The high school dropout problem is a national crisis. Approximately one-third of all high school students leave the public school system before graduating. The problem is especially pronounced among students of color in America’s major cities. For example, in Philadelphia, twenty-two (22) District high schools lost 50 or more of their students from the Class of 2012 cohort, 2,200 dropouts in all. This represents a significant shrinkage of one graduating class. Unfortunately, it’s even worse across the Delaware River. According to the recent data only 42% of Camden High students and and 46% of Woodrow Wilson students graduate from high school. Low-income, urban, predominantly Black and Latino public and charter school students are struggling mightily in the classroom. Black males, in particular are drowning in Philadelphia’s public schools.

In 2010, a major study found that Philadelphia, along with New York was the worst performing district in the nation with regard to Black male graduation rates. The five worst performing districts with large Black male student enrollment (exceeding 40,000) were New York City, N.Y. (28%); Philadelphia, Pa. (28%); Detroit, Mich. (27%); Broward County, Fla. (39%); Dade County, Fla. (27%).

Educators, researchers, and policymakers continue to work to identify effective dropout prevention approaches. One important element of such prevention efforts is the identification of students at highest risk for dropping out and then the targeting of resources to keep them in school. Locally, we seem determined to do the exact opposite of what works.  In Philadelphia, there is massive contraction of resources. The city is the midst of an unprecedented series of budget cuts. In 2013, the Philadelphia school system laid off 3,783 employees, including 676 teachers and 283 counselors. Along with teachers and counselors, those losing their jobs included 127 assistant principals and 1,202 aides who monitor the cafeteria and playgrounds.

In 2014, it was announced that high school students who live within two miles of school will not receive transportation support (an increase from 1.5 miles), impacting approximately 7,500 students at district, charter, and non-public schools. There will also be reduced services in alternative education programs, which will result in fewer higher-quality options for approximately 300 students. There will be less frequent cleaning of schools, fewer cleaning supplies, and delayed repairs at schools. The district will not fill 34 school police officer vacancies, reducing the number of officers available to support school climate and safety.

There is very little, if any, good news coming from the state, the city or the district regarding public education. Clearly, innovative interventions will have to emerge from Philadelphia’s civil society.  Government, at all levels appears to be fresh out of new ideas.  Civil society is the sum total of non-governmental organizations and institutions that manifest interests and will of citizens.  Civil society includes the family and the private sphere, often referred to as the “third sector” of society, it is distinct from government and business.

With an abundance of major college basketball programs, the Greater Philadelphia region is unique.  College coaches are potentially a very important part of Philadelphia’s civil society.  The ASSIST Project is partnering with college coaches and athletic departments to provide middle school administrators with tools and incentives they can use to help manage student behaviors within their respective schools.  Public and charter 8th grade students with excellent academic records or significantly improved behaviors will receive tickets collegiate sporting events for them and their parents.

St. Joseph’s Head Coach Phil Martelli (below, far right) notes, “One of the most gratifying aspect of my job is watching my players graduate after four years.  It never gets old. I am eager to help in any way I can.”  Martelli has a player from Philadelphia’s public league on his current roster and two commitments from Catholic League players.  “Philadelphia is my primary area of focus, I played HS ball in Philly, I coached HS ball in Philly.  I’ll help Philly kids in any way I can.”

We know which kids need reinforcement.  Research has shown that an early warning system using indicators based on readily accessible data (grades, attendance, standardized test scores, suspensions, etc) can predict whether the students are on the right path toward eventual graduation. The ASSIST Project will provide school administrators with incentives they can offer to those on the right path. We will also reward students that show marked improvement in behavior and attendance.

Research is also clear that ninth grade is a “make or break” year. More students fail ninth grade than any other grade in high school, and a disproportionate number of students who are held back in ninth grade subsequently drop out. Recent research in large urban school districts, including Chicago and Philadelphia, provides information about powerful indicators that can predict, by the end of the first year of high school, or even during the first semester, whether students will complete high school. For this reason, we are focusing on getting eighth graders ready for high school.

Delaware Head Coach Monté Ross (below) notes, “My wife is an educator. I am a product of Philadelphia’s public school system. We will do anything we can to help kids understand the importance of education.  I look forward to hosting middle school kids that are working hard and doing the right things in school.”

The ASSIST Project is partnering with basketball coaches at Temple, Drexel, Villanova, St. Joseph’s, Pennsylvania, LaSalle, Penn State, Rutgers, Delaware and Lincoln Universities. We want middle school Principals, Assistant Principals and Guidance Counselors to know that they are not alone. Top academic performers and students exhibiting most improved behaviors, as identified by the school leadership teams will be eligible for tickets to college athletic events. The kids will be allowed to bring their parents and they will meet the players and coaches.  At a time when the resources available to educators dealing with the most needy students are dwindling, the ASSIST Project and area coaches are trying to step up and be a positive influence on school performance and behavior.

