African American males have not experienced the academic successes throughout their school careers that males of other cultures have experienced. This mixed methods study identified possible antecedents to the later disengagement of poorly performing African American male students in an inner city public elementary school by examining data collected on the attitudes about school and the classroom behaviors expressed by these students. The attitudes and expectations of teachers in the same school were identified. The research revealed that poorly performing African American males have positive attitudes about school and school activities, but these attitudes changed over the grades. In addition, teacher attitudes and expectations differed from the attitudes and behaviors identified by students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]