Historical Factors
Why did scholars call early White American settlers a "decapitated population"?
They were a mostly uneducated and economically disadvantaged population lacking in training and skills. Early settlers were not from a random selection of the population but were for the most part from lower life stations. Sowell's point is that America started off with an intellectual deficit
What US racial/geographic group scored the lowest on IQ tests that were administered to soldiers during WWII?
Whites from southern states and Appalachia. Sowell uses this point to stress that genetics is not the reason for lack of achievement. Isolation and educational and personal motivation are the more important determining factors.
What is the greatest benefit to scoring high on school placement tests.
Admission to top schools and colleges is the greatest single indicator of success in later life regardless of field of application. Sowell stresses that educational attainment is critical to economic success, but that its greatest value is its ability to confer future benefits to society.
What are some of the explanations for the drop in elite school enrollments for students of color over the last decades? Were the explanations viable?
Standard of Living - No - not a viable reason since standard of living has consistently been raised over the past decades
Heredity - No - black students in earlier generations were better equipped and performed better in academic setting
Attitudes - Yes - there does appear to be a shift in attitude toward education. Respect for education is on the decline
Who enslaved the black populations that were brought to the US as slaves and what was their social status in Africa.
Most enslaved Africans were of lower socio-economic status in Africa and were enslaved by African tribes who were stronger and more advanced. They were subsequently sold to American slave traders. This continues Sowell's point that early Americans were not well educated or particularly intelligent but they did have the drive to succeed.
What group of people were the first to smelt iron? This ability directly lead to their having a more advanced culture than their northern neighbors.
Sub-Saharan Africans in the 15th Century. Sowell uses this example to demonstrate how production and economic well being can change over time moving from advanced to backward and wealthy to poor depending on a variety of transient circumstances.
What group currently makes the highest scores on school admission tests? What group did they displace from the top ranking.
Asian students are currently ranked as making the highest scores on school admission tests. Jewish student previously held that rank. Sowell's point is that there is no benefit to diversity initiatives and that lack of diversity in schools is not a relevant factor in determining student success.
What are some of the factors that Sowell attributes to the decline of academic and social success of inner city Black youth?
Aversion to White Behavior
Popularizing Ghetto Culture - sports, rappers, money
Lack of Incentives for academic achievement
What is Genetic Determinism and how was it related to Eugenics?
Genetic Determinists believed that certain races had a ceiling on the level of mental capacity they were able to achieve. These beliefs supported and in some cases directly led to ethnic cleansing programs as well as organized systems designed to subjugate entire populations and groups.
What factors, other than isolation, are considered to have negatively affected the mental development of populations living in isolated communities.
Biological Relatedness - In breeding
Nutrition and food development - general lack of nutrition
Work constraints and a general disregard for Education
Have diversity initiatives increased the number of students of color who have been able to attend elite schools and benefit from their curriculum.
No. In spite of DEI initiatives the number of students of color attending the elite schools mentioned in this chapter has dropped dramatically over the past decades. Also, while numbers admitted to certain school have in some cases risen, numbers graduating have steadily declined.
What is the history of Dunbar High School in DC and did integration serve to increase the achievement levels of black students at the school?
Dunbar High was an all Black school in DC for 85 years. During that time it sent almost 80% of its graduates on to college. After Brown vs Board of Education, Dunbar became an integrated school. Over time its standards lowered and it is now a failing school with all of the issues of poor inner city schools. Sowell notes that its high achieving students were accused of trying to act white and became a source of disdain in the community. He call this mentality "Ghettoitis"
How does Sowell explain the difference in economic success among the various immigrant groups who arrived in American during the early 20th century?
Sowell stresses there was a combination of factors including arrival time, arrival location, current social and economic situation, climate, group demographics and skill sets that all came into play when determining the overall economic success a group would experience.
Has it been proven that genetics is not a determination of intelligence level?
According to Sowell, this has not been proven. He does note that the question brings about heated debate from those who ascribe differences in intelligence to educational and economic disparities. Sowell proposes a third option: that different groups do not want the same things so therefore their drive and motivation is different.
What does Sowell mean when he attributes the decline in test scores for Black students to "Ghetto Culture"?
Sowell describes "Ghetto Culture" as a lack of regard for education, a fear of "acting white", a desire for racial solidarity and a focus on material culture. He feels it is similar to Southern Redneck culture in that it has its own value system that looks down on success.
Who does Sowell feel is responsible for the decline in Black student successes.
Sowell blames teachers and school administrators for allowing a culture of underachievement. He also blames black leaders and spokespeople for establishing a culture of blame and victimization rather than one of personal responsibility.