We know which kids need reinforcement.  The ASSIST Project is placing emphasis on the creation of early warning systems. We are partnering with college athletic programs to follow through with strategic allocation of rewards and positive reinforcement based on empirical data to help school leadership teams meet their academic and behavioral goals.  By helping school leadership teams develop a school-level early warning and reward system, we hope to contribute to a consistency in vision, goals, and resources that are targeted toward monitoring students through to high school graduation.

Fran Dunphy (below) says, “I’ve spent most my professional life in Philadelphia.  As a coach, I’ve been to most of the local high schools.  Every day I drive through North Philadelphia to get to Temple.  I want to expose positive young people to our campus.  Temple is a special place and we look forward to hosting young students and their families.”

LaSalle Head Coach John Giannini (below) says he will treat the middle school kids no differently than he treats top recruits.  “We will give the kids and their parents seats right behind our bench.  They will have an opportunity to interact with our coaches and players.  This is an important initiative.  I have tremendous respect for public educators and I look forward to giving positive kids, the LaSalle experience.  We are an urban university and I want to have my program engaged in our community as much as possible.”  Giannini’s program has graduated students from Strawberry Mansion and John Bartram high schools.

James “Bruiser” Flint (below) grew up in Southwest Philadelphia.  He spent his formative basketball years immersed in the culture of the Sonny Hill Community Involvement League where his father coached for years.  According to Flint, “Sometimes I worry about the educational situation faced by many of the young people in Philadelphia.  I was fortunate enough to go to Episcopal Academy and St. Joe’s.  One thing I know for sure is that my education prepared me for life as a professional.  If there’s anything I can do to help school teachers and administrators in any small way I can, I’m going to do it.  My office is a few blocks away from the Mantua section of the city and about a mile from my childhood home.  I want good kids to come and see how we do things at Drexel.”

“I recruit Philly kids.  I love Philly kids,” says Kevin Baggett (below).  Over the past few years, Baggett has graduated public league players from Bartram and Paul Robeson.  He has also coached Catholic League players from Bonner, Roman Catholic, Neumann and LaSalle College high schools.  His roster has featured players from Abington and Cheltenham in the Philly suburbs.  According to Baggett, “Philly kids have a level of toughness that helps a program reach its’ goals.  In college basketball, things don’t always go as planned.  It has been my experience that Philly kids fight rather than give up.  I really respect the job that teachers and principals are doing with limited resources.  We look forward to exposing more Philly kids to the Rider way of doing things.”

The first institution of higher learning for African-Americans, Lincoln University has been educating Philadelphians since 1854.  At any given time in its history about half of Lincoln’s student body hailed from Philadelphia and its’ surrounding suburbs.  Lincoln’s Basketball coach John Hill says, “We would be honored to have the top middle school kids come see us play.  Lincoln is unique in a lot of ways.  The players, the fans, the people working will all look like the public school kids.  Lincoln is the oldest historically Black college in America.  We play a very high level of basketball in the CIAA Conference.  I welcome an opportunity to share the Lincoln story with any kid from Philadelphia.”

Philadelphia public and charter school administrators can nominate 8th grade students via an email to delgrecowilson@outlook.com.  Representatives of the ASSIST Project will visit guidance counselors and principals at every public and charter middle school in September.  The goal is to “catch” our kids doing the right thing and reinforce positive behaviors.  We want public school employees to know that they are not in this thing alone.  For additional information about the ASSIST Project, visit ASSIST Project website.

Rysheed Jordan, VAUX HS/St. John University, PG

The situation for young Black males in Philadelphia is bleak. The data is beyond alarming. There are, literally, thousands of “lost” Black Philly boys and young men in Pennsylvania’s prisons. Every day local print and television media outlets provide us with “boxscores” and highlights of the carnage that young Black men inflict upon one another in the City of Brotherly Love. For many, it must seem like there’s no way out.

Philadelphia’s homicide rate is consistently among the worst in the nation. Unfortunately, “lost” young Black males between the ages of 17 to 25 are the overwhelming majority of the victims and perpetrators. A few years ago, Mayor Michael Nutter noted, “Of the 2010 homicides, 86.9 percent were African-American males. African-American males were 65.5 percent of the admissions into the Philadelphia Prison System in 2010. These statistics demonstrate there is a real crisis among Black males. If you don’t have an education, if you drop out, you’re already a step behind everyone else. If you drop out from high school your options are already limited and if you’re a Black male and turn to a life of crime, life is already against you.”

One particular Black male homicide occurred on May 31, 2012. On this day, Michael Jay was shot in the back and head. He was immediately rushed to Albert Einstein Medical Center in North Philadelphia, where he was pronounced dead at 2:47 p.m. the next day. For most Philadelphians, this represented just another senseless killing in a city that has become all too familiar with the lives of Black males ending in a hail of bullets. But for one young man, this killing inspired him to find a way to make a difference.

