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Literature shows that one of the major issues affecting the achievement of inner-city African- American male students in public-schools is the ineffectiveness of disciplinary procedures. These studies have shown a direct positive relationship between student behavioral problems and academic failure. This study was an attempt at answering Noguera’s (2008) call for understanding more fully how African-American males come to perceive schooling, in particular their discipline experiences, and how environmental and cultural forces impact this perception of their behavior and performance in school. This was a qualitative study that heard the stories of inner-city African-American male students who were pushed out of public-schools through disciplinary measures. This study was based on racial components that fit directly into the structure of Critical Race Theory (CRT). The qualitative research method of portraiture was used to answer this study’s research question because it was relative to the problems that African- American male students face in their inner-city schooling experiences. The participants in this study were at least eighteen years old, African American, and pushed out of an inner-city public high school based on disciplinary consequences. Each participant shared environmental, cultural, and schooling experiences through a series of three interviews. The study found that environmental and cultural forces had a negative affect on the ways that these African-American males perceived their experiences in public-schools. The study concluded that these young men found success in private-continuation-schools, and that educators and policy makers should consider implementing the practices of these alternative schools in U.S. public-schools.

The purpose of the current study was to discern the effects of three latent constructs – self-efficacy, academic engagement, and student-teacher relationships on Algebra I achievement among ninth-grade African American male students. A nationally representative sample from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS09) was used in the study. Study participants were 697 African American males enrolled in ninth grade in the fall of 2009 across the United States. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analytical procedures were performed to test the hypothesized relationships of Bandura’s social cognitive theory (SCT) theoretical assumptions. The results indicate that the three latent variables directly or indirectly were related to Algebra I achievement among ninth grade African American male students. Moreover, the results revealed that self-efficacy and student-teacher relationships constructs had direct significant impact on Algebra I academic performance; nonetheless, the relationships were not strong. These two latent variables had small effect sizes of 5% and 1%, respectively. Combined, self-efficacy, academic engagement, and student-teacher relationships explained only 8% of the variance in the Algebra I achievement among African American males across the United States (R2=.08). The magnitude effect of these factors on Algebra I achievement was minimal. Overall, these findings suggest that the self-efficacy and student-teacher relationships latent variables had a negligible effect as predictors of Algebra I academic success among ninth grade African American male students. A summary of the results are presented and future research is recommended.

For years the vast body of literature on single-parenting has focused on the weaknesses experienced by the family and the adverse consequences for the children who reside in such a household. The literature reviewed for this study postulate African American males raised in single-parent households perform poorly academically, are more likely to drop out of school, experience emotional difficulties, and are unable to attain self-sufficiency. Researchers have also argued that African American males from single-parent households are more vulnerable to delinquent acts than those of two-parent households. These acts can lead to incarceration or death. One arena that has not been thoroughly examined is the single-parent household in which the African American male has been able to achieve emotional stability, academic and professional success, abstaining from delinquent behaviors. The prevalence of this family structure coupled with the lack of research on successful African American males as products of this household, stimulate a need for better understanding of how the single-parent household functions. My study sought to understand how African American males experience being raised in a single-parent household and what factors have allowed them to achieve success despite the many challenges they face. The participants included eight African American males who were raised in a single-parent household and who were identified as being successful, as defined by this study. A qualitative phenomenological approach was utilized which allowed participants to provide rich, detailed descriptions of their lived experiences through in-depth semi-structured interviews. A thorough analysis of each interview exposed the following themes: mother's influence, a sense of security, sense of self-worth, high expectations and support systems, all of which help to elucidate the phenomenon of being raised in a single parent household. Their stories revealed a positive perception of the phenomena under study, illuminating the strengths of the single-parent household and the factors, as evidenced by the emerging themes that contributed to their success. The findings will serve as a valuable contribution to (a) the ongoing scholarly research on African American males and single-parent households, (b) single-parents raising African American sons, and (c) professionals working with this population.

