Low-Effort Syndrome: Just Another Label For Lazy

John Ogbu was a Nigerian-American anthropologist and professor known for his theories on observed phenomena involving race and intelligence, especially how race and ethnic differences affected educational and economic achievement. One of his more famous studies was why Black children consistently underachieved in the affluent suburb of Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Ogbu found that while Shaker's Black children did better academically than Black children everywhere else in the state and in much of the nation, the gap between the Black children of Shaker Heights and their White schoolmates was significant. For instance, more White kids were in advanced placement and honors courses. The Black children however, who took the easier "general education" and "college prep" courses but made up 80 percent of the failing grades.

During the course of the study, Ogbu and his researchers found that, in general, White students studied more, worked harder and cared more about getting good grades. Even more interesting was the fact that Black students knew one had to work hard to succeeded, but didn’t. Ogbu characterized this as low-effort syndrome. . . . “[They] were not highly engaged in their schoolwork and homework.’ And their parents and communities, wittingly or not, supported them…”

You know what? This just sounds like laziness to me and giving it a new label is part of what is wrong with our children today—we as parents don’t want (or want anyone else) to hold them accountable! There’s nothing clinical about this, these children simply didn't want to apply themselves. That’s called laziness.

Recently, a teacher introduced her students to the study. And you know what these kids said was the number one cause of the problem? Lack of parental involvement. Yep, you’re hearing it here—again. Parents, take an active part in your child’s education.

• Education is important. Homework has to be done. Let children know that this is what you value.
• Read to them while they’re young and encourage them to read while they continue to stay with you—a family that reads together grows together.
• Set specific study times—peek in on them from time to time to be sure they are doing it.
• Try to have a special place where each child can study.
• Ask to see homework and check it after it’s done.
• Review report cards.
• Monitor what your kids watch on television. In fact, turn it off while they’re young and give them a book.
• If your kids are having problems with a subject, get them a tutor if you can.
• Keep your child’s mind active during the summer months by having them study a bit each week, especially on subjects they are week in.
• Help your children plan how to do all the things they need to do--study, work around the house, play, etc.
• Let your children know that you have confidence in them. Remind them of specific successes they have had in the past perhaps in swimming, soccer, cooking, or in doing a difficult homework assignment.
• Don't expect or demand perfection. When children ask you to look at what they've done--from skating a figure 8 to a math assignment--show interest and praise them when they've done something well. If you have criticisms or suggestions, make them in a helpful way.

Poor Schools Or Being Poor Are Not Holding Your Kids Back: your poor parenting skills are — turn your family on by turning your TV off

Now that I have your attention, let me start by saying that urban schools are not without their challenges: in-effective school boards whose members are more politicians than educators, unqualified or barley qualified staff, teacher turnover lack of funding, etc. And yes, these things need to be fixed. However, despite these challenges, most public schools, even those in the inner-city, do a good job given the task at hand: educating children who come through their doors with a host of issues that should have been resolved at home: lack of quality medical care; hunger; depression; domestic violence; child abuse; alcohol or drug abuse by family member; family lack of priorities, especially for education; lack of productive male role model; etc. The way I see it, these schools are being asked to be mom, dad, counselor, pastor, doctor, dietitian, motivator, and teacher—all rolled into one. And folks, that simply just can’t be done. Government cannot fix all the ills of society. Parents, you need to get involved! One way to do this is to get family back focused on each other by turning off the television.

The average U.S. household has at least one TV set turned on for about seven hours a day. The American Academy of Pediatrics' recommends that a child watch no more than one to two supervised hours of TV a day. Yet the average school-aged child watches 27 hours of television per week (some preschoolers watch much more). And most of the time, they are unsupervised by a parent or responsible adult.

Here’s an interesting fact. Did you know that kids today spend twice as much time in front of a TV or computer as in the classroom? Children spend about five hours watching television, playing computer games or online each day—that’s 2,000 hours a year! Yet, they only spend 900 hours in class and 1,270 hours with their parents.

Do you allow your kids to watch this much TV or stay on the computer this long?

Did you also know that much of what your child is watching is intended for adults and that TV shows contain approximately 20 violent acts per hour?


Do you supervise your children while watching TV or using a computer? You should.


I also found the habits of parents in other countries interesting. Japanese kids watch about four hours of television every day, yet they continue to outscore American kids on all standardized test. Why? Japanese parents not only monitor but control what their kids watch. Japanese parents tie television watching to homework (i.e. watching more educational shows and the completion of homework before watching TV. Wow, there goes that parenting thing again—and it didn’t cost any money.