Tony Chennault, a tough hard-nosed Philly guard, was in the midst of transitioning back to Philadelphia to help care for his ailing mother when his brother Michael was gunned down. After two successful seasons in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) at Wake Forest University, Chennault had decided to transfer home and play his final two years of college hoops for Jay Wright at Villanova. Basketball-wise, this was not an easy decision.  As a sophomore at Wake Forest, Chennault started in all 31 games at point guard and played 30.2 minutes a game, averaging 9 points with 3.0 assists. Despite his early success in what many consider the finest conference in college basketball, Chennault felt a profound need to be close to his mother.  Somethings are more important than sports.

A little more than year after his brother’s murder, Chennault’s mother passed away.  Through all of this adversity, with the support of his Villanova coaches and teammates, Chennault managed to maintain focus on his obligations on and off the court. Despite transferring from Wake Forest to Villanova, despite the loss of a sibling and his mother, Chennault played an important role on a Big East regular season Championship team and, more importantly, graduated in May with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications.

Chennault credits his ability to persevere to lessons he learned at Neumann-Goretti High School under the tutelage of Coach Carl Arrigale. He says, “At Neumann, I learned the importance of faith and loyalty… People just don’t understand the relationship I have with Coach Carl. He calls and texts me every day. He really has an open door policy with current and former Neumann players. Our relationship helped me be strong when times were tough.”

While many of his peers are traveling the globe in pursuit of elusive hoop dreams, Chennault is putting his communications degree to good use. He co-founded 267 Productions with friends, and fellow Villanova alums, Alex Ruane, Rob Jennings and Tom Smith. On Friday, August 22, Chennault will debut the latest release from 267 Productions, OLDHEAD, at his alma mater Nenmann-Goretti High School at 7:00 pm.

The term “Oldhead” refers to older male members of urban Black communities who provide guidance to younger generations, especially Black males. The film is set in Philadelphia, the protagonist Sean must decide between staying loyal to his friend Kareem, or following the insightful words of oldhead Bumpy.

Chennault draws upon his life experiences to tell stories that center on the struggle to succeed against seemingly overwhelming odds. A wise and mature young man, he emphasizes the fact that “people from all backgrounds and races struggle, not just Black people.” While Chennault and his partners aim to make films that are financially successful, that is not the sole means by which they measure their impact.

Chennault says he wants young people to understand that “they have to make the best of the hand you were dealt in life.” He understands that there are barriers and obstacles that young people, especially poor urban kids, have to overcome. However, his message is very simple. Keep pushing, keep studying and make the most out of your situation.

As for the future, Chennault says eventually he would like to venture to New York and Los Angeles. But for now, he is focused on establishing and solidifying Philadelphia as a place where high quality films are made.  It is vitally important that we “catch” young Black males doing the right thing!  As a society, we are bombarded with images of young Black males engaging in destructive and criminal behaviors.  The proliferation of negative imagery is so pervasive that many have developed a numbness to the plight of young Black males.

Here we have a graduate of a Philadelphia Catholic High School.  He is a celebrated athlete, a Catholic League, PIAA State and Big East Champion.  He is an outstanding scholar and a recent Villanova graduate.  He is the co-founder of film company. He is storyteller and a filmmaker.  He is a role model.  He is young, gifted and Black. He is Tony Chennault.

There’s a false dichotomy permeating the Black community in Philadelphia. All across the city parents are succumbing to the notion that they have to either leave their children in rapidly deteriorating and highly dysfunctional neighborhood public schools or they are “selling out.”  Black and Latino parents, in particular, do not want to be viewed as abandoning support for a “societal good” represented by public education. As a result, many fall victim to the fallacy of this false dichotomy when in fact there are other possibilities. Supporters of public education, especially teachers and teacher’s unions go to great lengths to make the case that “school choice” is clearly outrageous, and so allegiance to traditional public schools must be embraced.  Nonetheless, one can opt to place their own child in a Catholic, private or magnet school setting AND still work to improve the situation for those those languishing in traditional public schools.

I was confronted with the false dichotomy fifteen years ago. My daughter, from the age of 3 to 5, attended Head Start/Day Care at a neighborhood public school. I really liked the school for that purpose. It was clean, safe, the staff was pleasant and they really engaged the kids. They did a very good job at the pre-school level. However, when the time came to choose a kindergarten placement, I chose an integrated high performing elementary school in Center City.

When I requested the form to enroll her in another school, the secretary at the neighborhood school loudly said, “It’s parents like you that are the problem.” She then went on to elaborate, “You are involved with you child, you come here everyday to pick her up, she’s a good girl… We need parents like you to keep your kids in our school.” Needless to say, I felt she was way out of bounds.

