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Why Black male students are hurt the most by lowered academic expectations

I’m a middle school teacher in New York, and what’s happening inside many classrooms today should concern every parent in this country — especially parents of Black boys.

Education is supposed to be about reading, writing, history, discipline and accountability. Instead, in too many schools, academics are being pushed aside while politics, ideology and lowered expectations take their place. The students who can least afford to fall behind — particularly young Black boys — are the ones being hurt the most.

The data shows this is not just opinion — it’s reality. According to the New York State Education Department’s 2024-2025 assessment results, proficiency rates in English and math remain far below where they should be, with major gaps between racial groups. Black students in New York City were only about 47% proficient in English and 43% proficient in math, compared with much higher rates for white and Asian students.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress — known as the nation’s report card — tells the same story. In 2024, only about 23% of New York City eighth graders were proficient in........

© New York Post