African Americans and Standardized Tests: The Real Reason for Low Test Scores »

Veda Jairrels, JD, PhD, is a lawyer and a professor of education at Clark Atlanta University. She lives near Atlanta.

With a surprisingly honest and hard-hitting approach, this volume postulates that a lack of reading experiences in the African American household is the true cause of low scores on today's standardized tests. The discussion stresses the significance of literacy in a child's future and the importance of parental involvement toward shaping that future. In an educational climate where most of the blame for a child's poor performance is placed upon the teachers, the curricula, and the social structure of the schools, this discussion ultimately places the responsibility back in the hands of the family and offers them suggestions for improvement. It also provides reccomendations for educators, churches, concerned citizens, and Black Greek sororities and fraternities.