Disparate academic outcomes for Black boys persist. Educators should use an equity-centered lens when looking at this reality, asking not what's wrong with Black boys, but what's wrong with schools that they aren't serving these students better. Howard describes obstacles to black boys' school success and argues that educators need to listen to…

The educational experiences of Black and Latino males in K-12 are often riddled with unnecessary challenges and stresses that contribute to diminished academic outcomes. Adrian H. Huerta, Tyrone C. Howard, and Bianca N. Haro seek to highlight instead the importance of positive asset-based research and practice efforts focused on supporting Black…

In this article, the authors aim to provide best practices for enhancing the educational experiences of Black males. They champion recommendations marked imperative by impactful scholarship focused on the achievement of equity in education and by the studies that speak to the resilience of Black males and the rich experiences they bring to the…

This brief presents the most significant recommendations based on a review of key findings from research presented in this special issue. The authors offer what they believe to be the most important considerations of what works for improving Black male school achievement in the domains of research, practice, and policy.

This article outlines the imperative for strengths-based research to counter deficit perceptions and perspectives of Black males in contemporary discussions of their school achievement in the United States. The importance of young men of color in shaping research agendas, practice, and public policy is argued followed by a brief overview of the…

African American students continue to attend college at much lower rates than their white, Asian, and Latino counterparts. Although researchers have examined this issue from a multitude of vantage points, the voices of students--particularly students of color--have been limited in this research. Using a counter-storytelling narrative approach,…

In his new book, the author of the bestseller "Why Race and Culture Matter in Schools" examines the chronic underperformance of African American males in U.S. schools. Citing a plethora of disturbing academic outcomes for Black males, this book focuses on the historical, structural, educational, psychological, emotional, and cultural…

Black males continue to be one of the most academically marginalized groups of students in US schools, and undoubtedly the role of race and racism has largely influenced these experiences. The paradox of the underperformance of Black males has been the election of President Obama in 2008. The Obama election has led some to question whether or not…

Throughout the history of the U.S., racialized groups have often had their experiences profoundly shaped by social imagery in ways that have created tremendous hardships in the quest for self-actualization and a healthy sense of self. The purpose of this article is to shed light on the manner in which Black males have been one of the primary…

A number of challenges continue to influence the schooling experience of Black students. While some progress has been made for some, chronic underperformance has remained largely unchanged over the past two decades. What has become increasingly a part of the experiences of Black children and other students of color has been the increasing police…

In this study, the authors examined the school experiences of middle-class African American parents and students, because they are largely overlooked in the professional literature when it comes to underachievement and parent involvement. Although No Child Left Behind (NCLB) highlights parent involvement and school accountability through the use…

Background/Context: Despite recent gains from a number of students in U.S. schools, African American males continue to underachieve on most academic indices. Despite various interventions that have attempted to transform the perennial disenfranchisement, their school failure has persisted. Conversely, their failure in schools frequently results in…

The impact of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas 1954 decision on the desegregation of public schools in the United States of America and the provisions of better learning opportunities for African American students are described. The study showed that the issues around African American teachers, post-desegregation, have to be studied…