“Excuse me,” I interjected, “But my responsibility is to ensure the educational and social development of one child. While I want the best for all the children,  I can only make decisions for my daughter. I choose to place her in a diverse, highly competitive educational setting. This school is 99% Black and the test scores are abysmal. I want better for my daughter.” At that point, the Principal, a white male, overheard our discussion and asked me to come into his office. He immediately gave me the required paperwork and told me to bring it back to him directly. He told me he understood, respected and supported my choice.

In the scenario prescribed by the secretary, either you keep your child in ghettoized under-performing neighborhood public schools or you are a sellout abandoning all poor Black kids. Her argument, albeit highly flawed, was very simple powerful.  I know you don’t want to be a sellout and leave Black kids to fend for themselves. So, therefore you should leave your kids in the neighborhood public school.  Too many fall victim to this type of logic.

My daughter has never attended a neighborhood public school. I enrolled her in very diverse and highly competitive magnet programs throughout her K-12 career. I also worked extensively with thousands of students in neighborhood public schools. You can do both. You should do both.

Under NO circumstance should a parent enroll their children in Philadelphia’s neighborhood public high schools. This is especially true for parents of Black male students.  The simple fact is that you are fighting against staggering odds.

In 2010, a major study found that Philadelphia, along with New York was the worst performing district in the nation with regard to Black male graduation rates. The five worst performing districts with large Black male student enrollment (exceeding 40,000) were New York City, N.Y. (28%); Philadelphia, Pa. (28%); Detroit, Mich. (27%); Broward County, Fla. (39%); Dade County, Fla. (27%).

Three years later, in 2013 the Philadelphia school system laid off 3,783 employees, including 676 teachers and 283 counselors. Along with teachers and counselors, those losing their jobs included 127 assistant principals and 1,202 aides who monitor the cafeteria and playgrounds. Among the targeted teachers are those that teach reading, math, English, special education and music.

There were widely publicized episodes of school violence, including one where a faculty member suffered a fractured skull in a confrontation with a student at John Bartram High School. There were also two incidents where young elementary school students died in schools where no nurses where on duty.

This past week the School District of Philadelphia announced it was discontinuing TransPasses for 7,500 high school students who live less than two miles from school, eliminating 300 slots in alternative programs for students at risk of dropping out, making 27 more elementary schools share police officers, reducing school cleaning and repairs, cutting extra professional development time at the District’s Promise Academies, and eliminating some administrative positions.

Clearly, the State of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia are making it harder for Blacks to graduate. It seems, the 28% graduation rate for Black males has been deemed too high by those funding Pennsylvania schools and the local politicians. Please take some time to consider your options.  You have choices.  There are schools that want to provide your child with a rigorous, high-quality education.  There are schools that welcome students of color.

Currently, the nonprofit foundation that manages Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is offering $1,000 grants to encourage students to transfer to the schools.  Christopher Mominey, chief operating officer of the Faith in the Future Foundation and the archdiocese’s secretary for Catholic education, said the new “transfer advantage” grants were part of the effort to boost enrollment at the 17 high schools.

I have met extensively with the leaders of the Faith in the Future Foundation and the presidents of Catholic High Schools across Philadelphia.  Mominey understands the dilemma faced by parents of school-age children in Philadelphia.  Where are parents to turn as the public school system crumbles around them?  The foundation wants to attract students who were not enrolled at Catholic high schools but were interested in learning more about them.

The $1,000 grants are available for all transferring 10th-, 11th-, and 12th-grade students who qualify for admission and enroll at one of the schools in the fall. The grants will help defray the cost of Catholic high schools, where annual tuition and fees range from $6,500 to $7,000.

Mominey said other dioceses had found that “sometimes, that $1,000 makes the difference for families.”

Students may also be eligible for scholarships based on financial need.   The only way to find out if you qualify is to apply.  Mominey said there was no limit on the number of grants available, “We’ve made a commitment to accept as many students as are qualified.”

Explore your options.  Exercise school choice.

My daughter’s first day in her dormitory freshman year of college.

The money is gone. As a local, “community” those of us living in, working in or near and thinking about Philadelphia have made good schools a luxury. Like a Bentley or a Mercedes, everyone simply cannot access one. We have given up and we are now watching the urban public school systems of our youth die a tortuous, slow and excruciatingly painful death. As with all deaths, assets are left behind. In recent weeks, we “the public” have sold University City High School to Drexel and William Penn to Temple.

Let’s think about this for a moment: Twenty-two (22) District high schools lost 50 or more of their students from the Class of 2012 cohort, 2,200 dropouts in all. This represents a significant shrinkage of one graduating class. Unfortunately, it’s even worse across the Delaware River. According to the recent data only 42% of Camden High students and and 46% of Woodrow Wilson students graduate from high school. Low-income, urban, predominantly Black and Latino public and charter school students are struggling mightily in the classroom. But, we know this. The educational plight of low-income Blacks and Latinos is well known. Everybody knows things are really bad.

Here, I want to initiate an honest, open dialogue about the state of scholastic/AAU/grassroots basketball which takes full consideration the current conditions of urban public education.

