Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Educational Leadership, 2008. / Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-116).

ABSTRACT THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN PARENTS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS AT A PREDOMINANTLY WHITE ELITE PRIVATE SCHOOL by Debra Elaine Smith Parental involvement has been associated positively with school success across ethnic groups (Hong & Ho, 2005). Yet, some African American parents were found to be more alienated from school than were White parents (Abrams & Gibbs, 2002). One of the most consistent findings in educational research is the underachievement of African American males (Lee, 2003), and a recent report chronicled the pervasive and systematic failure of public schools to educate African American males (Schott, 2008). In the southeastern region, only 40% of African American males graduate from high school (Schott); however, in the post-Civil Rights era, advances in racial equity in education and other arenas of society have created a growing African American middle class (McKinnon, 2003). The southeast region has the largest percent of affluent African Americans (Miller, 2002), and a growing number of these upper middle class African American parents are sending their children to private schools because they are dissatisfied with the lack of rigor in the public school experience (Freedman,2004). This is a new phenomenon that warrants study. Currently, there are no empirical studies on middle class African American parents who send their children to private schools. The purpose of this study was to explore the ways 12 African American couples of middle school boys experience a predominantly White elite private school. To undertake this qualitative investigation, a phenomenological approach incorporating grounded theory was utilized. This research approach is well suited for exploratory investigation of phenomena that are not yet clearly defined within the literature (Creswell, 1998). Data were collected from the couple interviews, focus group, demographic information, and reflexive journal. Five overarching themes emerged from the analysis of the data: better opportunity/brand, parental connection, selective engagement, parental struggle, and parental marginalization. These results are informative and significant to research and practice. Ultimately, it is hoped that this study may contribute to the efforts of providing a quality education to African American male students and satisfaction to their parents in the areas of diversity and inclusion at predominantly White elite private schools.

Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-62).

This qualitative study used a triangulation of survey, conversational interviews, and observations in an authentic setting to explore the phenomenon of reading motivation from the perspectives of a specific group of individuals. Five participants, all African American fifth grade boys qualifying for meal subsidies, gathered in a local youth facility, where they regularly attended as members. The researcher interviewed and observed the boys over the span of three months. Three major themes from the study unveiled the influence of individual interests on reading motivation. This particular group of boys was motivated to read according to measured success and competition, familiarity of topics, and varied selections of reading materials. The study’s findings could potentially influence the gender achievement gap in literacy. / Department of Elementary Education

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-75).

No description available.

This research project was designed to conduct a study of the Concerned Black Man (CBM) of Richmond, a mentorship program for African American males. The specific purposes of the study were to: (1) identify program structure and practices; (2) identify program strengths and weaknesses as perceived by key players; (3) examine the nature of mentor-protege relationships. The population consisted of 33 persons (executive board members, mentors, proteges, parents, business/community leaders, and school officials) involved with the CBM program. The methods of research employed were document collection, observations, unstructured interviews, and focus groups. Conclusions drawn from the study suggest that the Concerned Black Men consist of a small group of dedicated males who operate and administer the entire program. Evidence suggests that although the program has had a positive impact on program participants, the absence of full time staff gives way to a general lack of infrastructure which contributes to uneven and inconsistent program policies and practices. Commitment of the CBM members, youth activities, transportation, and CBM resourcefulness emerged as strengths by key players. Weaknesses cited were membership, communications, and organizational structure. CBM espouses a group approach to mentoring, therefore, formal matching is not encouraged. It is significant that all proteges formed relationships with the same mentor; on the other hand, only one mentor had formed a relationship with either of the proteges interviewed. Both mentors and proteges conveyed that the relationship (1) started in a bi-monthly CBM activity; (2) centered around group-sponsored activities, twice a month; (3) consisted of primarily school-related conversation; (4) was fairly close; (5) gave them positive feelings; and (6) generally effected a positive change in their behavior. The argument is supported that a successful mentoring program requires a solid infrastructure, consistently stated goals and an essential supply of manpower. / Ed. D.

Research has shown that African American males are performing poorly in American public schools and are disciplined at a higher rate than other ethnic and gender groups. Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) has a long history of success with individual students and more recently in school-wide settings. School-wide PBIS offers schools the ability to tailor their rules, rewards, and consequences to the specific needs and culture of a school. This descriptive and quantitative study sought to determine if implementation with fidelity of SWPBIS positively correlated to reduced disciplinary measures. The object of this study was to determine in what ways disciplinary rates for African American males differ in American public schools that identify as using SWPBIS with fidelity as compared to American public schools that do not implement SWPBIS with fidelity. Disciplinary rates examined included ISS, OSS single incident, and OSS multiple incidents. Descriptive findings indicated that schools that implement SWPBIS show a lower rate of ISS and OSS incidents for African American males. The quantitative findings did not yield a statistically significance between schools with fidelity of implementation of SWPBIS and schools without fidelity of implementation of SWPBIS.

No description available.

Past research has revealed that African American/Black boys are referred for special education evaluation at disproportionately higher rates than boys of other racial/ethnic groups. This correlational study used survey methodology to examine whether student and teacher demographic variables predicted how likely a teacher would refer boy students for special education evaluation. The following questions guided this research: 1) To what degree does student race/ethnicity, teacher gender, teacher race/ethnicity, and teacher attitude toward inclusion predict how likely a teacher would refer boys' to special education after controlling for teacher's years of experience in general and special education? 2) What are the differences in teacher ratings regarding the severity of classroom behaviors based on the students' race/ethnicity? Cultural theory and social exclusion theory were used to guide this research. Data were collected through the researcher developed Teacher Rating Form from 110 teachers. Results from a multiple linear regression revealed that years of teaching experience, race of teacher, race the student, and teacher attitude toward inclusion were statistically significant predictors of teacher referral to special education. However, the effect size was small. Results from the ANOVA procedure revealed no statistically significant differences in teacher ratings for severity of described classroom behaviors based on the students' race/ethnicity. Findings form this study could be used to promote social change by increasing teacher awareness of how certain teacher demographics affect teacher referral of boys to special education. Findings can be used to advocate for training and seminars that could promote cultural understanding among teachers that may lead to and reduce the number of referrals.