No BS (Bad Stats)

Ivory A. Toldson, Ph.D., is a professor of Counseling Psychology at Howard University, the president of Quality Education for Minorities, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Negro Education, and executive editor of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Research, published by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc.

"As a member of the Little Rock Nine, I know firsthand how racial discrimination and segregation damages schools and harms millions of Black learners. Dr. Toldson is an education activist for this century who skillfully blends academic prose with sharp wit and human sensibilities to challenge wayward thinking and stimulate innovation. We need to stop the BS driving education policy by reading No BS!" – Ernest Gideon Green, member of the Little Rock Nine (1957)"Toldson brings science, common sense and passion to bear on an issue on which too many of us have given up. To know Black youth is to recognize their ability to learn when given appropriate opportunities. This is a book well worth reading." – Edmund W. Gordon, PhD, John M. Musser Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, Yale University"No BS is the book the HBCU Community has been waiting for! For those committed to educating students of color, Toldson’s intellectually honest, data driven analysis is a breath of fresh air. This seminal work should be required reading for anyone who is sincere about educational access and equity." – Roslyn Clark Artis, JD, EdD, President, Benedict College"Ivory Toldson, with his cleverly entitled book No BS, is at his best with real talk and real data. He is my numbers scholar. This unique book debunks myths and lies to improve excellence and equity for students of color." – Donna Y. Ford, PhD, Professor of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University"No BS (Bad Stats) is an instant classic! Dr. Toldson masterfully guides the reader through an intellectually invigorating thought-process that debunks the BS (Bad Stats) about Black students to illuminating a pathway for academic success and life transformation. I highly endorse this much-needed contribution to the field of education!" – Chance W. Lewis, PhD, Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Professor of Urban Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte"Everything is good about No BS. In an era where ‘alternative facts’ have entered our lexicon, Ivory Toldson lays out the real data, facts and statistics about what's really going on in the Black community. He also provides keen insights and evidenced-based strategies on how to craft an agenda to empower Black students to realize all of their potential. Terrific book!" – David Wilson, PhD, President, Morgan State University

• AcknowledgementsPart 1: No BS (Bad Stats)Chapter 1: No BS (Bad Stats)Numbers Are People: The Achievement Gap as a Social ConstructA Duboisian Framework for Educational EquityDiscovering the Talented TenthChapter 2: The Happy Bell CurveStory of My LifeBS Funny NumbersThe Happy Bell CurveWhy Not Trust Objective Research on Black People?Chapter 3: More Black Men in Prison Than CollegeIntroductionThe Dubious Basis for the Line, “There Are More Black Men in Jail Than in College”The Overrepresentation of Black Men in Prison Continues to Be a ProblemStarting a New Agenda to Increase College Persistence and Reduce Incarceration for Black MalesConclusion, Context, Dissection and the Surge of White Women in PrisonChapter 4: Black Students Don’t ReadIntroductionFailing Black StudentsSeparating Tests from Test TakersLearning How to ReadMaking a DifferenceWhy Public Schools Are Confused – An AfterthoughtChapter 5: Black Students Are Dropping OutIntroductionRelated FindingsChapter 6: Single Parents Can’t Raise Black Children: What if the Single Parent Was White?IntroductionDo Black Children from Two-Parent Homes Perform Better in School?Single Parents and Incarceration – Response to a MessageChapter 7: Smart Black Students Are Acting WhiteIntroductionWhat Black Students Think about Being SmartWhat Black Students Think about CollegeWhat Black Students Need to Be Successful in SchoolConclusionChapter 8: Black Male Teachers Are MissingIntroductionBlack Male Teachers – Separating Facts from MythsWhy Are Black Male Teachers Important?When Teachers of Color Are Missing, Check Racism FirstChapter 9: Waiting for Super-PredatorIntroductionLaw and Disorder in Schools for Black ChildrenWhy We See Young Black and White Criminals DifferentlyWhen Schools Became PrisonsThe Existential Crisis of School Resource OfficersCreating More Opportunities for Black StudentsThe Inner City – An AfterthoughtPart 2: Why We BelieveChapter 10: Why We BelieveWhy We Believe – An AfterthoughtChapter 11: Believing in Black ParentsIntroductionWhat Schools Need from Black Parents?What Do Black Parents Need from Schools?Building Partnerships between Black Parents and SchoolsBlack Marriage – An AfterthoughtChapter 12: Believing Black Students Are College BoundIntroductionDebunking the BS about Black College StudentsWhy We Believe Black Students Are College BoundChapter 13: Believing in Black HistoryWho Are Black Americans?Dear Racism, I am Not My GrandparentsHow to Teach about Slavery without Looking like a JerkWhen Black History Is a Current AffairChapter 14: Believing in Black Students with DisabilitiesHow Black Students with Disabilities End up in Honors Classes? 132How Black Students without Disabilities End up in Special Education?What Does This All Mean?I Don’t Get it … – An AfterthoughtChapter 15: Believing in Fair Discipline for Black StudentsIntroductionDiscipline Data Civil Rights Data CollectionAnalysis of Who Gets SuspendedWhy Black Students Get Suspended MoreHow Can We Reduce Suspentions?Chapter 16: Believing White Teachers Can Teach Black StudentsIntroductionEducation in Black and WhiteWho Makes up the U.S. Teaching Population?So, What if Most Teachers Are White?White Teachers Need to Become Better White PeopleBeyond Black and WhiteThe Problem with School – An AfterthoughtChapter 17: Believing in Black CollegesIntroductionDebunking the BS about Black CollegesHBCUs and STEMLinkage to Theory and ResearchBelieving in HBCUs65 Years after Brown v. Board of Education: How Important Is Integration? – An AfterthoughtBeing an HBCU ScholarChapter 18: Believing in Black StudentsAbout the Author