Reginald Grant's Blog: A Serial Entrepreneur, page 2

My Journey with the “Watkins Award” for African American Male High School Scholar Athletes.

What you may ask is the Watkins Award? It is now considered the premier award in the nation for African American Male High School Scholar Athletes. What started out as an award to inspire, and uplift African American Males’ while honoring the legacy of a local youth coach in Harrisburg, PA. Has grown and evolved to a 5-star black tie gala and a complete weekend of activities each year. On Saturday, March 11th the next class of honorees will be inducted into the Watkins family.
The award is named for youth coach Franklin D. Watkins. He was a simple, hardworking man who believed in the American dream. He embodied the spirit of America even though it has not always embraced African Americans. His family continues to be uplifted by his legacy and the “Alliance” has helped many young men along the way.
I first learned about the “Alliance” which is the acronym for the organization that presents the award, the National Alliance of African American Athletes in 1996. There was a small blip in a San Diego newspaper about a Sports Conference with Warren Moon (HOF), Reggie White (HOF), Sports Agent Leigh Steinberg and others being held in Los Angeles. As a former NFL, & CFL professional, collegiate and high school student athlete I had been looking for an organization like this.
I immediately rearranged my schedule and was excited to be there. It talked about this organization and helping African American male student athletes. I had to be there. Off I went with great expectations. I was not disappointed, the core of founders was committed to changing and improving the lives of African American males.(Andrea Warner, Dr. Gabbin, Everette Pearsall and many others) They had a real desire to impact the lives of young African American males and knew that young African American males looked-up to athletes. What better way to get their message across that it was ok to be a “Student”, give back to their community and be good citizens?
It has been a fantastic yet challenging journey. I immediately joined the bandwagon and every moment has added value to my life. Over the years I have seen great speakers such as Stephen A. Smith (ESPN), Bill Rhoden (now retired NY Times columnist), Christen Okoye (NFL great), Doug Williams (Super Bowl Champion), Kellen Winslow, Sr. (HOF), Willie Lanier (HOF), Jemele Hill (ESPN), Dell Curry (Steph Curry’s father), Warren Moon (HOF), Reggie White (HOF), Steve Smith (NFL Great) and many others.
With a 98% college graduation rate, Watkins Award alumni have gone on to be powerful role models. Like, Myron Rolle (Rhodes Scholar, NFL, now beginning his residency to be a Neurosurgeon), Nick Maddox (City Councilman), Gerald McCoy (5 Time All-Pro NFL), Justin Blalock (NFL retired) , Ted Ginn, Jr. (NFL), Jameis Winston (NFL, Heisman winner) and so many others who are contributing to their local communities. Many have started foundations and are reaching youth (especially African American males) in their communities. As I reflect, I think about many of our alumni as young men, LaVar Arrington (NFL retired) had that intensity, Shane Battier (NBA Champion) had that laser focus and humility, Mohammad Massaquoi (NFL retired) was a natural born leader, the list is endless.
One of the goals was to make an impact and help the student-athletes realize that community and giving back is important. Mission accomplished! I salute the current board, the past members of the board and all of those that have contributed along the way. The road has not been easy, but it has produced positive results.
Join us this weekend in Washington, D.C. as the journey continues. Details can be found on the website at www.NAAAA.com.

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Thoughts of an Urban Teacher: What do you do when students say "I Think I Am Worthless", "Shut the Fu.. Up", "I Am Afraid of Donald Trump", "I Didn't Eat Last Night", "Fu..ing Bald Headed Mother Fu..er" and "I Want to Be An Engineer" ?

