An excerpt from Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu’s book, EDUCATING BLACK GIRLS

Most states define proficiency as somewhere between 60 and 75 percent. According to a survey conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 82 percent of Black girls are below proficient in reading. This is catastrophic. I could write an entire book just on this one fact. Where is the outrage? Why aren’t White feminists advocating on behalf of Black girls? Why aren’t African American men—educators, researchers, scholars, activists, media pundits, and policy makers—channeling their fury into improving the reading scores of Black girls?  

One answer is that the test scores of African American males have dominated our attention. Ninety percent of Black boys nationwide in eighth grade are below proficient in reading. Let me translate. That means only 10 percent of Black boys are proficient in reading. Only 18 percent of Black girls are proficient in reading. How can we live in the richest country in the world, yet only 18 percent of Black girls in eighth grade are proficient in reading? 

Furthermore, according to the NAEP, 87 percent of Black girls are either below proficient or basic in math.  That means only 13 percent of Black girls nationwide in eighth grade are proficient in math. Eighty-eight percent of African American males are either below proficient or basic in math. So historically, we have put nearly all our focus on African American males while overlooking African American females. We can no longer afford to continue this neglect of Black girls. While Black males may be on life support, it’s not much better for Black females, who are in critical condition. 

Are these statistics acceptable to American educators? When will these statistics become unacceptable? How bad does it have to get? If you thought that all was well with Black females, you are sadly mistaken. All is not well, and there is much room for improvement in these two foundational subjects. Later, when we discuss educational challenges and solutions, we will look at what must be done to improve the reading and numeracy skills of Black girls.