Woodland Place Church of Christ
"Save Our Children"
by
Dr. Philena Myers
THE PURPOSE
You may wonder why we have chosen to include this topic on our Church website. The apostle Paul wrote in the Ephesian letter, that gifts were given to men for the Church to function properly. The gifts were for the perfecting of the saints. In the temporal sense God has blessed many, many people with academic and secular knowledge. Certainly the reason is the same, to benefit us in achieving a type of perfection for the glory of God through His children.
It is only logical that any and all knowledge God blesses us to acquire, we in turn share it to others to make a better society. Therefore, in the humbleness of spirit, I share my passion for the academic success of our children with you and parents everywhere.
The American Education & The Achievement Gap of African American Students - An Overview
In the U.S. public school system it is very well known that African American male students continue to be at the bottom of the achievement grid. Most of the population is aware of the term the "Achievement Gap". This term, or reality has haunted African American families for generations.
As an educator, I learned and experienced many things in the public school system. After earning two undergraduate degrees, I went onto to earn a Master Degree / Reading Specialist and continued my education earning a Doctorate of Education in Administration and Leadership. During my doctoral program my research was focused on the achievement gap affecting African American students, specifically the males. My dissertation outlining my research in detail is available online world-wide through the university catalog of dissertations system. Achieving much success with this topic, subsequently, I authored a graduate course for teachers/ educators sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. I successfully taught the course for many years to teachers from districts all over southeastern Pennsylvania.
I do realize the average person is not equipped with the same understanding and overall knowledge of this topic that I have achieved. I do feel very compelled to share my research, experiences and expertise to anyone who is interested. The fact is, as African American parents, we need to understand how to navigate this system to do our part to help our children be more successful. Certainly there are pockets of success of our children. I know of many, many African American children who have succeeded and did very well. However, the majority of our children do not. And in many cases it is not by fault of their own but a system geared against them.
Please take time to look at the slide show. Especially what parents need to know and do to help their child. If I can ever be any assistance to you please contact me. drphilena@icloud.com
WE must SAVE our CHILDREN!
Please take a few minutes to view the attached slideshow it is 8 minutes in length. And play the selected music clip while you view. Thank you!
