The purpose of the study was two-fold. First, the study explored how self-identified Afrocentrist professors in higher education utilized Afrocentric pedagogy and andragogy to address the learning needs of students, specifically Black women students. Second, the study explored the ways in which Black women students experienced that learning in the higher education classroom. The purpose was advanced through an in-depth analysis of Afrocentric teaching and learning in the higher education. A sample of five self-identified Afrocentric faculty members - three females and two males - and five Black women students who studied with those professors was identified. Participants were interviewed individually in-person and by telephone. Data analysis resulted in the themes of the importance of living an Afrocentric life in which the African body is centered and elevated, rejection of European dominance and universalism, re-routing history, and introducing Afrocentricity as a methodology from which to analyze human life. These themes presented core values, approaches, practices and characteristics utilized in Afrocentric teaching. Findings also showed that the Black women student participants received multiple benefits from receiving an Afrocentric education that assisted them in their journeys through higher education. Study findings provided a foundation for the guidebook "Teach Me, Toward Me Kuongoza, "a tool for educators who choose to explore the Afrocentric journey, and for those who are curious about Afrocentricity's intent. The guidebook may be utilized by higher education institutions with a commitment to the academic lives of their Black students as well as those of diverse cultural backgrounds.

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In 1999, the United States Department of Education began its Small Learning Community Program in an effort to support the breakup of large schools into smaller learning communities. In an effort to improve the academic success rate of students, President George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). NCLB had as its purpose, the closing of the gap in academic achievement between White students and the historically underserved student groups of African American, Hispanic/Latino(a), and low-income. Recently, there has been a lot of interest in how small learning environments effect the academic achievement of historically underserved students. In addition, several school districts, e.g. Chicago Public Schools, New York City, and Sacramento City Unified School District, have reformed their schools into comprehensive high schools with Small Learning Communities (SLCs) and small schools. Determining which of these two small learning environments is most effective in improving academic achievement can then be used to inform education policy regarding school design. This study used quantitative methods to determine if there is a difference in the academic achievement of African American high school students attending large urban high schools with small learning communities and those attending small urban high schools with student populations under 500. Independent samples t -tests were performed to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in the English Language Arts and Algebra 1 California Standards Test scores between African American high school students attending SLCs and African American high school students attending small schools. Additionally the research focused on the difference in the graduation and dropout rates between the two small learning environments. In none of the four measures of academic achievement studied did African American students in the large high schools with small learning communities outperform students in small schools. Based on the findings of this research—lower dropout rates, higher CST scores, and higher graduation rates in the small schools, school districts might consider creating small schools rather than breaking up large schools into SLCs.

This study examined whether two selected metacognitive classroom instructional strategies, attributional retraining instruction (ARI) and self-management (SM) training, improve the academic performance of three selected learning disabled (LD) African American high school male students enrolled in the ninth grade of a comprehensive urban high school located in the county of Los Angeles. A single-subject design was used to examine the selected interventions in a self-contained math instructional special education classroom. The participating special education teacher received trainings on how to implement the interventions in her classroom setting. This study replicated Barry and Messer's (2003) method of measuring academic performance by having the participating teacher design a point system that separately considered percentage of completeness of assignments and correct answers on all classroom assignments. The researcher also administered Likert-type scales to assess both the participating students' and the teacher's level of satisfaction with the interventions. The results of the study suggested the selected metacognitive strategies were both effective in promoting the academic performance of the selected participants. The desirable outcome was also maintained following the intervention phase. The surveys revealed the participating students and the teacher found the interventions to be favorable. The results of the study add to the existing literature suggesting both ARI and SM as viable classroom instructional interventions to promote the academic achievement of LD African American students. Implications for research and practice are discussed. The author also provided a synthesis which summarized historical perspectives and current knowledge about the multifaceted limitations of the current special education model when it comes to serving the students targeted in the study and advocates for advancement in the field of educational administration by systematically incorporating metacognitive strategies in curriculum and instruction across special education and general education institutions.