A new pilot program taking place, Western Academy at the Neblett, seeks to close the academic achievement gap among black males in the Owensboro Public Schools district. While other cities across the state have implemented similar programs, this is the first in Owensboro, and OPS staff members recently traveled across the state to see how similar academies have achieved such high success rates.
Currently, about 60 percent of black males in Owensboro perform well below grade level and it’s the goal of Western Academy to reduce these numbers as “statistics reinforce the theory that the school-to-prison pipeline begins in the third grade based on low test scores in reading and math,” said Olga McKissic, Executive Director of the H.L. Neblett Center.
As of now, OPS has 25 black males in grades three through six who’ve committed to attend the academy on Saturdays. OPS has plans to add an additional grade level each year, up to 12th grade.
While OPS’ academy is currently collaborating with the Neblett Center, it’s very possible that it may one day be operated from either its own space, or within the walls of Owensboro High School, OPS leaders said at a Thursday board meeting.
Dr. Matthew Constant, chief academic officer for OPS, said the Black Males Working (BMW) Academy, established in 2005 in Lexington, schools 300 K-12 students on Saturdays.
The BMW Academy has seen numerous improvements in the lives of their students who attend — including average ACT scores of 22.8 in comparison to the 16.4 statewide average score for a black, male student in Kentucky.
To get a better view of what the future could look like for Western Academy, a group of OPS staff members traveled to see another academy that operates similarly. The academy impressed Constant in more ways than one, he said.
“They have some very, very committed teachers working there,” he said, adding that rigorous classwork, shirt-and-tie uniforms and politeness from students were all factors that showed how organized and well-run the program was.
That particular academy has 50 students attending, Constant said, with a high rejection rate because of the number of students who apply. Eventually, they hope to have 300 students, he added.
“We were able to see these young men thrive,” said OPS Board Member Michael Johnson, adding that, as a military veteran, he was a fan of the academy’s structure and organization.
OPS Superintendent Nick Brake said that while he isn’t sure Western Academy would operate from its own building, it’s quite possible that the program could operate as an A5 program within the walls of OHS — A5s being alternative programs that are district-operated and designed to remediate academic performance, improve behavior or provide an enhanced learning experience.
