By Walter Fields
Do our boys really matter? That is the question I have pondered since learning that Baltimore City Public Schools is threatening to not renew the charter of Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys (BCSB). This school is the only all-male, public school of its kind in Maryland, and provides a safe and nurturing environment for boys in grades 4 through 8. Some 90 percent of students from BCSB graduate from high school in four years.
I had the opportunity to view this school in action when I attended its annual Convocation. The event marks the elevation of the students to “Collegiate Men,” symbolized with their receipt of a school necktie. What makes the Convocation an incredibly special moment is that the students are accompanied by their father or father-figure.
In a day and age where the false narrative persists that boys, particularly Black boys, are uninterested in education, and that fathers or men are not involved, the Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys counters both. When I returned to the school for a visit, accompanied by a prominent Black attorney from Baltimore, we were both impressed by the focus and social skills of the students. Upon entering a classroom, a visitor is greeted by a classroom ambassador who makes a formal introduction, with a firm handshake, and an explanation of the lesson being delivered for the day. The pride exhibited in that moment is the antidote to some of the anti-social behavior that too often captures the imagination of young boys.
During my service on the Prince George’s County Board of Education, and four decades as an education advocate, the challenges facing public schools have become apparent to me. However, the critique is often one-dimensional with success or failure measured by standardized test scores. What this approach misses is the human element. Children are not widgets who can be evaluated and assessed for future success by a single metric. Instead of considering the whole child, we apply a label that is truly a snapshot of a specific moment of time in a child’s life. By doing so, we consign success or failure upon human beings whose minds are still in a developmental stage.
Half of the students who attend Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys enroll in a four or two-year college. Considering that many of the students enter the school requiring remedial support, the outcome is astonishing. I can only attribute this to a dedicated teaching corps, engaged parents, and strong school leadership. Currently, fifteen BCSB alumni are students at my Alma Mater, Morgan State University. This is a reason to cheer, and an indication that the school is creating a climate for future success. Morgan, like campuses across the country, is working hard to increase the enrollment of male students. Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys is an effective pipeline for our boys to imagine and then realize a college education.
My role as a national officer of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc, one of the Divine Nine Black Greek-letter fraternities, forces me to contemplate what the college landscape will look like for Black boys in the future. Across the country we are witnessing an all-out assault upon the college aspirations of Black youth. One of the dilemmas is many of our schools are not welcoming spaces for Black boys as evidenced by disparities in suspensions and expulsions. We continually blame the children when it is the system that is broken. At a time when the state’s “Blueprint for Maryland’s Future” emphasizes college and career readiness, why eliminate a school that has our boys in a state of readiness?
We will fail our boys if we allow this school to close. Its continued operation is in the best interests of its students, families, and the city of Baltimore. For a city still grappling with the violent imagery of a popular cable television drama, Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys is the antithesis of “thug life.” Its boys are not on the corner–they are in the classroom. Every day they “re-up” on education and prepare themselves for future success. They are our future leaders, workers, taxpayers, homeowners, husbands and fathers. It is why an investment in the continued operation of Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys is an investment in the city’s future.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the AFRO.
