Parochial Schools: Separate & Superior

  • Share
  • Read Later

(2 of 2)

A paperback reading program demands that eighth-graders read at least 25 books, from history to novels. Special curriculums include a fifth year of school for math majors and a seven-week summer cram course to prepare college-bound students in reading and vocabulary. "We want to saturate our students," says Father Grant. "Unless our product is a quality one, we betray the hopes of a people filled with hope." Three out of four of St. Aug's graduates enter college, and the dropout rate is a scant 5%. Most Negro dropouts, reports Daniel C. Thompson, sociologist at New Orleans' Dillard (Negro) University, quit because they think studying is sissy. "If there is anything Negro boys need, it is the image of education being masculine," he says. "St. Aug's projects that image. The greatest wasted potential in the South is the Negro male. The breakthroughs that are being made in job opportunities are all for educated boys. It is important and heartening that St. Augustine's is turning out top boy scholars."

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. Next Page