Chinese children are not even allowed to go out with friends or watch television on school nights—they to school six nights a week. They are expected to be responsible, work on their own, do their homework, and do well.

You see, it’s all about priorities. We must make parenting, education, and saving a priority in our families. Parenting is not just something you do because you had kids. You should have had the kids only after you knew you wanted to and were ready to be a parent. While public schools have their share of problems, I contend that too many of our children come to school ill prepared to learn and expect schools to fix these problems. Mark Michaelis in “The Seven Big Problems In High School,” summed it up this way:

"In the 1940s a survey listed the top seven discipline problems in public schools: talking, chewing gum, making noise, running in the halls, getting out of turn in line, wearing improper clothes, not putting paper in wastebaskets. A 1980s survey lists these top seven: drug abuse, alcohol abuse, pregnancy, suicide, rape, robbery, assault. (Arson, gang warfare and venereal disease are also-rans.)"

After reading this, do you still feel public schools share much of the blame for your child's lack of academic success? If so, would you please tell me why?

Keep this in mind; over the course of a year, children spend more time watching TV than they spend in school or participating in any other activity except sleep. If one of these kids is yours; you need to reset your priorities. So, the next time your kid reaches for the remote or the laptop, give them a book instead. Better yet, read the book with them. After all, if your kid is not doing well in school, it’s your fault.

Do you send your children to school ready to learn?

Eight Reasons Blacks Are Failing In The Post Obama Era and Eight Ways To Change

The National Urban League (Urban League) just released its’ “The State of Black America 2009” report. According to the report:

"Despite the election of the nation’s first Black president and the growing clout of Black Capitol Hill lawmakers, the lot of African Americans remains largely unchanged and even slightly worse.

…African Americans [are] twice as likely as Whites to be unemployed and three times more likely to live in poverty; and with the gap in home ownership rates widening from 64 to 63 percent, economics remained the area with the greatest degree of inequality and worsened from 57.6 percent in 2008 to 57.4 percent in 2009.

Blacks [are] six times more likely than Whites to be incarcerated; equality in social
justice also remained elusive, declining from 62.1 to 60.4 percent. Education (78.6 percent to 78.5 percent) and civic engagement (100.3 percent to 96.3) also demonstrated growing rather than diminishing gaps. Health care was the only area that showed progress, with parity increasing from 73.3 percent to 74.4 percent."

The question is; why are some African Americans continuing to sub-achieve, even as a growing number gain unprecedented success? I believe the reason we as a race continue to fall short of our true manifest abilities is us or more exactly, our p-poor choices.

Have you ever read Mathew Lynch’s “15 Reasons Why Black Students Continue To Underachieve”? I believe that the reasons Lynch sites for the failure of African American students may also explain why African Americans, in general, continue to fall short of their potential. But what struck me most was that out of the 15 issues Lynch talked about, 8 were under the individual’s and family’s control and none of them would cost a dime to change! How many of you have ever thought that while racism is a part of the problem, many African Americans blame to many of their failures on a failed system? If so, yours is a legitimate point of view. For instance, take poverty. African Americans cannot blame a lack of achievement solely on poverty because it’s often hard to tell which came first: poor behavior that led to poverty, or poverty that forced one into poor behavior. My central point is it’s not all someone else’s fault or the failure of institution’s that has completely caused some African Americans to sub-achieve: it was their poor choices. The external solutions proposed by the Urban League are only band aids. Brothers, sisters; we must fix ourselves and our families to thrive!

The following eight maladies, adapted from Lynch’s discourse, continue to prevent some African Americans from achieving high levels of success.

I. Self Sabotage

Many African Americans simply believe that they cannot achieve the American Dream. My experience is that while many African Americans in the lower socioeconomic class give lip service to achieving the American Dream traditionally (i.e. through hard work, education, business ownership, saving, etc.), in actuality many behave, and teach their children (either through life choices, deeds and actions) that they cannot achieve the American Dream, at least in the traditional sense. In fact, African Americans in the lower socioeconomic class see entertainment, sports, or crime as their only way to prosperity.

Black America, if more of us are truly going to rise, we are going to have to change our priorities and our choices. We are going to have to choose to stay in school, be fathers to our children, avoid premarital sex, save our money, and open businesses. Simply put, we must put school before tennis shoes.

II. Family Influences

“In the United States today, more than 63 percent of African American children come from single parent homes, most of which have the mother as the primary caregiver. Having no positive male role model, the boys in the home are particularly at risk to fail in school and get into trouble. As the mother’s time is stretched so thinly, the girls in the family are at risk for teenage pregnancy…"

“Just my baby’s daddies” need to be more than that. You need to be fathers to your children: read my post entitled "No Father = Broken Child: On The Absence of Black Fathers".

