Coach Brogan: South Central High School's Answer to Academic Achievement

Abstract

How can one man make a difference for bright, young men?In an ethnographic study of high abilityyoung men in an urban high school, one coach's influence was found to be crucial in motivating gifed males. Coach Brogan developed effective strategies to maintain high academic achievement amongst his championshq athletes. This article presents a description of the culture of achievement surrounding the men? swim team at South Central High School and the strategies offered by the successful coach/educator. he strong, pungent smell of chlorine hit visitors in the face as they entered. The warm, steamy temperature of T the room was like no other in the building. The atmosphere was alive and filled with youthful, energetic voices calling from the divided lanes of the pool. The sea-blue tiled swimming pool at South Central High School was a specification-sized pool like any other high school facility in the country. However, the activity evolving from that pool may have been quite different from the typical high school athletic scene. Involvement on the men's swimming team appeared to be having a serious impact upon the lives of high ability students who achieved at South Central High School because of the hard work and dedication of one man affectionateIy known to the student body as Coach Brogan.South Central High's Coach Brogan was discovered by the author while pursuing an ethnographic study of high ability youth in a large urban school district in the Northeast. Hibert (1993) investigated the lives of six high ability achievers and six high ability underachievers by following them for an academic year. Hdbert (1993) found that high ability achieving males benefited from a strong belief in selfwhich ' was strengthened by relationships with supportive adults. These supportive adults included teachers, counselors, family members and one man known as Coach Brogan. The man who coached the South Central High School swim team had a major impact upon the lives of gifted young men who needed support in an inner-city high school filled with problems. This article will present a review of the literature of high school athletics and the dynamics of athlete-coach relationships, a description of research methodology involved, an ethnographic description of the culture of the inner-city high school swim team investigated, and the findings surrounding Coach Brogan which emerged from the study.

Gifted Black Males in a Predominantly White University: Portraits of High Achievement

“…These adults recognized the talents within the young men and actively encouraged them to pursue avenues that would foster their talent development. These experiences are consistent with the earlier findings of Clasen and Clasen (1997), Hébert (1995Hébert ( , 2000, Hébert and Reis (1999), and Reilly(1992).…”

“If I Had a New Notebook, I Know Things Would Change”: Bright Underachieving Young Men in Urban Classrooms

“…Complaints of unchallenging curricula, a lack of hands-on experiences in their coursework, and boredom were consistent throughout the study. These findings confirm the research ofBaum, Renzulli, and Hebert (1994Hebert ( , 1995, Emerick (1992), Redding (1990), Rimm (1988), and Whitmore (1989. Morgan's frustration with the school's inability to address his need for acceleration confirmed the findings of Fehrenbach (1993).…”

“…Within the culture of every high school are athletic subcultures, each with its own value system. In his ethnographic study, Hebert (1995) uncovered an athletic subculture, a championship swim team, where high-ability males not only excelled as athletes, but achieved excellence academically under the guidance of their coach. Urban school districts need to maintain strong athletic programs with dedicated coaches who enjoy nurturing scholar-athletes.…”

Culturally Diverse High-Achieving Students in an Urban High School

“…Many of the male participants referred to Coach Brogan, a swim coach who nurtured a supportive family-like environment for high-ability achievers (Hébert, 1995). This supportive coach was described by participants as "a father figure to his swimmers" who made sure to talk to his athletes about gang-related issues and other concerns about their well-being.…”