Thoughts of an Urban Teacher Inspiration

“I am Afraid of Donald Trump…”
This was said this to me after the Presidential election of 2016. I was prepared for the emotional turmoil my student would bring into the classrooms that day. Trump’s win generated emotional stress expressed in so many students that it rivaled the intensity of President Obama’s election in 2008 and subsequent reelection in 2012.
Looking back in 2012 I was teaching in a charter school in the upscale Los Angeles community of Northridge. In the hall, prior to my first class, a student said: “Obama needs to be assassinated”. The student was white; he reflected the views of his parents and many in the community. The school was an LAUSD charter school and its’ demographics reflected the community, seventy percent white, about twenty-two percent Hispanic and about eight percent African American and others. His parents had told him that President Obama was going to turn America into a socialist country and all would be lost. Of course, this never happened.
The African American students’ and many of the overall student body were elated with the election results when President Obama was elected. Those that expected or wanted President Obama to lose were in emotional chaos. But, they did not express the feelings of fear; it was more like anxiety and a fear of losing power. In my own classroom that day I had an NO Political conversation rule. I relied on the normalizes of my regular and over the next few days’ the school environment returned to it usual vibe. " excerpt from my book "Thoughts of An Urban Teacher" (2017)
That moment in 2012 is when I thought about writing thisThoughts of an Urban Teacher: What do you do when students say "I Think I Am Worthless", "Shut the Fu.. Up", "I Am Afraid of Donald Trump", "I Didn't Eat Last Night", "Fu..ing Bald Headed Mother Fu..er" and "I Want to Be An Engineer" ? book and nearly four years later I released it.

Why I wrote "Success Stories, Insights by African American Men"

Why I wrote and collaborated on the book ! "Success Stories, Insights by African American Men."

"Gifted Black Students Have Less Chance of Being Recommended for Gifted Programs"
By Sarah D. Sparks on
Not to sound like a broken record, but here's yet more evidence that the screening systems for advanced academic programs need a major overhaul.

There's a slew of research that bright students of color have a harder time getting access to gifted and honors programs. Adding to it is a new study in the American Educational Research Association's journal AERA Open finds that high-achieving black students are less than half as likely as white, Hispanic, or Asian students to be referred for gifted programs.

The study analyzed teacher referrals for gifted programs based on more than 14,000 students in a large federal longitudinal study. For students with identical high scores on standardized mathematics and reading tests, white, Hispanic, and Asian students were all statistically just as likely to be referred for gifted programs, at about 6 percent. Black students, by contrast, were 50 percent less likely to be referred, at 2.8 percent.

There was one exception: high-achieving black students taught by a black teacher were three times more likely to be referred for gifted programs than those taught by a teacher of another race.

The study comes at the same time as one by the American Enterprise Institute which finds black students are equally likely as white students to attend schools with Advanced Placement classes. AEI study author Nat Malkus noted that those findings suggest continuing racial disparities in AP classes are caused by lower academic achievement for black students. But the AERA study highlights the ways students of color who should be expected to enter and succeed in advanced academic programs often don't get the chance to do so.

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Why 8,000 Chinese Students were Expelled from American Universities? How can we help international students succeed?

When we look at all of the factors around the reasons that 8,000 Chinese students were expelled, the fact that they are the largest group of international students studying in American universities comes to mind. But, there are other significant reasons, one: not understanding the culture and dynamics of the American university system. Two, the lack of adequate preparation for the American university academic system. Thirdly, poor preparation in the area of academic writing, especially “writing on demand”. My students from China have often said to me and presented in assignments’ that they believe that getting into Chinese universities is very difficult but, that once admission is achieved graduating is easy. They have also stated the belief that admission into American universities is easier but that graduating from them is a much more formidable task. That goes to speak of how the students, parents and the Chinese people view our system, which they hold in high regard.
I have read numerous articles and research papers on this subject. The prevailing view is that there is no clear reason other than the large number (over 250,000) Chinese students enrolled in American universities. As a classroom teacher with direct interaction with many Chinese and other international students my analysis of the data is a little different. So, many of the students do not clearly understand the differences between the informal American Culture and the rigors of our academic institutions. Our institutions and culture value “critical thinking” skills where as many international school systems and cultures value “rote memorization.” The comparisons of international test scores clearly indicate that most developed countries do better than the United States. But, as students progress to the university level our ability to think critically comes to the forefront and Americans excel. In our culture people have the option to excel and compete at the highest levels or to choose to slack off. International students mistakenly, get sucked into the notion that it is alright to slack off. Those that fail too often are not prepared for the freedoms and the appearance of “everything is fun.” The reality is that the academic environment is highly competitive and designed to weed out the weak and anyone without the skill-set to compete. Many ESL programs do not adequately prepare them for the rigors of the environment.
The “Hidden Rules” are often misinterpreted by international students. Every culture has “Hidden Rules” that govern what is and isn’t acceptable. In my new book “A Case For Bilingual Education” I explain the “Hidden Rules.”; “When I first bring up the “Hidden Rules” up to students in my classroom they look at me with a blank stare. I can see the “What are you talking about” swirling around in their brains. One example I often use is the golf course, especially the private courses where the sign “Dress Rule Enforced” so often appears at the entry. This is a clear case where if you do not know the “Hidden Rules” encoded in the message you would have that blank stare on your face. What the heck is the dress code; it’s not clearly defined or outlined no specifics about what to or not to wear. As someone who has spent thousands of days in this environment I clearly understand that it means that I must have a collared shirt, with slacks or appropriate short pants. When I use this example in class I ask the student “who in the class would have on the correct clothes?” When I explain the rules they start to understand the meaning of “Hidden Rules.”