III. Cultural Gaps

African Americans have a culture unlike any other. Unfortunately, our culture is often looked upon as negative. As Lynch observed, “…our hairstyles, dress, music, body language, and verbal communication styles can be disconcerting to a society that is based on conformity. When defining or identifying behavioral problems [as a group], it is important to consider the influence of culture on the definition and perception of the behaviors [how others outside the hood see us].”

As African Americans, it’s important for us to understand several things in order to be successful: First, while we are proud of who we are, not all of us grew up in “the hood.” Second, we don’t have to emulate the negative aspects of urban community life. Third, we most certainly don’t have to carry “the hood” everywhere we go. Finally, it’s okay to speak and act properly...or at least know how and when to do so.

Let's put an end to "single-parenting." Let's save our money to build businesses by buying only what we need, living below our means, and pooling our resources. Let's tutor our kids, and teach them it's okay to do good in school!

V. Lack of Parental Involvement

“Parental involvement is actually the best predictor of a [child’s] …achievement. Parent involvement demonstrates…the importance of… [a wide variety of issues], resulting in [either success of failure]…higher aspirations in life. In contrast…parents who are not involved…are more likely to ‘raise adults’ who struggle academically, experience behavior problems, and generally make poor choices.”

Again, African American parents must accept that they are parents, know how to take care of themselves and their kids, and make it a priority to take time out with them.

IV. Crime and Drug Abuse

According to Lynch, African American males make up the majority of those incarcerated in the nation’s prisons. Why? As Lynch explains , it's not bias on the part of law enforcement but...the all-too-frequent...inability of young people to overcome the risk factors of single-parent homes, poverty, failing schools, and cultural gaps... resistance to Middle-Class…Norms “Instead of surrendering to the typical standards of behavior and success…which many African American[s]…view as cruel and oppressive, some…end up rejecting European American speech patterns and devaluing high academic achievement, therefore unintentionally limiting themselves.”

I applaud the fact that many African Americans want to hold on to what they feel is their unique identity but as Lynch says, “sometimes it may be better to play the game. This does not mean becoming a sellout or the “Decent Negro” that Nas talks about on his latest album, Streets Disciple; it means that you are a very sagacious individual.”

VI. Lack of Priorities

Unfortunately, many African Americans do not realize that school, business ownership, and saving should be their first priority. In other words; we should put more emphasis on what’s in our brains, in our names, and in our savings account than what is on our backs.

VII. Low Effort Syndrome

“This phrase was coined by Jonathon Ogbu in his monumental book, Black American Students in an Affluent Suburb. It simply means that some African American pupils are not adequately engaged in their academic endeavors. The time that most African American children spend actively engaged in learning, studying, and enrichment is not conducive to the acquisition of intellective competence and perpetuates the myth of African American intellectual inferiority.” In layman’s terms, most African American students, and African Americans in general, do not work hard in school.

VIII. Anti-Intellectualism

“Traditionally, African Americans have been labeled as intellectually inferior to other races. As a result, our culture began to collectively doubt their intellectual ability and began to associate scholarly achievement with “acting white.” This leads many African Americans to behave as though “school” and “black” are incongruous. This belief has effectively permeated the culture and cognitively debilitated its members. These truths are at the root of anti-intellectualism. What is most troubling is the fact that black student achievement is a problem among all classes of African Americans. In my opinion, anti-intellectualism is one of the most pernicious factors that contribute to the achievement gap.”

Black folk, please teach your kids that it's okay to be smart—and show it!

I believe my train of thought holds some merit, how about you? Do you feel the failure of some African Americans to achieve is tied directly to the choices they make? How much control do they have in their own success?

If you care as much as I do, help me answer these critical questions: please comment.

Child...Your Parents: We Need To Talk - Pt. 2 (i.e. - It's Your Life!)

Well, after a tumultuous first year; I really thought things were going to be better. After all, my daughter and I had sat down on many an occasion a talked: about school, about life, her goals, her dreams and our hopes and dreams for her. Her mother and I had done everything any parent could do--she wanted for nothing, we even attended a school disciplinary hearing to keep her in school. Now, the moment of truth, the grades are in...and...all flags! Arguh!

After listening to my wife yell at "T" almost an hour over the phone, after my wife and I going back and fourth about what to do, after lying in bed all night thinking over the situation, after sitting in the office all day going over and over this in my head, all that comes to mind is an old saying, "You can take a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." And that's my message to both my daughter and you.

