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ABSTRACT Much of the research on Black males in education focuses on their underachievement, low graduation rates, and below average standardized test scores. At the same time, researchers often view urban neighborhoods where African Americans live from a deficit perspective. The present study aims to uncover how Black male high school students make use of neighborhood-based capital to succeed in school and explore how Black churches influence their academic trajectory. Drawing on Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth Model as a framework, the strengths-based qualitative study takes place in an urban neighborhood located in a mid-sized Northeastern city. Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is employed to provide context for the study and pinpoint the residential locations of participants. Based on interviews and participant observations in a variety of contextual settings, participants identified ten neighborhood-based resources, including recreation centers, parks, and churches. They also describe their neighborhood level experiences and make clear how they leverage social, aspirational, family, and navigational capital. The findings from the study shed light on their educational and social realities and suggest that urban neighborhoods can be places of possibility. Implications discuss strategies that educators, administrators, and churches can employ to increase the academic engagement and performance of Black male students. / Urban Education

This study examined the experiences and perceptions of black male middle school students in an urban visual art class. Black male students have endured unequal educational outcomes such as dropping out of school at a higher rate than many of their peers of other races (NCES, 2013). Previous studies have shown that many students who have considered leaving school cite a lack of engagement in the education setting as one of the key reasons they attend school less and may eventually drop out (Yazzie-Mintz, 2010; Fredricks J. A., Blumenfeld, Friedel, & Paris, 2005). Research has also shown a correlation between high school dropout rates and student performance, attendance, and engagement in 8th grade (English, 2007; Yazzie-Mintz, 2010). Increased levels of engagement have also been shown to lead to improvements in student attendance, behavior and academic outcomes (Finn & Rock, 1997; Marks, 2000; Willingham, Pollack, & Lewis, 2002). The arts have long been seen as areas of study in which students show indications of increased engagement. The present study will add to this body of research by examining how black male students experience the art classroom and how such classes impact their overall sense of engagement. Data gathered for this study includes observations of student behaviors and interactions in their art classes. Five black male 8th grade students comprised the key study participants. Interviews were formulated to gain background information and to ascertain how the observed classroom setting was perceived from these students’ perspectives. Additional data was gathered from teacher interviews. This data provided a context for student analyzing perspectives. The literature for this study helped to explain the role engagement plays in educational outcomes, observable measures of engagement, the value of an increased emphasis on the arts for middle school students, discernible practices that differentiate arts classrooms from other classes, and the processes through which students make meaning of their experiences. / Urban Education

The intent of this study was to identify the issues that impact the retention of African-American, Black males in college. The study was of two small focus groups comprised of African-American students of various grade classifications from a regional comprehensive university in the southeast. These focus groups were comprised of up to but no more than six students. The decision on the group size was made to allow all of the students’ ample opportunity to respond to the eight questions used in the focus groups. The student groups attended the university main campus as well as the university South Campus where developmental courses are taught. The students were from both rural and urban backgrounds, as well as single parent and traditional family backgrounds. Various themes emerged as a result of this study which includes: importance of family support prior to college and during the student’s college career. Additionally, the role of mentors was identified as affecting the student’s retention in college. There was also discussion of how Black males are viewed on campus by other Black students, as well as other students and the faculty and staff. It can be concluded that several factors have affected the retention of this small group of African-American males in higher education. The information gathered shows that family support is a key cog in the retention of this group; in addition, the role of mentors in their education was very important to this group of students.