Why do I state “the lack of adequate preparation for the American university academic system?” Simply stated, cheating and plagiarism are rampant in many cultures thought the world. Institutions rarely if ever condone cheating and plagiarism but, many do not view it as American academic institutions do. American universities have very strong views on this subject. The consequences for not giving credit to the appropriate source are severe, and it is too often viewed by international students as insignificant. They too often do not understand the cultural dynamics of American university culture and why they are so severely punished for copying something. The preparation programs and high schools that international students attend prior to entering the American university system too often do not prepare the students to learn how to paraphrase and implement quotes. Many times they brush over this element of the subject, it needs to be a completely separate instructional element and reinforced over an extended period of time.
Language acquisition is a difficult and complicated process, especially learning a second language. Research has established that we listen, speak, read and write with each step in the sequence becoming increasingly difficult. The fact is the steps overlap as we acquire language. Learning language is a social process and cultural dynamics play a significant role in language acquisition. Most people do not differentiate between learning informal (conversational) language and formal language (for business, academics and writing). This is especially true of the American version of English, because America is viewed as a very informal place. As stated in my book “A Case For Bilingual Education” “… English is the language of popular culture and is the driving force behind English being so widely adapted.” What the international community sees on the internet, in movies and television is not usually the formal version of English used in academic environments and required for academic studies. So, often international student come to American and enroll in American universities and are overwhelmed with the strict academic requirements, the need to be able to “think critically” on the fly and the freedom. When I say freedom, I mean the lack of understanding that although the professors are often not on their backs for completing assignments or attending classes, the level of completion for grades is intense. We expect students to be weeded out as a result of the competitive nature of the American academic process. They are too often lulled to sleep, and too often by the time they realize it it is too late.
ESL programs, high schools, admission counselors, parents, and agents must do a better job of preparing the students for the rigors of the American academic process. Too often students enroll in ESL schools unequipped to teach the academic skills to succeed at American universities. ESL progression programs are better, but they often lack the backbone to implement rigorous literature and writing process programs. It too often becomes all about the money, now! Not about student retention and success. I highly suggest that the educational programs and agents develop intensive pre-enrollment programs to stem the tide of expulsions and failure by international students and specifically the Chinese students. Parents must be more diligent in ensuring that their children are better prepared for the experience. Tutors and choosing the right school that fits you child’s needs are paramount. Do not be swayed by the bright lights and reputation of many American universities or progression schools. Choosing a school is both an emotional and trying experience, research and school visits play an important role in ensuring that you select the program and university that will allow your child to thrive and succeed.

Presenting at Tri3i Gifted conference

Saturday, October 24, 2015 presenting at Tri3i Education conference in Pasadena, Ca. More at www.Tri3i.org
See you there. Great event to raise funds for disadvantaged youth to attend college.

Christmas poetry book give-away.

Congratulations to the two winners of my book of poetry "Daily Sunshine".
Mary Michelle Tharp and Roger Dearborn, I hope your enjoy the holidays and may your New Year be all you want.