While others can want the world for someone, or want to give it to them if they could; they must want it for themselves. They must have the "whateverittakes" to do what's good for them. They must be honest and forthcoming, especially with themselves. We have our first black President; anything is possible--if THEY believe it is and THEY try. So, while we as parents can pick a child up when they fall, THEY must be willing to stand on their own two feet; or we are simply carrying them. Which is as much as to cripple them. You know, my Mom says that, "if you aim at nothing, you'll probably hit it." Now, while this is certainly not the end of the world, you have made your life a little harder and your world a lot harder place in which to live.

My wife and I are weighing our options. We know that anything we do must be in partnership with "T". She must want to do different from here on out. And obviously, we want the best for her, and that might mean letting go.

So, after the countless man-hours filling out forms, the hundred of dollars spent on tutoring, the thousands of dollars spent on tuition, fixing up the dorm room, buying school clothes, buying a car, the joy of seeing her go off to school, the pride of visiting her, the pride of telling friends and family that she was in college, the let down of her failing and still not really knowing why she failed and had such poor social performance, I can't ask but one question. Knowing what I do now, would I do it all again? Yep, you bet, because even if she doesn't know it, she deserved this chance.

And by the way baby girl: failing does not mean you're a failure.

I think someone in the church wants to testify. "Halla" if you feel me.

Child, This Is Your Mom and Dad: We Need To Talk

Got a kid going off to college? Got a kid in college? If so, I know the last thing on your mind are all the “little” things that could go wrong while they are there. After all, you send you kids to these places thinking they are safe and sound. And for the most part they are. But take it from me; you can’t afford to be complacent. Sitting at work a week ago, I was suddenly interrupted (again) by a phone call from my daughter. It was the same sort of interruption I had experienced on four separate occasions this year—thus the subject of today’s post.

I don’t think it’s any secret that as parents, we need to talk to out kids. As a new step-father of a 19-year-old, I thought I was doing a pretty good job of communicating the things she needed to know. Then she went off to college...

Several situations latter and a few dollars shorter, I’m going to pass on this word of advice. Mom, Dad; talk to your college student; teach them “life skills.” What are Life Skills? Occurrences, events, or situations pop up in the lives of our children from time to time that could, if handled improperly, adversely affect them for the rest of their life—especially true for college students who often are away from home for the first time. College students need to know how to deal with these events to minimize harm to themselves and others—these are life skills.

The next time you sit down with your child, play the “what if” game. Then, explain to them what to do if…

You’re in a car accident. (1) Never get out of the car if the car is still safe. My daughter did and got into a fight: now we have to go to court to settle it—could have been prevented if she had stayed in the car. (2) Call the police. (3) Take pictures of the accident vehicles. Virtually every cell phone today has a camera. Better yet, buy a cheap disposable and put it in the glove compartment. (4) Get the other persons insurance information. (5) Stay calm and talk to people politely.

An altercation develops. (1) Back away, give them room. If a fight does ensue, you will be able to say you were not the aggressor. (2) Avoid arguing if at all possible and watch the sister-girl hand gestures! (3) Guardedly walk away to a safe place. (4) If the person is persistent, find a cop and/or dial 911. Once the police dispatcher answers, do not hang up until police arrive. (5) If the person attempts to hit you, protect yourself, and then get away—fast. Don’t stand there and swing it out with them. (6) Take pictures of your injuries and get to a doctor as soon as possible.

You are arrested. (1) Don’t panic—stay calm. (2) Don’t try to conceal your identity—in many states this is a crime in itself. (3) Ask why you are being detained. (4) Ask to speak with a lawyer or your parents. (5) Don’t sign any written statements or say anything until you can talk with a lawyer or your parents. (6) Be courteous to the officers and their staff. Walk through Michael Bluejays’ excellent checklist on the subject.

Someone offers you drugs. (1) Politely and confidently refuse them and get away form them, right then. (2) If you’re out with someone else, call a cab.

Your roommate is on drugs and/or you find drugs in your room. (1) Ask them to refrain from using them around you or in your room. (2) Ask them to remove them from the room. (3) Ask for a room reassignment. (4) As a last resort, alert the Resident Advisor and the Police.

You are attacked. (1) Make noise and draw attention to yourself, (2) Try to reason with your attacker, (3) If this is unsuccessful, fight back, and run to safety, (4) A wise sage once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” ALWAYS be mindful of your surrounds. Stay in well lighted areas and always know where the nearest police station or substation is. (5) Prepare for this event—take a self defense class such as Krav Maga.