Shit is bad and getting much worse.

Last June prior to the 2013-14 school year the School District of Philadelphia adopted a budget that had no funding for things like paper and new books. The District laid off 3,783 employees, including 676 teachers and 283 counselors, effective July 1, 2013. The School District of Philadelphia has a group of 16 itinerant counselors roving around 115 schools. Each counselor is serving seven or eight schools. That’s 16 counselors for 48,000 students. A ratio of 1 to 3,000. In May 2014, Camden Public Schools laid off 206 teachers. Many of those in core subject categories are also some of the district’s younger teachers with the least seniority. Forty elementary school teachers were laid off along with 18 guidance counselors.

Fast forward to this past Monday, the School Reform Commission approved a $2.5 billion “placeholder” budget hoping for $93 million that it doesn’t yet have.

“Hopefully, within the next week or so, we’ll have revenue,” said SRC Chairman Bill Green. “We’re really punting on difficult decisions by passing this placeholder budget.”

That’s an important and honest assessment of the position taken by the SRC. In short, the budget for the 2014-15 school year is based on hopes, aspirations, desires….. no cash though. Like Popeye’s sidekick J. Wellington Wimpy, Chairman Green says, “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today”.

So, what happens if Pennsylvania does not provide the $93 million? Chairman Green and Superintendent William Hite said they may not open schools in September. To do so, according to Hite would be providing educational services under unsafe conditions.

“The harm for children now is, in my opinion, irreversible, irresponsible, and it’s not something we can continue to do year after year,” Hite said. “I have no intention of putting children in those options.”

As bad as the current situation is, it is gonna get worse, much worse.

We are clearly in the midst of a period of “public education austerity,” which had been gaining traction for several years. Deep and sustained teacher and guidance counselor layoffs accompanied by widespread school closings are clear symptom of this particular disease. These massive human resource reductions and school shutterings have been instituted with alarming consistency in low-income urban areas across the nation. Last year alone, Philadelphia closed 29 schools. Chicago closed 49, New York 26 and Washington, DC 15.

In this fiscal context, it is fair to assume that school-based interscholastic athletic competition amongst middle school, junior high and junior varsity level student-athletes is a thing of the past. It more likely that urban school districts will cease administering traditional schools than reinstate funding for sports. Chicago, New Orleans, New York City, Camden and Philadelphia are among the large urban districts that are shifting from a centralized bureaucracy that directly manages traditional neighborhood based schools toward a “Portfolio” model in which District Administrators enter into contracts with a few public schools, privately managed schools, and charter schools. Other urban areas transitioning to this “Portfolio Management” approach are Baltimore, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Washington.

A key feature of this strategy appears to be economic strangulation of the remnants of traditional neighborhood schools. Given the fiscal constraints facing administrators of traditional urban schools, continued abysmal academic performance is inevitable. This will lead to more and more school closings. National education management organizations (EMOs) and large corporate charter operators will continue to gain a larger share of the urban public education market. There has been no indication that funding for centrally managed interscholastic sports will be forthcoming.

Let’s be very clear. We have entered into a new era in public education and as a result a new era in scholastic sports. The new era stands in stark contrast to the school-based programs of the past.

Robust public school investment has been a key to the development of low-income urban student-athletes for much of the past half century. Scholastic sports were considered a basic part of the public school experience. As the baby boomers can attest, citizens paid taxes to fund middle, junior high and junior varsity level athletic competition. As a society, we deemed these contests worthy initiatives that the private sector wouldn’t adequately or efficiently supply. The resulting scholastic infrastructure, dedicated teacher/coaches, and community-based organizations like CYO, PAL and the Sonny Hill League fed a robust demand for Philadelphia basketball players through the 80s and into the 90s.

As direct result of the economic strangulation strategies underway in low-income urban public school systems across the country, many urban school districts have been forced to abandon athletics.

The vacuum has been filled by Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)/grassroots hoops organizations. The Directors of these organizations are not teachers, counselors, and school administrators. AAU/grassroots basketball is a big business and has been for more than two decades. In terms of increasing the likelihood of landing a college scholarship, AAU/grassroots basketball has become far more important than scholastic basketball.

If you are a student-athlete and you want to earn a college basketball scholarship, you almost have to play AAU/grassroots basketball. College coaches evaluate talent through AAU. Players scroll through scouting magazines and websites anxiously hoping to see their names appear in national rankings after performing in the the premier events.

The business of generating prospects for NCAA and the NBA has continued unabated. The very best players in the area join one of the elite programs like Team Final, WE R1, Team Philly, Philly Triple Threat, Team Phenom and Philly Pride. All of these programs have produced players that have done well in college basketball.

Nonetheless, we have lost a great deal with the drastic reduction of scholastic sports in middle and junior high schools in low-income urban communities. Interscholastic sports has been proven effective over time. Over 95% of Fortune 500 executives participated in high school athletics. Only 47% of Fortune 500 executives were National Honor Society members. (Fortune Magazine).

