We, yes we, have a major problem in the US: in education circles, the problem is referred to as the Achievement Gap. This gap is essentially the underachievement in school performance of African Americans. The problem is pervasive, and the repercussions are extreme. At the core of the issue is the fact that the average African American student in elementary, middle, or high school performs at the same level as the average white student in the lowest quartile of white achievement. Despite what you may believe, this problem is not isolated to those students in the lower socioeconomic status bracket. The data shows that virtually all levels of underperformance are present among middle class African Americans as well. According to the 1999 College Board report, the gap is greater between middle class African American and white students than it is between lower income African American and white students. As the quote at the top of the page demonstrates, our African American youth are failing at an alarming rate when it comes to reading aptitude. The negative consequences of that failure affect the child, the future of the African American family structure, and the community as a whole.

Dr. Grover (Russ) Whitehurst, the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, and an Assistant Secretary of Education with the U.S. Department of Education said the following in a September ’03 interview with "Children of the Code - www.childrenofthecode.org", “As you know, we have from thirty-eight to forty percent of children not reading at the basic level at fourth grade. That means they are unable to deal with age appropriate written text and understand the text or make reasonable inferences from what they’ve read in the text. We know that children who have that sort of difficulty reading in fourth grade, without extraordinary help, are going to continue to have real difficulties down the road…it flows into other subject matters, the ability to finish school, the likely hood that they will drop out, they’re potential for life success, getting a good job."

When you take the percentage of children not reading at the basic level at fourth grade, and isolate it to African American males, the percentage is much more devastating. Mr. Whitehurst views the issue as a national crisis and something the national government has to address. We don’t disagree, but we also believe we can no longer wait for the government. As a community, particularly the African American community, we must collectively come together to address this issue.


A Prodigy Project volunteer leads a group of Seaborn Lee Elementary students in a word game.

Why did we start The Prodigy Project? Consider the following:

• Many African American boys lack a positive male role model in their lives
• Over 70% of African American children are born to single mothers who are mostly poor, and 84% of children who live with one parent live with their mother
• At the elementary school level, close to 90% of the teaching staff is Caucasian; over 80% is female; only 10% of the females are African American; and less than 2% of staff are African American male.
• 74% of the children who are diagnosed with reading problems in the 3rd grade, continue with problems into the 9th grade. This shows the importance of building a love for reading at an early age when children are most impressionable.
• If a child fails a grade between kindergarten and third grade, there is a 70% chance that he will not graduate from high school.
• Over 75% of African American boys are in special education.
• Of youth with a history of substance abuse, half have reading problems.
• Surveys of adolescents and young adults with criminal records show that about half have reading difficulties.
• At current levels of incarceration, newborn Black males in this country have a greater than 1 in 4 chance of going to prison during their lifetimes, while Latin-American males have a 1 in 6 chance, and white males have a 1 in 23 chance of serving time.
• At the start of the 1990s, the U.S. had more Black men (between the ages of 20 and 29) under the control of the nation's criminal justice system than the total number in college.
• Research shows that children who are unable to read at grade level by fourth grade face a downward spiral. They won't be able to complete reading and writing assignments or pass tests that help them move onto higher grades or high school. These kids often end up in special education, a road that, for many, leads to a life of under-achievement.
• 85% of children appearing in juvenile court lack reading skills. Read Fresno
• Effective teaching must begin at the earliest ages with effective literacy practices. First children must learn to read. By third grade, they should be reading to learn. The Importance of Investing in Literacy, by Linda Katz, Executive Director, CLI

The combination of the Achievement Gap, the lack of positive male role models, and the high numbers of young men in the penal system are all reasons for concern. The Prodigy Project was created to bring our community together to assist in addressing those concerns, and to assist in improving the future of our African American boys and ultimately the future of our family unit and community.

"When the family collapses, it is the children that are usually damaged. When it happens on a massive scale, the community itself is crippled," the president warned. The president was Lyndon B. Johnson. The date was June 4, 1965.