The goal of this study was to develop a detailed understanding of the academic, athletic, and psychosocial needs and issues of African American male student-athletes attending a predominately White public flagship institution of higher education during their transitional first year and determine if, how, and who were meeting these needs. In addition to the well-known lower graduation rates and academic struggles of African American male football players, there are numerous psychosocial and cultural issues and barriers these young men face during their transition such as commitment, discrimination, and isolation (Hyatt, 2003). Mentoring has been used as a tool for developing organizational members in many different contexts and disciplines such as business (Kram, 1985), higher education (Johnson, 2007), and sport management (Jones, Harris, & Miles, 2009). Further, since African American male student-athletes have an array of academic and psychosocial needs, researchers need to look beyond the traditional model of having one primary mentor and explore the potential of a “critical mass” or network of mentors. Twelve first-year African American male student-athletes participated in semi-structured interviews at the conclusion of the first and second semesters of their first year of college. Additional key institutional stakeholders included four upperclassmen African American male student-athletes, three former African American male student-athletes and four faculty and staff members, also participated in interviews with the researcher to add further insights into the first-year experience. Results indicated that African American male student-athletes went through five major transitions: an academic transition, an athletic transition, an athlete status transition, a transition into a less diverse environment, and a transition away from home. Ideal mentors for these individuals were typically African American men who provided role modeling, promoted critical thinking through interactive dialogue, and gave advice on personal and academic issues. Mentoring networks for this population must at least include African American males from the faculty and staff at the university and professionals in the community along with older teammates. Research findings will be of interest to researchers, administrators (academic and athletic), and practitioners who desire to improve the academic, psychosocial, athletic, and overall college experience of African American male student-athletes. / text

During the past two decades, concerns about Black males’ academic achievement have been a major theme in the literature devoted to education and social sciences. Despite over two decades of studies focused specifically on Black males and their academic underachievement, the achievement gap persists. According to the National Center for Educational Statistic (2006), African-American males were reported as being disproportionally negatively represented in regards to academic achievement. Some researchers suggested Black children’s underachievement might be due to the lack of parental involvement. Other studies have highlighted statements of Black males who indicated parental involvement factors that contributed to their academic success. In Howard (2014) study, Black males stated their parents contributed to their success by “staying on them” regarding schoolwork and by setting higher expectations for their academic performance. The concept of parental involvement is cultural-bound and multi-dimensional. Parental involvement is also a bi-directional process that involves school and parents. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that described parent involvement during high school of Black male students enrolled in a four-year college, and the distribution of perceived parent involvement during high school across this population. This study employed Yan and Lin’s (2005) parent involvement during high school survey to collect data from a convenient and purposeful sample of 146 Black males enrolled in an undergraduate degree seeking-program at a university in the southern region of the United States. The data was statistically analyzed using Confirmatory Factor analysis. The results of this study revealed the proposed hypothesized three factors model of parent involvement did not align well with the present data set. However, the individual subscale factors when analyzed in isolation, with some modifications, did align. As for the distribution of the factors, Family Norms were perceived as the most prevalent parent involvement subscale factor during high school for this particular population. Under the Family Norms factor subscale “Parent-teenager relationship” emerged as the most dominant variable, followed by “Educational expectations.” This study was significant as it highlighted and added to the knowledge relevant to successful Black males’ perceptions of parental involvement factors during their high school years. Identifying these factors can be useful toward improving graduation rates among Black males. In addition, information gathered can assist in further development of effective parent engagement school programming initiatives specific for this population.

This study focused on the experiences of Black male student-athletes in Division I sports and used critical race methodology to present counter narratives. These narratives highlighted successes and heightened awareness about the needs and concerns of an extremely important, but often silenced, population. The purpose of this research was to examine the experiences of Black male student-athletes in the Division I revenue-generating sports of basketball and football. This study examined how Black males perceived the effectiveness of the NCAA supports in place for their academic success, degree attainment, and postcollegiate leadership and career opportunities. This dissertation also sought to understand the extent to which the legacy of racism in the United States has impacted the collegiate experience of these athletes. This research utilized critical race theory to frame the counter narratives of Black male student-athletes participating in this study. Through counter stories, the researcher offered suggestions that more effectively serve NCAA Black male student-athletes during their transition into and beyond Division I university sports participation as a strategy to achieve social justice for a historically marginalized group.