Female high school athletes are 92% less likely to get involved with drugs, 80% less likely to get pregnant and are 3 times more likely to graduate than non-athletes. (Women’s Sports Foundation)

There is considerable evidence supporting sports participation for young people. Studies have shown that sports has the power to positively impact issues like racial relations, low self-image, and the high-school truancy/drop-out crisis.

Why would we as a community create structures that can yield the beneficial aspects of interscholastic competition in an era when school budgets are being cut through the bone? We really have no choice. In Philadelphia over the past decade or so, the graduation rate has fluctuated between 50 and 60 percent, in Camden between 40 and 50 percent.

Half or more of the students that enter as freshman do not graduate within four years. Philadelphia and Camden are severely under-performing. In Pennsylvania state average is 80 percent and the national average is 68 percent. Nearly twice as many Black students out of high school as White students. Nearly 8 out of every 10 students within the Philadelphia School District are minorities, 62 percent of whom are Black.  How do we fill the void?

I have learned of one promising proposal. This proposal calls for the establishment of community-based two-tier winter (December to February) league drawing teams from various parts of the Greater Philadelphia region. The Junior Division would feature players currently in the 6th and 7th grades. The Senior Division would feature players currently in the 8th and 9th grades. Teams would be based on neighborhood affiliation.  Weekly attendance, grade checks and study halls would be required for participation.

Beyond that… How would you structure the league? What features would be most beneficial in our efforts to develop well-rounded successful High School graduates?  How could such an endeavor be funded?

Middle and junior high school years are periods of significant transition in the lives of low-income urban adolescents.  The influence of peers, family and sports centered experiences have tremendous impact on adolescent behavior during this transitional period.  It is during this period that patterns of motivation, self-concept and social relations emerge.  Far too many young Black and Latino males are motivated by illicit street-based activities.  Too few view themselves at students.

It’s time for a real “grown up” conversation.  How do we do this without the schools?

All photographs of closed Philadelphia schools are by Katrina Ohstrom.  Her work can be viewed here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/24/katrina-ohstrom-photography-philadelphia-schools_n_3492511.html

Rashann London

Rashann London and Larenz Thurmon are very good high school scholar-athletes.  Indeed, they are currently leading their respective teams, Roman Catholic HS and Philadelphia Electrical & Technical HS on quests for Pennsylvania state championships.  While these young men are both gifted athletes with highly refined basketball skills that will serve them well at the collegiate level, it should be acknowledged that they both have an advantage over many other local hoopsters.

Rashann and Larenz have the “Daddy” advantage.  Both of these young men have loving, caring, concerned and committed fathers in their lives.  Their fathers serve as their confidants and their biggest supporters.  Throughout the Fall, Nate London and Wil Thurmon made sure their sons would appear at my door every Saturday morning to prepare for the SAT and ACT exams.  Each week, we would go over countless sample tests and review each problem individually.

Larenz Thurmon

The aim was to increase the options available to Rashann and Larenz.  Both of these young men had excellent grades and solid SAT scores.  Rashann was already committed to Drexel University.  However, he realized that Drexel offers over 70 undergraduate majors and more than a dozen accelerated degree programs across 13 different colleges and schools.  Rashann wanted to make sure he was qualified for admission to any of the programs.  The aim wasn’t to just meet NCAA eligibility standards. That was a foregone conclusion.  Rather, it was to get a score that was commensurate with his abilities.

Larenz had already proven he was more than a capable student.  He spent three years attending the prestigious and highly competitive Wilmington Friends School in Delaware.  After moving in with his grandmother, he transferred into Philadelphia Public League basketball powerhouse, PET HS.  His main concern was increasing his options.  Like Rashann, meeting NCAA eligibility requirements was not a concern.  The goals was obtaining an SAT/ACT score that would increase the range of colleges that could accept him.

After weeks of diligent and intensely focused study, both of the young men met their goals.  Looking back, I came to the realization that a huge part of the reason they were successful was the “Daddy” advantage that each possessed.  I spent many hours with Nate and Wil discussing their son’s study habits, tendencies, options and strategies they could use to improve their academic profile for college admissions officers.  These gentlemen would take the information, apply it and routinely report back their assessment of their son’s progress.

It was truly a pleasure working with these young men and the fathers.  As I implement the Assist Project, I look forward to working with guys like Mo Howard (Ashley and Ky Howard), Shep Garner, Sr. (Shep Garner, Jr.), Larry Galloway (Langston Galloway), Shon Minnis (Biggie Minnis), Anthony Durham, Sr. (Anthony Durham, Jr.), Pervis Ellison (Malik Ellison), Stephen Ward (Carrington Ward), Kevin Givens (Samme and Shannon Givens) and Curt Reed (Jordan Reed), Ronald Robert, Sr. (Ronald Roberts, Jr.) and Carl Baptiste, Sr. (Carl Baptise, Jr.).  All of their sons are excelling on and off the court.  There can be little doubt that much of that success is attributable to the “Daddy” advantage.

