National reports recognize a growing gender gap in postsecondary enrollment as a major challenge impacting the lives of young men, particularly African Americans. Previous gender and race specific research is largely inconclusive. It is, for example, unclear from previous research how persistent the gender gap is across various school contexts,…

Several theories suggest that African American culture facilitates academic achievement, but others suggest that identifying with Black culture contributes to the achievement gap by undermining the academic performance among youth. These opposing perspectives are labeled "cultural compatibility theories" and "cultural incompatibility theories,"…

This phenomenological investigation examines the perceptions of the teaching profession as a viable career option by high-achieving high school-aged African American boys. Researchers used random sampling to identify high schools in one large urban school district and criterion sampling to examine the perceptions of 63 African American 11th-grade…

African American high school students are performing behind their White classmates regardless of whether they are in majority or minority populations at school. Teacher expectations, among school-related factors that can impact the academic achievement of African American high school students, are the focus of this study. Interviews were conducted…

This article provides a vicarious experience in the classrooms of two teachers who successfully facilitated engagement in urban schools. With practices grounded in culturally responsive classroom management, the teachers created classroom environments in which students were motivated to participate, met high behavioral expectations, and remained…

The purpose of this study was to identify the social supports in the lives of African American adolescents that influence resilient academic outcomes. The authors examined 206 African American students to identify the role of parental involvement as a buffer in the relation between low school support and high academic expectations. Results…

This qualitative case study probes one African American school leader with a conservative religious upbringing as she works in a high school with a self-identified population of African American lesbian, guy, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. The findings demonstrate that the participant's leadership practices were guided by her spiritual…

The academic performance of urban African American students continues to be a major concern. Academic achievement has been the main avenue to upward social mobility for African Americans. This study assesses the effect of attitudes, behavior, peers, and family on the academic performance of African American students living in urban public housing…

Interviews with students at an all-Black, all-male school in a major northeastern city revealed that a significant proportion of the participating students had a strong preference for practical, demonstrative explanations of new concepts and information that are directly related to their everyday experiential realities. These findings suggest that…

The use of African American vernacular English among a group of secondary school students who participated in a digital media course as part of a pre-college summer enrichment program is examined. The study has highlighted the utility and importance of creating socially and culturally relevant spaces for technology teaching and learning and also…

The non-technology, technology, and school factors related to technology use and technology integration in the curriculum by secondary school teachers in two Eastern Caribbean countries are identified. The studies have suggested that the factors of technology development, attitude towards technology and computer experience are related to the…

Black students are frequently suspended at much higher rates than students from other races or ethnicities. Analyses of suspension data over a three-year period were conducted to explain between-school variability in the percentages of Black students suspended in secondary schools at a large urban school district. Results of hierarchical backward…

A study prolongs research on college choice by analyzing what African American students state about the importance of the college's athletic reputation when choosing which school to attend. Descriptive results indicate that roughly one out of every three African American respondents believe that a school's athletic reputation is at least a…

A study implements meta-analytic methods to synthesize the findings and analyze the effects of interventions, including secondary teen pregnancy prevention programs, on educational achievement among unwed African American teen mothers. Results indicate that secondary teen pregnancy prevention programs and other interventions for adolescent mothers…

The analysis of the perceptions of the value of schooling as perceived by a group of female secondary school students in Benin, Africa, shows that the idea of becoming someone successful by going to school highly affects their educational choices. The author suggests that the educators should adopt measures and policies to tackle the problems of…