University of California, Irvine
1999
[What motivated you to go to college?] Uh, what motivates me to
go to college? Probably basketball.
CONTRIBUTORS
Director
Ray Culberson
Editor
Henry Yzaguirre Ed.D.
Co-Editors
Michelle Myers
Rebecca Harper
Patty Taylor
SBCUSD
Department of Youth Services
Ray Culberson, Director
1535 W. Highland Ave
San Bernardino, CA 92411
Phone: 909-880-6812
Fax: 909-880-6822
Website: www.sbcusd.com/youthservices
2009
[What are your aspirations?
Hopefully go to the NFL, that’s the
dram but if that doesn’t work I was
thinking of something in real estate.
There is absolutely nothing wrong
with student athletes. High school
sports do not appear to detract
students from academic pursuits.
In fact, recent research suggests
that participation in high school
athletics may lead to positive engagement and school success.
Many students excel in both academics and athletics. This is not
the issue in question. Over the
years, I observed that many young
boys of color aspire to athletic careers at the expense of more mainstream professions—despite the
fact they are high–achieving and
perhaps even come from middleclass backgrounds. Why is this so?
I suggest that the primary
aspiration to athletics and the entertainment fields, in and of itself,
creates marginality. Even boys that
do not aspire to these fields are still
cognizant of the fact that society
1
does not expect them to succeed.
It is not enough to simply argue
for strong support networks in the
school. We must remain critical
of larger historical and structural
forces that impact youth’s perceptions of the opportunity structure.
Let us not put the sole onus on
these young people but on the
multiple forms of marginality impacting the experiences and perceptions of all youth, such as
racial stereotypes, racism, poverty, poor quality schools, community and family instability, joblessness, and mental health issues, just to name a few. These
multiple layers are well suited to
explain Black and Latino boys
perceptions of opportunity in contemporary America and the forces
that elevate aspirations and constrain expectations. Responding
effectively to these challenges is
a complicated task made more
difficult by the fact that educational issues are inextricably linked
and related to issues and problems that are present within the
urban environment. In so far as
educational professionals understand and embrace the lived realities of youth in the inner-city context, alternative approaches to the
academic and social success
among boys of color are sure to
develop. Let us take a closer
look.
In 1999, I interviewed
high-achieving youth in a large
urban high school in Northern
California that resulted in the
publication of The Color of Success: Race and High-Achieving
Urban Youth.
In the book, I
closely observed and interviewed
27
high-achieving
AfricanAmerican males enrolled in rigorous academies that prepared
them for college and careers.
These students thrived in a
school-within-a-school
environment where strong forms of social
scaffolding, such as adult mentorships, integrated curriculum, and
internships in their chosen profession—processes that today are
shown to promote college and
career readiness.
However, most of the
low-income
African-American
males—as the first quote above
shows—first placed a high value
on athletic fame and perceived
college as the pathway to
achieving it. These male students found themselves in an
interesting situation. They knew
that college is important, but
they really wanted to play football or basketball and perhaps
become entertainers.
They
made a compromise. Instead of
dropping education altogether,
they used it to get into college to
show off their athletic skills. If
sports were to fail, they would
use the skills they acquired in
school to pursue professional
careers.
At the time, I was
quite disturbed that although low
-income African American males
are introduced to professional
careers through the College and
Career Academies—with the
social and academic support
systems essential for college—
their perceptions about social
mobility were seemingly no different from the general stereotype. These students perceived
sports as the appropriate avenue for African American male
advancement. In a more positive light these youth did graduate from high school and did
enroll in post-secondary education. They also recognized that
the College and Career Academy would help them get into
college. Needless to say, I was
perplexed with this finding over
the years—especially in light of
the fact that this was not so for
the Latino and Vietnamese students I interviewed back in 1999.
Does this, however, change over
time? Would be see the same
patterns for African American
youth ten years later? What are
the implications of this for Latinos and other boys of color?
December 2014—January 2015
Ten years later in
2009, I returned to the field, but
this time in southern California,
to examine how a diverse group
of African American males—
enrolled in an urban college preparatory
academy—perceive
social mobility in a time marked
by the election of President
Obama. The findings from this
study where subsequently published as “Superstar or Scholar?:
African American Youth’s Perceptions of Opportunity in a Time
of Change” in the journal of Uban
Education. Although these students were part of a thriving and
engaging academy designed to
increase college readiness, the
majority of students aspired to
become athletes or entertainers.
