Education is a pillar of the United States development and civilization priorities. The principles of both the U.S. settlers and the Founding Fathers point to the essence and value of education. Nonetheless, these benefits remain futile when the state fails to ensure inclusivity and equality in their campaign. Often, race, gender, and socio-economic status have prevented the transference of the tenets of education equally. The diversities associated with these social constructs have led to the establishment of variation and distinction in the quality and access of education. Therefore, the federal government has rolled out various projects that ensured the promotion of equality and enhancing the transference of knowledge. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) is an example of the efforts the state has initiated to further the quality education. Similarly, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) sought to warrant inclusivity and curb inequality in the process of disseminating educational content to the children population. Various entities and agencies including the National Commission on Excellence in Education were established to create awareness on the importance of education. The agency reported that educating the population appropriately can serve as an ideal tool in the eradication of poverty and curbing inequality in the country. Besides the provision of education, it was essential to have a standardized mechanism of assessing the children's progress. NCLB introduced a comprehensive approach of evaluating student's progress, integrating achievement, growth, and progress with standardized testing to ensure that there is a diverse platform of investigating the impact of education on the learners. The legislations and initiatives helped enhance the access of education. Nonetheless, the value of education is dependent on the achievement of the students. Research indicates disparity in the achievement scores of different groups of students: 8th and 12th African American students score significantly lower than their White counterparts with 21 and 30 points, respectively. Additionally, at least, 46% of the African American students are unlikely to graduate in southern states. The study investigated the cause of prevailing achievement gap six decades after the "Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka" ruling that was meant to warrant equity and address disparity in education achievement, especially among the African American and White students. The research study utilized the achievement goal theory as the conceptual framework, using this model to explain the factors that motivated African Americans to close the prevalent achievement gap. Further, it addressed the strategies and leadership roles that contributed to the gap. The study utilized a qualitative case study research design with the target population being high poverty schools. School principals and teachers constituted the sample that utilized purposive sampling to attain an elaborate representation of the population. Qualitative coding analysis was used as the data analysis approach to uncover the dominant themes. The findings of the research revealed that the current achievement gap was a result of student's availability of resources, socioeconomic status, and negative attitude towards education. Moreover, the provision of culturally sensitive teaching, connecting with students, and use of in-house programs helped bridge the achievement gap. Additionally, community support including businesses, parental associations, and the state were instrumental to bridging the gap. Stakeholders should embrace their responsibilities in addressing the challenges that stem from discrimination in access and resource distribution. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]