Young, gifted and Black students thrive despite the odds

NINE-year-old Michael Antonio Alexander, an extremely bright youngster who absorbs books beyond his years and who is inspiring others with his gift of oratory, already has a four-year scholarship worth $60,000 to Lambuth University waiting on him when he graduates from high school--nine years from now.

Michael knows about his scholarship, "something with an L," he says of the college, but the magnitude of the accomplishment hasn't registered yet. This wunderkind is too busy being the fastest reader in his third-grade class at Levi Public Elementary School in Memphis, Tenn. He usually aces his assignments and finishes his class work before the rest of his peers. He keeps a minimum of five books in his desk to prevent boredom.

Outside the classroom, Michael is a ball of energy. You may find him practicing Beethoven's "Fur Elise" on piano, delivering stirring poems about the value of teachers before large audiences, or reciting Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech at his church and at other functions.

"Michael is an excellent example of what happens when a student works hard," says Fred Zuker, Ph.D., president of Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn., who was so moved after learning about Michael that he awarded him the scholarship. It is the first such scholarship in the history of the university. "There is a crisis in America's public schools," Zuker adds. "Hopefully, other students will be encouraged to become academically motivated and see that there are rewards."

Michael, along with thousands of other young, gifted and Black students in America's public schools, is an example of how high academic achievement can produce benefits. Most of these African-American students show exceptional intellectual ability and natural talent in one or more disciplines, and appear to be excelling in their respective public schools despite the enormous problems that confront many of the nation's public school systems, including budget cuts, poor academic achievement, overcrowded classrooms, low expectations and high dropout rates.

High-achieving minority students in public schools are usually referred to as "gifted" and typically score in the top 5 percent on standardized academic tests. Some students, like Chamara Moore of Chicago and Calah Williams of North Miami, are young members of the American Mensa Ltd. organization, a so-called "genius society" whose members' IQ scores fall in the top 2 percent in the nation.

"These students might be classified as genius in the sense that they scored at the highest level of intellectual functioning," says Frank Lawlis, Ph.D., the supervisory psychologist of American Mensa. "But, whether or not they mature to make a contribution to society remains to be seen. These students demonstrate the potential. True genius goes beyond mere academic performance. Those persons [like geniuses Mozart and Einstein] put ideas together in unique ways or compose something that nobody has thought about. They solve problems that have not been solved before."

There's a deep societal assumption that highly intellectual students will rise to the top, regardless of the circumstances. But that usually is not the case, especially when there is a lack of support for gifted programs and services in school systems in practically every state in the U.S. Education experts say gifted African-American students have needs just as demanding as other students. Since it was signed in 2002, the "No Child Left Behind" law has focused attention on children who can't keep pace in public schools. But research indicates that African-American gifted students are also at risk of tuning out.

Gifted Black children show great potential in many areas well beyond students their age, but they need emotional and social development to grow, says Jance Clarenbach, director of public education for the National Association for Gifted Children in Washington, D.C.

So, how do today's gifted and genius-level African-American children get the most out of the public schools they attend? Parents of gifted children say it takes heavy doses of support and commitment. They are involved at their children's schools, closely monitor class work and maintain communication with teachers and administrators.

Many parents also sacrifice time and finances to provide outside activities to enrich their child's education and to satisfy a wide range of interests. In New York City, 13-year-old Nzingha Prescod is a straight-A student who is among the top fencing champions in her division in the nation. Private, predominately White prep schools have attempted to recruit Nzingha, some offering full scholarships. Her mother, Marva Prescod, has turned them all down so that her child can continue to experience the diversity in public schools. This fall, Nzingha will attend Stuyvesant High School, one of the top public high schools in New York City. "I always want her to be true to who she is," says Prescod, an attorney. "I fear that she would lose that if she went to the White prep schools."