African American students presented a complex phenomenon
concerning sociocultural factors,
academic identity, and perceptions of social mobility. The majority of high-achieving African
American students benefited
from the strong social scaffolds
in the various programs. However, the African American males’
views of the opportunity structure
did not change given the positive
academy structure.
“Racial inequality,
marginalization, and
poverty in and out-ofschools are crucial elements that may serve to
impede students’ academic performance and
ultimately constrain
their career expectations.”
While students in the
sample describe promising factors in their lives, such as the
election of an African American
president and the high quality
education offered in the academy
context, they also note many
forms of marginalization due to
racism, low academic expectations within and outside of
school, poverty, and gang issues
that impact their perceptions of
social mobility (see for example,
Conchas and Vigil, 2012 and
Rendón, 2013). Moreover, the
participants have schooling experiences that shed light on the
complexity and challenges associated with an urban educational
context, similar to the first group
in1999.
We
must
all
acknowledge that public schools
located in urban areas typically
face the greatest challenges and
most acute problems. Poverty,
lack of access to adequate housing and health care, crime and
social disorder, all have an impact upon the ability of children
to learn and the quality of education provided in schools (see for
example, Milner, 2006; Noguera,
2003a; Tatum & Muhammad,
2012).
Despite the election of
a Black president, students could
not quite escape from structural
inequality present in larger American society and culture. Certainly, the political tide that has
shifted the nation’s attention to
the first Black president may still be
overshadowed by the lack of opportunities in many urban communities with little to no resources.
The impact of the cultural shift
achieved by Obama’s presidency
needs to be coupled with considerations of the street socialization
contexts engendered by the students’ school and neighborhood
environments.
These, in turn,
shed light on contemporary youth
experiences and perspectives on
social mobility.
Over the years, I collected responses from low to highachieving youth who spoke openly
about their school and neighborhood experiences and candidly
reflected on their career expectations.
In-depth interviews were
particularly effective not only in
providing the details needed for a
rich and vivid account, but also in
delivering honest perspectives of
the realities in school and society
that are often overshadowed by
mainstream
media
narratives.
Through these interviews, the students were able to provide perspectives on the influence of
Obama’s election to their lives in
the context of African American
history and the long and ongoing
struggle for social equity.
Many students articulated that Obama’s election represented the breaking of a racial
glass ceiling and that they could
now aspire towards any career.
However, in the discourse concerning how African Americans were
stereotyped in the media and society, students were reflective about
the heightened stress and discomfort they faced in dealing with these
distorted depictions. Students provided schemas on how racial identities were socially ranked and how
these categories were institutionalized by the school’s tracking system. In addition to racial inequality
within school, students underscored the importance of marginalization and poverty in their neighborhood life, as manifested through
gang and peer related street socialization. Regrettably, I found that
the influence of Obama’s election
did not exert a discernible effect on
the students’ career aspirations.
Students still communicated a
desire to pursue a career in sports
or entertainment, career paths not
indicative of a culture of opportunity. Racial inequality, marginalization, and poverty in and out-ofschools are crucial elements that
may serve to impede students’
academic performance and ultimately constrain their career expectations.
particular,
2
Marginalization and, in
street
socialization,
ought to be taken into consideration in an endeavor to structure
success for all. I suggest the need
for institutional support systems
and new pedagogical methods that
embrace difference and create a
positive disposition toward school
success. Although certain school
effects begin to foster positive
educational experiences, they do
not equally transform students’
perceptions of the opportunity
structure. Before tangible progress
occurs, we must wrestle with the
weight of larger social and economic inequality and the creation
of street socialization forces in
economically deprived neighborhoods. These processes have a
devastating impact on the experiences and perceptions of nondominant youth in terms of social
mobility.
The election of an African American president marked
the ushering of renewed hope and
optimism for the country. However, the influence of Obama’s election alone may not be enough to
substantially erode the long historical oppression of youth of color
that seeps deep into many institutions in society. I suggest that
poverty and racism—resulting in
marginalization and street socialization—plays prominent roles in
Black male students’ constrained
career expectations. The multiple
forms of marginalization faced by
boys of color are integral to their
perceptions of social mobility. It
remains crucial that conversations
regarding inequality should be
sustained to promote a healthy
and racially tolerant school and
community environment. I strongly
believe that it will take more than
an individual to break the insidious
racial glass ceiling, even if that
individual happens to be an African
American President of the United
States of America.
