SCS superintendent looks to change district culture, close achievement gap for black male students

In the face of a significant achievement gap between African-American male students and the rest of the Shelby County Schools population, the district is planning to usher in a series of changes, including around teacher recruitment and school discipline, to focus more on supporting African-American male students in the district.

According to SCS Superintendent Joris Ray, African-American male students are more likely to come from a low-income household, less likely to graduate, have lower attendance rates and earn lower ACT scores than the district average. Ray said changes would start taking place across the district in the next year, including increased recruiting of African-American male teachers and creating an equity office.

“This is not going to be a one and done thing,” he said in an interview with the Commercial Appeal. “This is going to almost be a district changer or a lifestyle change for Shelby County Schools.”

More of a culture change within the district than an initiative, Ray said success would require buy-in not just from the Shelby County education community, but from public officials, law enforcement, parents, students, faith-based organizations and the community as a whole. 

We cannot and will not allow African-American males to languish in the midst of antiquated, systemic practices that do not take into account the very real challenges that deeply and directly affect them every day," he said. 

In addition to establishing an equity office, recruiting African-American educators and providing professional development opportunities for teachers, SCS will consult with an equity advisory committee of community partners, work to expose more young black men to rigorous coursework, build on restorative practices and build mentorship networks based on ZIP code. 

Lowe asked the community for patience saying it had taken years for the current achievement gap to develop and it would take years to rectify it. He stressed that the impending changes were not an "episode," but a realignment of priorities, "making sure we're looking at the brilliance of black boys."

The superintendent thanked community partners at the press conference but said the district would need support — socially and financially — from all sectors of the community. He encouraged anyone who wanted to support SCS to become a tutor, mentor or volunteer. 

Credit: Corinne S Kennedy, Memphis Commercial Appeal