PRINCIPLES FOR PARENTS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS CHILDREN

Top Things African American Parents Can do to Improve Their Children Performance in School

1

Participate in your child’s education.

2

Turn off the media in the home (TV & Radio).

3

Eat dinner with your children.

4

Make sure your child gets a good night sleep.

5

Provide your child with a healthy diet.

6

Provide music lessons for your child.

7

Make sure you know your child teachers.

8

Make sure that your child has been given an authentic assessment of their abilities.

9

Read to your child every night.

10

Make sure your child attends school on time everyday.

11

Place your child in a car seat in the back of the car.

12

Don't use corporal punishment (Dr. Alvin Poussaint ).

13

Don't use profanity in front of your children.

14

Limit the number of hours your child works during the week

15

Limit the number of extracurricular activities.

16

Do not buy your children new cars at sixteen.

17

Supervise your children doing homework.

18

“Education is a marathon, not a sprint.”

19

Don’t do your child’s homework.

20

Make stuff with your children ( pancakes, waffles, doll houses, etc.).

21

Let your children fail.

22

Don't fight all of your children battles.

23

Do not smoke in the house.

24

Enter your children into local, state, and national academic competitions.

25

Start an African American charter school based on an Afrocentric curriculum (e. g. J. S. Chick Elementary, Kansas City, Mo).

26.

Enroll your African American boys into all male classes.

27.

Be a parent- don't try to be the teacher, student, principal, and superintendent.

28.

Do not put a TV or a computer in the bedroom of your children.

29.

Keep the end in mind.

30.

Check your children's homework.

31.

Ask your children to discuss the concepts of their school work, not yes or no answers.

32.

Teach your children to study for comprehension, not just to do well on test.

33.

Start education funds for your children.

34.

Have you children sign up for the SAT Question of day on the College Board website.

35.

Children should start taking the SAT during their first year in high school, if not sooner.

36.

Children should start taking AP courses during their first year in high school.

37.

Don't just be good to your children, do things that are good for them.

© 2008 New World Press, Inc

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