Gilberto Q. Conchas
University of California, Irvine
Gilberto Q. Conchas is Associate Professor of
education policy and social context and Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of California,
Irvine. He obtained a Ph.D. in Sociology from
the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a
B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. Conchas’ research focuses on
inequality with an emphasis on urban communities and schools. Numerous scholarly
journals, including the Harvard Educational
Review, Research in Sociology of Education,
Urban Education, Youth & Society, and Teachers College Record, have published his work.
He is the author of The Color of Success:
Race and High-Achieving Urban Youth (2006),
Small Schools and Urban Youth: Using the
Power of School Culture to Engage Youth
(2008), and StreetSmart SchoolSmart: Urban
Poverty and the Education of Boys of Color
(2012). Dr. Conchas has been a Visiting
Professor at the University of Southern California, San Francisco State University, University
of Washington, the University of Barcelona,
Spain, and the University of California, Berkeley.
December 2014—January 2015
Excellence For Teaching: Pockets of Hope
Authors Eileen de los Reyes and Patricia A. Gozemba have written a book in which they capture
the day-to-day teaching and learning that inspires students. Their portrayals of creative and
courageous teachers who inspire students, educators, and parents are referred to by the authors as “Pockets of Hope”.
One such educator can be found at
Jodi Moran
5th grade teacher
Barton elementary
Youth Services:
Excellence in Teaching
Dr. Henry Yzaguirre
Restorative Justice
Team
“School has to be a place
you want to be. By
acknowledging a
student’s presence and
highlighting their
strengths, one can begin
to create a positive
classroom climate.”
Barton Elementary School
3
Jodi Moran
December 2014—January 2015
SBCUSD BOARD OF EDUCATION
Mr. Michael J. Gallo, President
Mrs. Bobbie Perong , Vice President
Dr. Barbara Flores
Mrs. Margaret Hill
Mrs. Abigail Medina
Mrs. Lynda K. Savage
Mr. Danny Tillman
SUPERINTENDENT’S CABINET
Dale Marsden, Ed.D., Superintendent
Harold J. Vollkommer, Ed.D., Deputy Superintendent
Kennon Mitchell, Ph.D. Assistant Superintendent
Student Services
Perry Wiseman, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent
Human Resources Division
John Peukert, Assistant Superintendent
Facilities/Operations Division
Matilde “Matty” Zamora, Ed.D., Assistant
Superintendent
Educational Services Division
The Administrative Hearing Panel Members, under the
guidance of the Department of Youth Services, serve multiple roles in ensuring equitable practices and fair
application of education code related to student discipline.
Youth Services serves as a community hub for parent and
student voice to be heard and valued. Our guiding principles of equity, student advocacy, and forging positive relationships with families focus our efforts in cultivating
school connectedness to otherwise disengaged youth.
Hector Murrietta, Executive Director , Community
Partnerships Office
Janet King, Director, Fiscal Services
Joe Paulino, Interim District Police and Safety Director/
Chief of Police
Linda Bardere, APR Director, Communications/
“If we could change the world, everyone would learn
to read, critically think, and take action on their own behalf
to transform themselves, their community and the world”
Layout Designed by: Nat Chripczuk
Meet The Youth Services Restorative Justice Team
Miss. Michelle Myers
Michelle Myers has been
a counselor in SBCUSD
for 7 years. She has implemented restorative
practices to intervene
with bullying. She maintains a partnership with
CSUSB and served as an
onsite fieldwork supervisor for the university’s
graduate
studentcounselor interns. She
has also been the Team
Lead of PBS (Positive
Behavior Support).
Dr. Henry Yzaguirre
Dr. Yzaguirre has
taught
elementary,
middle, and alternative high school students. He has served
as a vice principal and
coordinator. His research interests are in
social justice, student
voice, and school culture. He is currently is
leading collaboration
with local universities
to move theory into
practice.
Mrs. Patty Taylor
Patty Taylor has been a
teacher and school
counselor in SBCUSD
for over 30 years. She
has worn many hats in
SBTA, CTA and NEA
and currently serves as
the President of the
California Association
of School Counselors.
She provides a counseling perspective to
the Youth Services
Department.
4
Mr. Ray Culberson
Ray Culberson has been
the Director of Youth
Services for 11 years. He
engages with families
and students throughout
the community in order
to “Get them in, Keep
them in”. As a product
of the San Bernardino
school system, he knows
the economic and social
challenges facing many
of our youth and their
families.