Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
%20with%20registere.png/:/rs=h:200,cg:true,m/qt=q:95)
The Success Of OUR Sons™ Curriculum (S.O.S.)
Success for OUR Sons™ is a licensed leadership and academic development curriculum designed for middle and high school Black male students. Organizations implement the curriculum using structured lesson sequencing, guided student workbooks, and facilitator training support.
Grounded in social-emotional learning and critical thinking development, the curriculum uses Socratic dialogue, guided reflection, and written engagement to help students examine identity, responsibility, and future direction in a meaningful way.
Through this structured approach, students strengthen self-regulation, academic persistence, reflective reasoning, confidence, and leadership identity while developing the habits needed for long-term success. .
The curriculum is designed for implementation in schools, youth organizations, and structured student development settings seeking clarity, consistency, and depth in leadership development for young Black men.
why a curriculum focused on young black males?
During my years as a professor, I saw—up close—how often young Black men carried challenges that rarely showed on the surface.
They confided in me about relationship pressure that sometimes intersected with a reality many people don’t see: housing insecurity among financially strained young Black men on college campuses. For some, that pressure created unhealthy dependency—relying on a relationship to keep stable housing.
Many also carried depression and emotional distress quietly, trying not to worry their families.
I responded the way educators do when we refuse to look away: I served on the Success Committee focused on increasing Black male retention and graduation, and I created academic catch-up clinics that paired students with high-performing peer mentors to rebuild momentum.
And still, I couldn’t shake the question: what happens when no one is watching? The data backs up what I was seeing—across income levels, Black boys disproportionately face academic and emotional barriers that shape outcomes long before graduation. These patterns start long before college—often in middle school, and sometimes earlier.
As an educational leader, I know you also have a front-row seat to these challenges.
Data supports my professional experience as an educator.
National research has documented persistent early literacy gaps by fourth grade for Black male students. Studies have also shown elevated dropout risk in under-resourced districts and significant disparities in unemployment outcomes for Black men when compared to national averages.
Mental health data further reflects disproportionate emotional distress and suicide risk among Black males within the broader community.
National Acknowledgment of the Challenge
In 2019, Congress established the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys to study and recommend solutions addressing the social and economic challenges facing Black men and boys nationwide.
National research, including work from the Brookings Institution’s "Future of the Middle-Class Initiative", has acknowledged long-standing gaps in how educational systems support Black male students.
These patterns are persistent — but they are not inevitable. Early intervention, structured identity development, and intentional academic support change trajectories.
So, the question facing educational leaders is not whether disparities exist — but how to respond intentionally and consistently.
Leadership Concepts Institute developed Success for OUR Sons™ to provide schools and youth organizations with a structured, research-informed curriculum focused on leadership identity, academic resilience, and social-emotional development.
The curriculum aligns with multi-tiered support systems (MTSS) by providing structured identity and leadership development that complements academic and behavioral interventions.
The curriculum is informed by over two decades of research, curriculum development, and direct work with students as a professor and educational advocate. It is also shaped by lived experience — as the mother of three Black sons.
SOS is a 12-week curriculum structured in 60–90 minute facilitated sessions with guided discussion and reflection.
The curriculum is guided by the A.C.H.I.E.V.E. framework:
- Academic
- Competency Development
- Habits
- Identity
- Engaged
- Values
- Excellence
Grounded in the National Positive Youth Development Framework, the curriculum emphasizes intentional skill development, asset-based growth, and strengthened peer and family relationships. Lessons are designed to build belonging, accountability, and resilience within academic and community settings.
All lessons reflect a strength-based approach aligned with national education standards.
Strength-Based Development Requires Reflection
The Student Guide includes reflective exercises that build:
- Critical thinking,
- Cause-and-effect thinking,
- Structured dialogue between students and facilitators, and
- Values-based reflection and decision-making.
SOS is a social-emotional learning curriculum designed to strengthen measurable competencies in self-regulation, academic persistence, and leadership development.
Sustained progress requires more than academics alone—students also need explicit SEL skill development.
Why is SEL important?
SEL supports academic growth by strengthening the skills students use to manage emotions, persist through challenges, and make sound decisions. In practice, this translates into growth in the following areas:
- Supporting healthy development
- Strengthening cognitive and emotional self-control
- Improving goal-setting and postsecondary decision-making
The curriculum aligns with ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success and supports ESSA-aligned goals by strengthening readiness and supporting high-need students.
Students are expected to demonstrate growth across five SEL competency areas:
- Self-awareness,
- Self-management,
- Social awareness,
- Relationship skills, and
- Responsible decision-making.
Each lesson emphasizes:
- Intentional skill-building
- Structured interaction and dialogue
- Sequential lesson design
These design principles align with recommendations from the Institute of Education Sciences.
Learn More
Find out how your school or program can integrate the SOS social-emotional curriculum into the learning of black boys to assist them in academically and emotionally thriving, leading to improved life outcomes and a better culture within your school environment.