Existing research literature indicates a scarcity of African American males attaining senior administrative positions at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). The previous research often lacks an empirical focus, resulting in a substantial gap in the literature (Jackson, 2004; Lewis, 2007; Pickron, 1991). This qualitative study examines the career paths and leadership experiences of nineteen African American male senior administrators in student affairs at four-year predominantly White institutions across the United States. The rationale for this study emerges from the researcher's frustration with the paucity of male senior administrators of color in student affairs at PWIs as role models, and a lack of clarity as to the steps needed to attain such a position. An exploration into the attainment of senior administrative positions in student affairs would disclose the necessary leadership skills and training appropriate to lead a student affairs organization. Critical race theory (CRT) frames this study and provides a framework for analyzing the lived experiences of people of color whose voices are least heard in the academy. Through qualitative methods, African American males are allowed to reflect on their career trajectory, leadership experiences, and attainments in becoming senior administrators in student affairs at PWIs. The criterion sample selection (19 of 43, or 44%) was comprised of African American male vice presidents in student affairs at PWIs, and identified for this study as members of the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) organization. This study reveals the importance of having a doctoral degree, general skill sets, influential mentors, and membership in professional organizations that serve as a resource for the best practices in student affairs. Without the necessary credentials, it seems highly unlikely that many African American males will be able to attain senior leadership positions in student affairs. The study offers recommendations for further research, which could prove valuable for African American male and female aspirants pursuing senior administrative positions in student affairs at PWIs.

African American police officers, as other African Americans, report being subjected to racial profiling by police officers, and that these encounters have, in some cases, resulted in excessive and unjustified use of force. These types of occurrences have resulted in a divide between African American and Caucasian police officers. The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of African American male police officers in the State of New Jersey who feel they have been discriminated against by fellow law enforcement officers. Weber's social relationship theory served as the theoretical framework for this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with a snowball sample of 20 participants. Data were coded and analyzed using a modified van Kaam method of analysis. Findings revealed that most participants felt they had been stopped for no reason, and that they were disrespected by fellow officers, even when they revealed they were law enforcement officers. Many times, participants sensed that the disclosure of their status as a police officer was met with increased suspicion. Consistent with social relationship theory, a significant theme was that participants perceived that they were considered by Caucasian officers to be a member of a subgroup, rather than a member of the dominant group. The implications for positive social change include recommendations to law enforcement policymakers and leaders to learn about the detrimental effects of racial profiling on African American male police officers' morale, work ethic, job satisfaction, and personal feelings of worth as well as to focus resources on creating stronger policies against racial profiling and effective training and oversight of police officers.

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There have been relatively few studies examining the leadership of Black men, and even fewer studies examining the leadership of Black men from the phenomenology of Black men, themselves. The purpose of this Q Methodology study was to examine Black male perspectives of the role race plays with Black male leader/leadership development in the world of work. The study was designed as an exploratory attempt to surface and understand how 40 emerging African American male leaders in a large, urban city in the SE United States viewed their own leadership development. Elements of socio-analytic theory and leader-member exchange theories were the basis for the conceptual framework. The 40 participants sorted 41 statements reflecting distinct perspectives on the role race plays with Black male leader/leadership development within the world of work. Participants sorted these 41 statements within a forced distribution response grid based on what best reflected their perspectives. These 40 sorts were then correlated and the correlations were factor analyzed and rotated, leading to the extraction of five factors, each representing five distinct, shared perspectives. Following examination and analysis of these five factors, or shared perspectives, the researcher named them: 1) Faithful, Familial, and Resilient, 2) Creative, Faithful, and Independent, 3) Attentive, Connected, and Woke, and 4) Knowledgeable, Congruent, and Unapologetically Black, and 5) Responsible, Faithful, and Supportive. The results of this study suggest there is rich diversity among Black male perspectives regarding their leadership development, and demonstrates important functions outside the workplace. These diverse perspectives and those elements characterizing them should be considered as educators prepare to work with Black males and those preparing to support their development, leadership and otherwise. Finally, the researcher suggests that future research into the experiences and perceptions of Black men continue to seek methodologies that honor and magnify their voices.