Also, teach them how to: (1) Balance a checkbook, (2) Make a simple budget*, (3) Change a flat tire, (4) Avoid date rape, (5) Be safe at a nightclub, bar, or house party. Don’t smirk, chances are good your child will come to like these sorts of establishments—so prepare them! One good tip on this note: never leave your drink unattended and never accept a drink from someone you didn't see poured.

While this is not an all-inclusive list, it covers things many parents never think about. I know, because as a black parent, I thought sending my child to a “place of higher learning” raised them above such things. Take it from me, it doesn’t.

* And no child, you don’t need those credit cards they’re offering you.

Two Georgia HBCUs To Fall?

In news straight from the Associated Press, Republican Senator Seth Harp, Chairman of Georgia’s Higher Education Committee, is proposing that two of the states Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) merge with white colleges.

You read me right! Because of a $2 billion budget shortfall, Senator Harp wants to merge Savannah State University and Albany State University with nearby white colleges. Blacknews.com reports, and I quote, that the Senator feels the mergers would “…save money and, in the process…erase a vestige of Jim Crow-era segregation.” End quote. Now ain’t that a b*#@ch! Let’s see here: in Georgia we got a Muslim in Douglasville who was arrested for not removing her traditional religious head dress, there’s the case of a bar owner in Marietta who printed up “Obama monkey” T-shirts (they sold like hot cakes by the way), and the Alpharetta woman who had racist graffiti painted on her home twice in one week, and rampant police profiling and institutional racism in Columbus. I’ll have you know that Turner County High School, located in rural Ashburn, just integrated its prom in 2007. So now the Senator wants to effectively close two fine black institutions because their existence is segregationist? Oh hell to the no!

I’m totally against merging ANY HBCU with a white college: (1) HBCU’s have historically provided our children better educations about the contributions of their ancestors to this rock called the U.S. of A; (2) HBCU’s provide a more familiar living environment for our children as the campuses are built around their needs; (3) HBCU’s have turned out some of the finest minds in history—Martin Luther King, Guion S. Buford Jr., Alexis Herman, Thurgood Marshall just to nave a few; and (4) Black men who attended a HBCU incomes increased faster each year than those who did not, according to Newswise; and (5) the kids at both the HBCU and white colleges are going where THEY want to go, with whom THEY want to go with, in the atmosphere THEY want to be in, in an environment which gave them a choice of the schools THEY wanted to attend.

While attending a HBCU is not right for every person of color, their value is still immeasurable today.

And oh, by the way, did you know that the Governor Sonny Purdue wants to spend $28 million to build a site for a bass fishing tournament in middle Georgia?

Senator Harp, help your fellow politicians fix the budget and leave our schools alone!

Top 10 HBCUs

The Right Kind Of Education?

The civil rights organization Operation Hope just released the results of a study, the third of its kind, about African American students and their personal finances. The results are intriguing.

According to the article, Third Study Shows African American Students Consume More, Save Less:

When contrasted with the financial literacy of whites with the same incomes, the
highest income African Americans (those with family incomes above $80,000) had
financial literacy scores that were just 71.9 percent of whites. In contrast,
the lowest income African Americans had financial literacy scores that were 95.6
percent that of whites in the same income group. The report also revealed that
African American students are better spenders than savers.

In contrast to young white adults, African American high school seniors of
the same age are more likely to use credit and debit cards, are less likely to
have a bank account, and are less likely to work part-time or summers while they
are still in high school. This orientation toward consumption and away from
saving may help explain higher relative scores of African Americans on spending
rather than saving questions.

Several things jumped out at me. While high income African Americans had only 72 percent of the financial literacy of their white counterparts, low income African Americans had 95 percent of the financial literacy, or should I say illiteracy, as their lower income white counterparts. And, many of the African American "high-schoolers" did not work. The conclusions one can draw from this are many: (a) African Americans with good incomes who know a little something about managing their money need to know more, (b) knowing how to use your money means you're probably going to have more of it because you're going to keep more of it in YOUR pocket, (c) not knowing how to use your money will keep you poor--regardless of race, and (d) by not making our children earn what they want, we (African Americans) are not preparing our kids for the real world or the responsibilities of handling money. We are setting them up to be poor.

All of us want our kids to have the best education possible. Perhaps we should teach our children that character is "who we are" on the inside that shows outwardly in our decisions and actions--you don't wear it on your back. Next, we need to teach them the difference between needs and wants. And clearly, as this study by Operation Hope shows, it is important for us as black parents to learn all we can about personal finance and then teach those skills to our kids. Remember, many of us created our own financial crisis by buying way more house, car, clothes, hair, jewelry, holiday gifts, etc. than we need.

A final note - "Don't spend money you don't have trying to impress people who don't feed you."