Christopher M. Spence
Christopher M. Spence is an accomplished educator, award-winning filmmaker and dedicated community advocate with a proven record of leadership in education. Known for his visionary mindset and entrepreneurial spirit, he has successfully led complex organizations and cultivated strong relationships within communities.
He is an inspirational speaker, author, and former CFL athlete, committed to promoting education, innovation, and public outreach. His achievements include several influential works, such as Jail or Yale, To Be Seen and Heard: Strategies that Support the Academic Success of African American Male Students in Northern Chicago High Schools, and Silence the Violence.
Born in England, raised in Windsor, Ontario, and academically accomplished with a doctoral degree from SUSL (2024), Dr. Spence continues to be a passionate force for change in education, leadership and community engagement.
To Be Seen and Heard
Strategies that Support the Academic Success of African American Males in Northern Chicago High Schools
Date: April 2024
Abstract:
The underachievement of African Americans, particularly African-American males, is one of the most troubling issues in education (Cokley et al., 2012; Schott Foundation, 2018). A significant population of African-American males has struggled to find their place in society (Wilson, 2014). Recent data shows 78% of African American students are completing high school in Chicago, Illinois (Casey Foundation, 2021). While the number of African American students who have graduated has risen in the last five years, African American males have not kept pace with African American female students and peers from different racial groups (Pearman et al., 2019). This study examined strategies that support the achievement of African American males in Northern Chicago high schools. The researcher gathered data through interviews with recent African American male graduates or seniors over the age of 18 who could explain personal experiences and strategies that impacted their academic success. Data were analyzed using open coding. Patterns and themes such as racial identity and support systems were identified as part of the data analysis process. Critical race theory (CRT) is the guiding theoretical framework used in examining the conceptualization of race and racism’s role in educational systems, practices, and outcomes. The results from this study can provide further and deeper understanding on strategies that may improve the educational attainment of African American males in northern Chicago high schools. Based on the findings, strategies identified in the study, used by African American males, other students of different ethnic groups, educational practitioners, researchers, parents, policymakers, and community leaders may bring positive social change to continue increasing graduation rates in northern Chicago schools.
The MixTape
Authors: Christopher Michael Spence, Jacob, Briana
The Cougars have won the City Championship what’s next for four high school football friends Carlos, Dre, Kobe, and Noah? They are united by the MixTape and are on the cusp of growing up each in their own way struggling to connect to the world. On the way to a party they are pulled over by the police.
Jail or Yale: Young Black and Out of Options?
- 40% of students expelled from U.S. schools each year are black
- 40% of students exp70% of students involved in “in-school” arrests or referred to law enforcement are Black or Latinoelled from U.S. schools each year are black
- Black students are 3.5x more likely to be suspended than whites
- Black and Latino students are 2x more likely to not graduate high school as whites
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
SNOWBALL - BROTHERS 4 LIFE
“Snowball – Brothers 4 Life” by Christopher Spence is a coming of age/coming out novel that explores the unique yet universal young adult experience. It successfully weaves deeply important societal issues (homophobia, racism, mental health) in an engaging and thought-provoking read.
The book follows the lives of Jake Bradley, who is the star point guard for the undefeated Westside Academy, and his best friend Mac. Jake and Mac, teammates and “brothers for life,” have long been nearly inseparable and are incredibly close both on and off the court. But their relationship is challenged when Jake begins to develop romantic feelings for Mac’s sister, Willow, and Mac has a shocking revelation that suddenly renders him an outsider.
“A gripping, emotional, and thought-provoking novel that explores unresolved issues of race, gender, and sexual orientation; provokes the reader to explore deeply sociological issues and to come away with a deeper understanding and acceptance of the differences that define us. An absorbing, important book that should not be missed!” The Columbia Review.
Silence the Violence (2017)
"An invaluable documentary for anyone interested in understanding inner-city violence, comprehending the pain and suffering it produces, and taking part in the grossly-overdue national effort to address the fundamental causes, heal the deep wounds, and literally ‘Silence the Violence.’ An excellent film—highly recommended!" -- Avraham Azrieli, TheColumbiaReview.com
Prolific author/director/producer Christopher M Spence, whose film Silence the Violence and books SnowBall and Ice Cold have been reviewed by us with high praise (and whose other works include Making Waves, Teammates, SkinGames, No J, and Football’s Pioneering Duo) has created another superb documentary: Jail or Yale: Young, Black and Out of Options? This time, Spence explores the most crucial—and devastating—social crisis of present-day America: The structural racism in the U.S. educational system and its ruinous impact on countless black males for the rest of their lives.
Spence begins with a central observation: “In the United States, Canada and the UK, we have deeply imbedded stereotypes that connect racial identity to academic ability, and children become aware of these stereotypes as they grow up in the schools. [There is a] strong assumptions that if you’re white, you’ll do better in school than if you’re black or brown.” Add to this tragic baseline of pervasive low academic expectations a series of coalescing oppressive factors, including chronic poverty, persistent police profiling, breakdown in the community and families, and the result is a set of heartbreaking
In summary, with an absorbing, dramatic and haunting combination of words and images, Jail or Yale: Young, Black and Out of Options? delivers a captivating picture of systemic failure, yet draws a brilliant blueprint for a comprehensive turnaround of our educational system, aiming to shatter forever the racist and amoral School-to-Prison Pipeline. Highly recommended!
