The success or failure of black children in school has been attributed to positive or negative self-concept, but the construct of self-concept has been misused and misrepresented by educators and researchers. The traditional definition of self-concept as a highly interrelated perception of the self has been defined in perceptual rather than operational terms. This perceptual definition fails to address the accuracy or inaccuracy of the self-concept; to acknowledge that self-concept is area-specific, multidimensional, observable, describable, and measurable; and to explain the operational utility of self-concept. The perceptual conceptualization of self-concept cannot be rigorously defined and is dangerously global, leading to a number of problems in assessing and interpreting the self-concept of black children. An operational definition of self-concept, based on an observable repertoire of self-descriptive behaviors, would allow teachers to focus on how the student functions in the classroom and help the student make self-directed changes. Studies indicate that educators need to focus on the accuracy of the self-concept, rather than on the global self-concept. A list of 43 references is appended. Recommendations for enhancing the self-concept of black students are made. (FMW)