This paper, one of a series commissioned by the Education Commission of the States to identify the educational needs of minority groups, reviews the major factors that must be considered if the educational needs of black children are to be met. An important consideration is that the majority of black parents and black children have high educational aspirations. Consequently, the relatively lower scores of black pupils on standardized tests (compared to those of white students) should not be attributed to lack of achievement orientation. More crucial determinants of lower black pupil performance are identified in this paper: poverty, discrimination, and inadequate parental involvement. More than 25 years after the Brown decision, the struggle to achieve equality of educational opportunity is ongoing. Poverty continues to be a way of life for large numbers of black families and a major barrier to the more effective education of black children. One important resource for meeting the educational needs of black children has not yet been fully tapped--black families. Parent education and parent involvement programs, especially those that include members of the extended family, may have an unexpected and important contribution to make to educational improvement. (Author/MK)