The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males illustrates that only 53% of Black males in Alabama graduate from high school, and within Birmingham City Schools that number is further distressed with only a 37% graduation rate among that same population – far short of the trajectory and post-secondary credentials needed for our nation to be globally competitive by 2020. The report also indicates that systemic disparities evident by race, social class, or zip code are influenced more by the social policies and practices that are put in place to distribute educational opportunities and resources and less than by the abilities of males of color. Unfortunately, few of our male students are on the road to college and successful careers. Instead many of them remain in the school-to-prison pipeline.  As of 2009, the report titled “Man Up” reveals that homicides among African American males ages 15-19 represent one of the leading causes of death. The same report indicates that 59% of Black males in their early 30’s who dropped out of high school also had prison records. Nationwide, the graduation gap between minority male and white male students exceed 30%.

Scholars and Gentlemen is a school-based program with a curriculum specifically designed for 9th-12th grade males with a focus on culture, manhood, and entrepreneurship. Scholars and Gentlemen involves a weekly curriculum that engages 60 males at each high school with a goal of ensuring that every young man in the program graduates from high school and is adequately prepared to enter college or begin a career. The curriculum combines theoretical knowledge associated with the needs of our students, with pragmatic approaches to eradicating the disparities that continue to plague teenage boys of color. The result is a tailored curriculum that introduces relevant case studies that challenge the young men to develop the ideas and ideals needed to be successful in a collegiate and professional environment.  The discussions and classroom exercises offer students an opportunity to solve problems that have a real-life application into the myriad of circumstances that may arise in their lives.

This cutting-edge program provides the training, encouragement, and enrichment needed for young men to realize their gifts and full potential. At each grade level, students are presented with case studies that reveal varying scenarios based on their prior responses and decisions. During the first semester, students will focus on the Manhood and Culture units, followed by College and Career Readiness which encompasses the entire second semester. During the Manhood unit, students address issues that deal with sex, gangs, drugs, and integrity. The Culture unit deals specifically with identity. The cases within this unit introduce the students to native cultures throughout Africa, and Central and South America. College and Career Readiness is the final and most intense unit as it prepares students for life after high school graduation, with an explicit focus on financial literacy.