The Scholar-Baller™ Curriculum 

The Scholar-Baller™ Curriculum seeks to bridge the gap between education, sport and entertainment.  The Curriculum is a tool that is unique, thoroughly researched, user-friendly, and culturally relevant to the world of our youth and young adults.

We must ask why culture has not been embraced and more mainstreamed in all public schools and institutions of high learning.

The answer to this question and validation of the Scholar-Baller™ Curriculum appears in Professor Robert Rueda's (2004) article "An Urban Education View of Culture and Learning," where he outlines some problematic aspects in terms of how culture has been treated with respect to teaching and learning:

  • Making monolithic judgments about entire groups (often around racial and/or ethic lines) without considering within-group and individual differences;

  • Focusing on surface features of culture;

  • Focusing on presumed culturally-related variables that have failed to show a relationship to learning such as learning styles;

  • Treating culture as a deficit rather than a resource in learning;

  • Equating group labels, especially racial and ethnic group labels, with cultural characteristics;

  • Assume cultural influences operate rigidly in all settings;

  • Relying on presumed characteristics without considering empirical validation (p.21)

All of the seven points outlined by Rueda (2004) above are addressed in the Scholar-Baller™ Curriculum in a positive way and solution-oriented manner the entire article calls for.  These are some of the key reasons that the concept, language, and content of the curriculum will help student-athletes create a positive self-image and gain a more holistic understanding for how education, sport and entertainment can become one lifestyle.  The Scholar-Baller™ team and contributors predict that this Curriculum will intrinsically challenge all participants to compete with passion in all of their challenges and ultimately lead to becoming a Scholar-Baller™ for life.

In the Curriculum, the Scholar-Baller™ Crossover Process is first discussed.  It helps coaches and student-athletes think, feel, and act on the principals of Scholar-Baller™ in all areas of their lives.  Scholar Baller is a frame of reference infused into content, instruction, and relationships.  The process is based upon five steps:  define, examine, rehearse, live, and revisit.

The Curriculum then delves into study of six principles:  self-identify and social identity, the competitive spirit (CPC), Scholar-Baller™ paradigm/standard, vision/purpose/mission/goals, decision making system, and the Scholar-Baller™ ideals:  vision, industry, self-respect, perseverance, success and humility.

For more information on Scholar-Baller™ and obtaining the Curriculum please contact us as info@scholarballer.org.