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Electronic Theses & Dissertations Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies(COGS)

Fall 2011

African American Male Students' Perceptions ofFactors That Contribute to Their Academic SuccessGertrude RollandGeorgia Southern University

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Recommended CitationRolland, Gertrude, "African American Male Students' Perceptions of Factors That Contribute to Their Academic Success" (2011).Electronic Theses & Dissertations. Paper 386.

AFRICANAMERICANMALESTUDENTSPERCEPTIONSOFFACTORSTHATCONTRIBUTETOTHEIRACADEMICSUCCESS

by

GERTRUDEROLLAND

(UndertheDirectionofCordeliaZinskie)

ABSTRACT

ThisstudysoughttounderstandAfricanAmericanhighschoolmalesperceptions

offactorscontributingtoacademicsuccess.Theresearchergatheredinformationby

interviewingstudentsandcollectingtheirdemographicprofiledata.Thisqualitative

researchmethodenabledtheresearchertolearndirectlyfromstudentswhatfactors

AfricanAmericanmalestudentsassociatedwithacademicsuccessaswellaschallenges

toacademicsuccessandsolutionsforachievingacademicsuccess.Participantswere

threejuniorandthreeseniorAfricanAmericanhighschoolmalestudentsattendinga

ruralhighschoolinGeorgia.Datacollectionoccurredduringthespringsemesterof

2011.Eachparticipantwasasked16questionstodeterminehisperspectivesonfactors

contributingtoacademicsuccessandwhatsolutionsandchallengesheperceived

necessaryforAfricanAmericanmalestoachieveacademicsuccess.

Amongfactorsinfluencingstudentsuccesswere:(a)supportiveparents,

(b)caringteachers,(c)positiveschoolenvironment,(d)peersupport,and(e)community

initiatives.DatasuggestedthattosupporttheacademicsuccessofAfricanAmerican

malestudentsmoreAfricanAmericanmaleteachersandmentorsareneededinschools.

Inaddition,AfricanAmericanmalesdesiredforeducatorstounderstandtheircultural

backgroundandavoidlabelingthem.Somechallengesperceivedbyparticipants

included:(a)lackofafterschoolcommunityactivities,(b)negativestereotypes,(c)lack

ofself-initiative,(d)negativeimages,and(e)lackofbeliefinself.

Amongsolutionscitedwere:(a)self-motivation,(b)role-models,and(c)mentors.

Overall,participantshadaneedtofeelcaredabout,understood,andsupported.Findings

fromthisresearchstudycanassistinthedevelopmentofteachereducationprograms,

school-basedinterventionsandcommunityprogramsforAfricanAmericanmale

adolescents.Thisresearchstudyisanattempttoprovideadditiveinformationwithinthe

educationalliterature.

INDEXWORDS:Academicachievement,Academicsuccess,Blackmales,AfricanAmericanmales,Solutionsforacademicsuccess,Highschool,Factors,Challengesforacademicsuccess

3

AFRICANAMERICANMALESTUDENTSPERCEPTIONSOFFACTORSTHAT

CONTRIBUTETOTHEIRACADEMICSUCCESS

by

GERTRUDEROLLAND

B.S.,SavannahStateCollege,1970

M.Ed.,UniversityofGeorgia,1973

ED.S.,UniversityofGeorgia,1982

ADissertationSubmittedtotheGraduateFacultyofGeorgiaSouthernUniversityin

PartialFulfillmentoftheRequirementsfortheDegree

DOCTOROfEDUCATION

STATESBORO,GEORGIA

2011

4

2011

GERTRUDEROLLAND

AllRightsReserved

5

AFRICANAMERICANMALESTUDENTSPERCEPTIONSOFFACTORSTHAT

CONTRIBUTETOTHEIRACADEMICSUCCESS

by

GERTRUDEROLLAND

MajorProfessor: CordeliaZinskieCommittee: DorothyBattle RussellMays

ElectronicVersionApproved:December2011

6

DEDICATION

IwouldliketodedicatethisdissertationtomymotherwhopassedawayAugust

26,2007.Ithankherforherbeliefinmeandmakingmebelieveinmyself.Although,she

didnotsurvivetoseemecompletemyjourney,Iknowsheiswatchingovermeand

smilingforajobwelldone.Withoutherearlyencouragementduringmyeducational

journey,thistaskwouldhavebeenimpossible.Whentheroadbecamealittlerough,itis

hervoiceandthesincerityinhereyesIrememberedtellingmetopresson.Thanksfor

yourencouragement.

Iwouldliketothank,LillieNewsomeforbeingthesisterIneverhadandthebest

friendapersoncouldhave.Thanksforallthecountlesshoursyoudedicatedtoreviewing,

listening,advisingandencouragingmetocompletethisdissertation.Youkepthopealive

throughoutthisjourneybyconstantlyremindingmethatanticipationofthetaskisgreater

thanthetaskitself.Ithankyouforhelpingmefulfillmydream.

