The American education system has consistently produced disparate outcomes for Black students in terms of graduation rates and college readiness. A deep exploration of this problem reveals that Black students are oftentimes placed in less rigorous courses with less qualified educators who lack the skills to manage student behavior and provide…

This article examines the "Track Series", a compilation of four works of contemporary realistic young adult fiction that reflect the diverse experiences of four middle school, African-American elite track runners whose names correspond with the title of each novel: "Ghost" (Reynolds, 2016), "Patina" (Reynolds, 2018a),…

In this article, we present a model for thinking about how learning settings provide resources for the development of the practice-linked identities of participants, drawing on data from a study on an African American high school track and field team. What does it mean to make an identity available in the context of a learning setting? In this…

In this article, the author explores common characteristics of some out-of-school learning environments for African American students, drawing on findings from several studies of cultural and community practices--the game of dominoes, high school track and field, and middle and high school basketball. The author focuses on the broader question of…