In this article, optimal resource theory (ORT) is introduced as a research framework to enhance student outcomes and inform best-practices in schools. ORT uses historical research perspectives and limitations from existing theories to inform its development. ORT principles are described and a national dataset is used to demonstrate the efficacy of…

The purpose of this study was to explore participants' academic experiences, their academic motivation and the role of peers on their academic achievement. Participants (N = 27) were comprised of high-achieving African American male student-athletes from four academically rigorous American universities on the West Coast. A majority of the…

Du Bois poses a poignant question in 1935 based on the logic that Black children need to be in schools where they are valued and inspired whether that environment is a separate school or an "integrated" school. This question of the effects of different educational spaces still begs to be answered in the changing landscape of secondary…

Studies of racism have brought forth a wealth of evidence to support the existence of racial discrimination in athletics. It is difficult to discuss any area of athletics without noting the variable of race. An illusion that sports are free from racism may be interpreted from current player statistics; however on closer examination racism is…

This study examined background characteristics among Black males in public two-year and four-year institutions. This study sought to uncover whether significant differences existed among this sub-group by institutional type. Data were derived from 533 Black male students participating in the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study. The…

The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine factors of persistence for two African American men involved in the Project Empowerment (PE, pseudonym) student organization at a predominantly White institution. The participants are undergraduate student members of PE, a campus-based organization designed to enhance African American male…

This study asserts that African American males with higher grade point averages (GPAs) in college are also academically and socially integrated into campus and hold racial identity attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs that facilitate their level of institutional integration. The statistical study of 190 African American males attending five…

Efforts to improve the Black science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) pipeline have focused on historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs); however, this work generally fails to acknowledge men. This article characterized Black male receipts of bachelor's degrees from HBCUs in STEM fields between 1981 and 2009 using a…

In recent years, researchers have devoted much discussion to finding ways to increase the academic success of Black males in K-12 and higher education. Despite this emphasis, Black male enrollment in higher education stands at 4.5%, which is the same as it was in 1976. One factor noted by researchers for the stagnation among Black male college…

What contributes to persistent trends of Black male educational underachievement? Past literature has often used a deficit-informed framework to answer this question, portraying Black male students as incapable, unintelligent, disadvantaged, and at-risk to fail, feeding into negative stereotypes. In this article, our primary objective is to depart…

Research indicates that Black male collegians tend to disproportionately seek out postsecondary educational opportunities at community colleges; despite this, a paucity of Black men actual transfer to four-year colleges and universities. In order to help facilitate transfer for Black male community college students, this article investigates the…

The purpose of this study was to present the academic experiences and perspectives of undergraduate African American male students labeled with disabilities. This study was intended to investigate an underexplored area that crosses the boundaries of ethnicity, disability, and postsecondary education. The students' reflections offer three key…

African Americans have served in the United States Armed Forces in nearly every conflict in the nation's history. However, the State--through official government policy, ad hoc decisions of military commanders, or statements by prominent civilians--was rarely comfortable with Black military service. Throughout most of American history, the various…

Using theories and concepts relating to the social construction of Black masculinity and male gender role conflict the authors explored contextualized meanings of masculinities and corresponding behavioral expressions among 22 Black men enrolled at a private research university. The concepts of toughness, aggressiveness, material wealth.…

Black men's lives are racialized contradictions, They are told that contemporary educational and professional institutions--particularly historically White institutions (HWls)--are places where, through hard work, they can achieve the so-called American dream. However, for far too many Black men, HWIs represent racial climates that are replete…