TNC Magazine :: Straight from da Pen

The following are workshops that are available to be presented along with Mr. Lynch’s book Closing the Racial Academic Achievement Gap.

The Factors and Statistics that Contribute to Black Student Underachievement
Role Call: Who’s Accountable for the Academic Failure of African American Children
Responding to Misbehavior and Academic Failure
Culturally Responsive Instruction
Upholding High Expectations for African American Children
Parental Involvement
Homework S.O.S. for Parents
Closing the Racial Achievement Gap
Educating African American Children in the Age of Technology
How to Keep Black Boys out of Special Education
Disciplining African American Children
Motivating African American Students
Understanding the Black Peer Group

For additional information about Mr. Lynch, Lynch Consulting Group, LLC, or his workshop rates please visit the following website: www.lynchconsultinggroup.com

When Matthew’s father tells him a chimerical tale of a legendary money tree, Matthew decides to venture out into the woods in search of the of the money tree and the adventure begins. Please join Mathew on his entertaining quest, in which above all he learns the true meaning of happiness. Matthew and the Money Tree is a wonderful tale for children and adults alike.

You can order a copy of this children's book by click the cover above!

Straight from Da Pen: Matthew Lynch

Mr. Lynch is an African American author, professional educator, and journalist. He is the CEO of Lynch Consulting Group, LLC. Lynch Consulting Group, LLC, is a comprehensive consulting firm that provides innovative educational & business consulting solutions to K-12 & Higher Education institutions, nonprofit organizations, various levels of government, as well as members of the business sector.

He is also a Doctoral Candidate at Jackson State University majoring in Early Childhood Education, with a cognate in Educational Administration. He is also the author of Closing the Racial Academic Achievement Gap, and the children’s book, Matthew and the Money Tree. Closing the Racial Academic Achievement Gap has a publication date of April 28, 2006. He is also the founder of Project E.P.I.P.H.A.N.Y., a research based mentoring program. Mr. Lynch is a contributing columnist for over 20 publications. He currently resides in Jackson, Ms.

In Closing the Racial Academic Achievement Gap, Matthew Lynch presents theories, research, and suggested practices that can be used to instruct, discipline and motivate African American Children. This book is intended for educators (pre and in-service), administrators, parents, etc., who are charged with the duty of cultivating the minds of African American children.

With the arrival of the No Child Left Behind act, the so-called "Racial

Achievement Gap" has attracted more concern and controversy than ever before.

According to this timely analysis, the myth of the racial achievement gap has nothing to do with genetics—and everything to do with a host of embarrassing yet reversible social and pedagogical failures, including low teacher expectations, unrealistic timetables for learning goals, irrelevant curricula, ineffective teaching methods, careless administrators, poor parental involvement, negative peer groups, and self-esteem issues. For every problem raised, the book offers a level-headed solution, culminating in a plan for closing the supposed racial achievement gap for good.

Mr. Lynch also points out that teachers and administrators will no longer be allowed to let children of color fall through the cracks without facing serious repercussions. Therefore, teachers, parents, and administrators need to be increasingly aware of the latest research in multicultural education in order to help African American children realize their full potential, an arduous task for children of any race, and this book seeks to assist them in the realization of this goal. Closing the Racial Academic Achievement Gap, is a must have for teachers, administrators, parents, etc.

Closing the Racial Academic Achievement Gap can be ordered by clicking the book cover above.

The Interview

You're pursuing your Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education, and you've written the book, Closing the Racial Academic Achievement Gap. What sparked you to pursue this career path?

-When I was an undergraduate at the University of Southern Mississippi, I had the pleasure of taking a class under Dr. Koeppel entitled “The History of Psychology.” He was a capable professor and encouraged his students to maximize their potential. For one of our class research papers, a classmate and I decided to study the subject of race and intelligence. We uncovered startling studies funded by racists and White supremacists concluding that race determined a person’s level of intelligence. According to these findings, Caucasians were genetically predisposed to be intellectually superior while African Americans were intellectually inferior. Some of the studies and articles we found were shocking and offensive. One study that particularly alarmed me concluded that the darker a person’s skin, the less intelligent he or she was.

During our presentation, I pointed out that according to these studies, since I was the darkest person in the room, I was intellectually inferior to everyone else. However, I had one of the highest averages in my class. I also highlighted a number of studies conducted by African American psychologists that offered empirically-based rebuttals, and their studies concluded that race does not determine a person’s cognitive abilities or level of functioning and that the previous studies had no scientific merit. We received an A on the assignment, but I still felt as though we had not done enough.

I consequently devoured all the information I could on the subject of race, genetics, and intelligence. This research was a major impetus for my decision to become a teacher and also a basis for this book. I promptly told my friends that when I graduated, I wanted to return to my hometown to teach in order to make sure that African American children in Hazlehurst would not fall prey to stereotypes, self-fulfilling prophecies, and institutional racism. I decided to pursue my PhD because I believe that with a terminal degree I will be able to foster pertinent changes in our educational system.

You're the author of the children's book, Matthew and the Money Tree. Do you plan to publish other books geared toward young children?

-My children’s book came about because I wanted to create a children’s book based on an authentic African American folktale. Matthew and the Money Tree is the first installment in a series of children’s books based on my childhood experiences. Be on the lookout for the next book about Matthew and his adventures.

What are three adjectives that best describe you?

-Enigmatic, iconoclastic, eclectic

What are your ultimate goals for yourself professionally?

-Become a tenured professor, win a Pulitzer prize, win a NAACP Image Award, become a college president

You have written articles/commentaries, such as "Divorcing Hip Hop," "The Negro Problem," "Has the UN Outgrown Its Usefulness?" "The Role of Psycho-Social Development in the Inferiorization Process," and "The Black Bourgeois." What are your passions? What, ultimately, are you wishing to achieve in writings that - at times - are in such eclectic areas?

-I choose to commentate on topics that directly affect the African Diaspora and the world in general. In order to achieve this goal, I sometimes find my self channeling the philosophies of MLK and Marcus Aurelius all in the same breath. To me knowledge and wisdom are infinite and in order to truly be an intellectual, you have to be able to participate in disquisitions on a wide range of topics, not just in your discipline. In my writings, I endeavor to dissect each issue by using my sixth sense in order to give an accurate account of its effect on our society.