This article presents a framework for a discussion of the role of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that focuses on teachers and teaching for the new millennium. HBCUs have the potential to make a significant difference in solving one of the most intractable problems in K-12 education: how to recruit, retain, and develop…

This article is a retrospective analysis of a commentary we published in "The Journal of Negro Education" 25 years ago in which we discussed the interrelationships between and among the interpersonal, institutional, community, and African American achievement variables before and after the historic 1954 "Brown" decision. We discuss in this piece…

Examines four explanations for the low academic achievement of black and poor urban students: socioeconomic, sociopathological, cultural, and genetic. Acknowledges the merits of the first three, noting their specific weaknesses and limitations. Describes key characteristics of teachers who make a difference in reversing the cycle of despair and…

Primary effects of school desegregation are most noticeable at the interpersonal level, particularly in the relationship between Black children and their White teachers. Secondary effects are pronounced at the institutional and community levels to the extent desegregation has disrupted the Black community's sociocultural institutions and altered…