The ASSIST PROJECT is a non-profit program sponsored by the Alpha Scholarship Fund a 503 (c)3 organization based in Camden, NJ and Philadelphia, PA. Participation is FREE to all student-athletes. There is NO COST to students and their families.

“We got along with his ‘guy’ from the beginning, he liked us and that was that.”

NCAA D1 Coach (2014)

Never, ever should a parent relinquish control over their child’s athletic and educational development.  I realize that many are faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges trying to raise a family in very tough economic times.  Nonetheless, I must insist that parents somehow maintain regular (weekly or monthly) contact with teachers to help their son remain organized and focused on meeting academic goals.  No matter what, parents must remain committed to and engaged in their son’s educational development.  It is highly unlikely that others will care about their child’s education as much as they do.  As a parent you must, at all times, remember that academics are more important than athletics.

With the high cost of attending college, many parents have chosen pursuit of athletic scholarships as a means of financing education.  Although inherently risky, this strategy is widely utilized and will likely continue to grow as colleges becomes more expensive every year.  For example, Drexel University estimates the “Cost of Attendance” for a full-time 5 year undergrad at $64,475 per year.  Total cost at St. Joseph’s University is $53,130.  Temple, a public university, comes in at $24,872 per year.  Within this context of spiraling costs, athletic scholarships are very attractive and valuable to parents looking at these price tags.

Ideally, parents of college-bound student-athletes would research and hold accountable a diverse supply of AAU programs, skill trainers, “workout guys,” strength and agility coaches, subject tutors and Test Prep services.  Parents would utilize and review these services while sharing their findings.  This information would then be disseminated among successive waves of parents.  Over time, fully informed parents would invest in services that have demonstrable results.  Eventually, those with poor outcomes would go away.  In this ideal scenario, fully informed parents pursing their self-interest have a profound and positive impact on youth basketball culture. Unfortunately, most low-income African-American parents are neither fully informed nor acting in their self-interest.

Motivated Parents

Only a relatively small segment of working class and poor Black parents have a keen and thorough understanding of the college preparation and application processes.  For the most part, these parents are college graduates themselves.  Many have served in the military.  Quite a few are in school themselves.  They are the Moms and Dads that come to every game.  These are the parents selecting private and Catholic schools.  They understand the significant differences in test scores and achievement levels at traditional neighborhood public schools on one hand and tuition based options on the other.

These Parents, when involved in youth sports, are likely to exhibit “motivated” behaviors.  Motivated parents use their hard earned resources to obtain valued educational outcomes.  Motivated parents spend tens of thousands on tuition, test preparation and summer programs.  Motivated parents have made a conscious choice to pursue college as a goal and athletics as potential means of funding the cost of attendance.  Given this choice, their behaviors make perfect sense.

In pursuit of athletic scholarships, motivated parents find sports clubs for their children.  They expose their children to travel competitions. Many kids have personal trainers, workout guys, speed coaches, nutritionists, etc.   Motivated parents have not and will not forfeit the parental responsibilities associated with their children’s education.  These parents are a valuable asset in youth sports.  These are reliable highly desired parents.

Unfortunately, many parents of very highly desired players do not to exhibit motivated behaviors.  Revenue producing college basketball and college football are dominated by Black athletes.  “Ninety percent of the NCAA revenue is produced by 1 percent of the athletes. Go to the skill positions—the stars. Ninety percent (of the 1 percent) are Black,” says Sonny Vaccaro.  These stars, by and large, emerge from poor Black homes.  The model has to be adjusted to explain and help poor Black families make better educational decisions.  The fact is, parental behaviors are significantly different among low-income parents in these poor homes.

Frustrated Parents

Many low-income Black parents, especially single mothers, are frustrated parents.  Their behaviors vary considerably from motivated parents.  They really don’t have time to research and compare AAU programs and skill trainers.  Many are unemployed and underemployed.  Many are receiving public assistance.  Some are working two or more jobs.

The current minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.  A full-time minimum wage employee earns $15,080 annually.  The poverty threshold for a family of four with two children is $22,283.  In Philadelphia, there are approximately 433,ooo people living below the poverty level.  Over 789,000 Philadelphians live in households earning less than $35,000 a year.  For current purposes there is no need to establish a threshold where poverty ends and affluence begins.  The discussion refers to low-income Black residents of Philadelphia.  It is not too difficult to identify Black Philadelphia families that are struggling to make ends meet.

Year after year countless elite basketball and football players emerge from low-income Black homes in places like Philadelphia.  The beast that is collegiate and professional athletics demands that decisions be made on behalf of these young men.  Someone has to deal with the college recruitment process.