School districts are failing to educate all of America's children. Dropout statistics reveal that almost 7,000 students leave our nation's schools everyday. At this rate 1.2 million students will not graduate on time with their prospective classes. The majority of American male students of African descent are dropping out instead of completing high school. When compared to that of their white peers, the dropout rate of American male students of African descent is significantly higher and the graduation rate much lower. This research examines high school dropouts from the perspectives of school-based leaders in a high school located in a city in a large southern school district. Structured interviews, transcribed with member-checks, were conducted with eight school-based leaders. The data in this qualitative study were used to examine their perspectives of American male students of African descent dropping out of their high school. The researcher maintained a reflective research journal to enhance the data analysis. The study found that the perspectives of the eight school-based leaders were influenced by their past histories with these students; their personal and acquired knowledge of these students, their families, and their communities. They were largely uniformed of the dropout rate and their previous history with these students had an impact on their present level of support to these students.

Historically and contemporarily the Black male experience has stimulated and provoked meaningful discussions in the realms of sport and academia. Black males are uniquely situated in American society, as they inhabit a liminal existence that oscillates between love and hate. Ladson-Billings (2011) expounds that Black boys are loved in the narrow niches of sport but are often abhorred in academic settings. The majority of research on the athletic and academic identities of Black student-athletes is conducted at the collegiate level in the revenue sports of basketball and football, and the research asserts that the collegiate sport atmosphere renders the two identities as mutually exclusive (Edwards, 1984; Harrison et al., 2011; Singer, 2008). There are studies occurring at the middle school level; however, these studies combine all male athletes into one group and do not distinguish the research participants according to their specific sport participation or racial background (Alfone, 2013; Fuller, Percy, & Bruening, 2013; Gorton, 2010). The few studies that distinguish between race and sport participation are somewhat dated (Mahiri, 1991, 1998; Nasir, 2000, 2008). This study addresses a gap in the literature by focusing solely on elite Black male middle school student-athletes to discover what leads to the seemingly incompatible athletic and academic identities that surface during college. I employed an instrumental case study grounded in Critical Race Theory which investigated and examined the experiences and perspectives of seven elite Black middle school club basketball players. Themes were generated by coding the interview data of all relevant stakeholders such as coaches, players, and parents as well as a thorough analysis of field notes, artifacts, and focus group data. Five themes emerged from the data, Academic Recognition, Athletic Recognition, Career, Racial Expectations, & Time Devoted to Sport and Intellectual Endeavors. This study is significant because it contextualizes the racial, athletic and academic climate of Black male athletes at a crucial time in their identity development. It contributes to the current literature by providing insight and furnishing essential information for parents, coaches and educators in order to bolster and enhance the academic identity and attainment of young Black male basketball players.

Black males continue to struggle when faced with the challenge of seeking a college education (Cuyjet, 1997, 2006; Mincy, et al 2006; Schott, 2006). Currently, they lag behind in college and university participation as compared to other gendered groups as well as their White and Asian counterparts (Cuyjet, 2006; Bush & Bush, 2010). As with every promising Black male community college student, there are barriers to enrollment and completion, e.g., first-generation and first-time-in-college, previous high school academic and disciplinary experiences, peer pressure, family dynamics, financial considerations and social environments serving as barriers to enrollment and completion. Despite these barriers, many Black males students make it to college. However, they often have difficulty remaining in the educational system long enough to complete their certificates and/or degrees. Although, there are many quality community college and university programs designed to increase the overall success of students “prior to” and “during” enrollment, regrettably, many colleges that facilitate outreach and retention efforts do little by way of accountability. Statistical monitoring for evaluation purpose is mixed. Adequate records of how Black males are performing in and apart from college are important for educational institutions as they consider developing specialized programs for minority sub-group participation, engagement, and success. Furthermore, unengaged Black males, and those attempting to aid them, have varying viewpoints as to the type and priority of programs designed to include Black male participation in postsecondary education. This study will examine Black males’ perspectives versus institutional engagement strategies relative to participation, engagement, and successes that influence Black males Men on the Move program at St. Philip’s College. Moreover, the study will furthermore investigate outreach and retention efforts for Black males that were developed by the St. Philip’s College. / text