While research examining the literacy achievement of African American or sub-Saharan African students exists individually, there is little research that examines the two collectively, highlighting the shared paralleling influences in the achievement in literacy between African American and sub-Saharan African children as a whole. This narrative ethnography aimed to highlight those paralleling influences in literacy achievement between the industrial and developing worlds through the exploration of the literacy achievement and educational provision for both African American and sub-Saharan African children. This exploration was centered on identifying the paralleling influences and performance in literacy from the perspectives and narratives of those directly responsible for the academic achievement and educational provision of African American children in MPS and Congolese children in the DRC. [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.]