Unlike fully informed and confident motivated parents, frustrated parents tend to “hope”  their children will graduate from school.  Failure, truancy and dropping out are normal behaviors in many low-income homes.  The plain fact is that most of Philadelphia’s poor Black and Latino boys don’t graduate high school.

According to 2009 data, the graduation rate in Philly is 45 percent for African American males and 43 percent for Latino males.  At Camden High the overall graduation rate is 42% and at Woodrow Wilson it’s 46%.  Across the country, there are 12 states where the Black male graduation rate is below 50%.

The streets are teeming with school age black boys and young black men who are disengaged from the educational system.  Of course, frustrated parents express a desire to see their child earn an athletic scholarship.  However, they are concerned first and foremost with the elementary imperatives of life.  Poor Black parents are concerned primarily about survival on a day to day basis.  The have to pay the rent or mortgage and keep the heat on.

Toward that end a consistent objective is “getting through” social ordeals without injurious stress.  They prefer predictability, not a life governed by random and arbitrary “drama.”  When their child begins to display athletic talent many low-income parents let someone else “handle” that basketball stuff in an effort to avoid what they perceive as unnecessary drama.

While unfamiliar to motivated parents, this behavior by frustrated parents may also be regarded as “sensible.”   It is sensible because the the handler helps the parent get through the daily grind of living in one of America’s low-income urban communities, without the occurrence of personal stress related to educational and basketball decisions.  There are multitudes of handlers occupying this space in low income communities across America.  Indeed, it is impossible to understand the dynamics of grassroots basketball and college recruiting without fully exploring the role of the “handler.”

The Rise of the Handler

We all know or have heard about parents that want an athletic scholarship and their child changes high schools 3,4,5 even as many a 6 times for basketball related reasons.  As motivated parents, we know that there is no justification for transferring a student that many times.  These actions just make no sense from a “parental” perspective. In some cases, astonishing decreases in the level of academic rigor and prestige were associated with the moves.

A few young men have left elite private institutions where the average M/V SAT score is above 1300 to transfer to Philadelphia public and charter schools with average SAT scores in the 600s.  The private schools wanted the young men to stay.  Clearly, in these cases, high SAT scores and gaining admission to competitive schools are not significant causal factors.  For those trying to gain insight into the world of grassroots basketball and college recruiting, the motivated parental concept is of little use in these cases.

These are not “parental” decisions.  Parents, in most cases, did not make the choices outlined.  Something else is at work here.  More than likely, this is the work of a “handler.”

Within Philadelphia’s youth sports culture,  every year hundreds of poor Black boys and girls long to go “D1.” These kids play on the streets and playgrounds of Philadelphia.  They don’t have any money.  They can’t afford AAU and travel ball.  They have never heard of a skill trainer or a strength coach.

Maybe a church or a recreation center sponsors a league.  Talented, determined and hungry kids stand out when they compete.  Eventually, someone will notice the poor, talented, determined and hungry boy that just wants to play ball.

They will approach his mother and offer to “handle” her son’s basketball development.  Over the years, handlers have developed very persuasive versions of what is fundamentally a very strong pitch: if she allows him the work with her son he will earn an athletic scholarship to pay for college.

Days turn into weeks, weeks become months and the handler begins to suggest the boy play for this summer league team and/or that AAU program.  Joining the new team will likely mean another pair of sneakers or two, most likely Nike or Under Armor.  The boy will likely travel to places like Las Vegas and Orlando.

Inevitably, the handler requests that the boy reclassify (intentionally repeat a grade) and/or change high schools.  He will sell the parent on the idea that such a move is in the the child’s best interest.  Meanwhile, Mom is extremely appreciative of the sneakers and other basketball related gear the handler has provided her son.  Those shoes cost anywhere from $100-180 a pair.  She is also pleased that her son is able to travel to distant cites and play basketball.

With that, the deal is done.  For a few pairs of sneakers, a few meals and other nominally valued trinkets, Mom has essentially given control over the direction of her child’s education and athletic development to his handler.  Because they have become so widespread and influential handlers warrants careful consideration.

Frustrated behavior is deeply ingrained among low-income African-American parents and students.  We must take this fact into account in any attempt to improve educational outcomes among poor Blacks.  Discussions with college coaches reveal very few elite basketball athletes do not have handlers.  Local Division 1 assistant coaches estimate that 80-90% of the kids they recruit have handlers.  Many coaches report that it is entirely possible to recruit some of the best players in the country without ever communicating with parents and high school coaches.

Are there positive contributions made by handlers? In cases where parents have chemical dependence or alcohol abuse issues, a handler can help a young man develop his skill and understand the role athletics can play in shaping his educational future.  In cases where fathers are incarcerated, handlers can set limits and enforce consequences for boys trying to transition to manhood.

How are we to understand the decision making processes of the handler? Of course, handlers are motivated by self-interest. The real question is: Does the self-interest of the handler line up with the interests of your family and your child?