Finally,IthankDr.Brooksforherassistancewiththisdissertation.Thankyoufor

yourdedicationandtimeyouassistedmeoverandbeyondyournormalduty.

7

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

IwouldliketothankmyChair,Dr.CordeliaZinskie,forherpatienceinguiding

methroughthisprocess.Yourhighexpectationsandhighstandardsencouragedmeto

continueworkingtocompletethefinishedproduct.Thisfinishedproductisprooftoyour

abilitiesasamagnificentdissertationchair.

Ithankmycommitteemembers,Dr.DorothyBattleandDr.RussellMays,for

theirexpertiseandpatiencewithmethroughoutthewritingofthisdissertation.I

appreciateyourwisdomandprofessionalism.Allofyoumadethewritingofthe

dissertationaveryvaluableexperience.

8

TABLEOFCONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...................................................................................................7

LISTOFTABLES............................................................................................................11

CHAPTER

1 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................12

RoleofEducatorsinToday'sDiverseSchools...............................................12

NoChildLeftBehindandAfricanAmericanAchievementinGeorgia.........14

DisconnectedAfricanAmericanMales..........................................................16

StatementoftheProblem................................................................................20

ResearchQuestions.........................................................................................21

SignificanceofStudy......................................................................................21

Procedures.......................................................................................................22

Limitation........................................................................................................22

Delimitation.....................................................................................................23

DefinitionofTerms.........................................................................................23

Summary.........................................................................................................25

2 REVIEWOFLITERATURE.................................................................................26

HistoricalPerspectiveofAfricanAmericanEducationintheSouth..............26

ImportanceofAcademicSuccessforAfricanAmericanMaleStudents........30

AfricanAmericanMaleStudents'PerceptionsaboutAcademicSuccess.......34

FactorsContributingtoAfricanAmericanMalesAcademicSuccess............36

ProgramsDesignedtoHelpAfricanAmericanMalesAchieveAcademic

Success.........................................................................................................49

9

SolutionsBelievedtobeNecessaryforAcademicSuccess............................52

Summary.........................................................................................................54

CHAPTER

3 METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................55

ResearchDesign..............................................................................................55

DataCollectionProcedures.............................................................................60

DataAnalysis..................................................................................................62

Summary.........................................................................................................63

CHAPTER

4 REPORTOFDATAANDDATAANALYSIS....................................................64

DemographicProfiles......................................................................................65

Findings...........................................................................................................69

Summary.........................................................................................................97

CHAPTER

5 SUMMARY,CONCLUSIONS,ANDIMPLICATIONS......................................98

Summary.........................................................................................................98

DiscussionofResearchFindings....................................................................99

Conclusion.....................................................................................................117

Implications...................................................................................................119

RecommendationsforFutureResearch........................................................122

Dissemination................................................................................................124

ConcludingThoughts....................................................................................124

REFERENCES................................................................................................................126

10

APPENDICES

ADEMOGRAPHICPROFILE.........................................................................144

BINFORMEDCONSENT...............................................................................145

CMINOR'SASSENT.......................................................................................148

DSEMI-STRUCTUREDINTERVIEWGUIDE.............................................149

ELITERATUREMATRIX..............................................................................150

FINSTITUTIONALREVIEWBOARDAPPROVALLETTER....................151

11

ListOfTables

Table1:DropoutRates/GraduationRatesbyRace..........................................................16

Table2:PercentofMiddleandHighSchoolStudentsTaughtbyOut-of-FieldTeachers,

1999-2000...........................................................................................................38

12

Chapter1

Amajorobjectiveofaschoolsystemistoprovideallstudentswithaqualityeducationto

sustaintheminschoolandlife(Ferguson&Mehta,2004).DecadesfollowingtheUnitedStates

SupremeCourtsdecisioninBrownv.BoardofEducation,academicsuccessremainsa

challengeinpubliceducationforAfricanAmericanstudents(Bali&Alvarez,2004;Ferguson&

Mehta,2004;Frankenberg,Lee&Orfield,2003;Lee,Olszewski-Kubilius,&Peternel,2009;

Orfield&Lee,2004;Somers,Owens,&Piliawsky,2008).Manyscholarsindicatethe

educationalsystemshouldshoulderpartoftheblameforthisdilemma(Ferguson&Mehta,

2004;Haycock,2005;Woodson,1990).

Althoughsomeprogresshasbeenachievedwithpolicyfundamentalscenteredon

resources,accountability,andrequiredstandardizedtestingforstudents,academicsuccessforall

studentshasnotbeenattainedfully(Budge,2010;Ferguson&Mehta,2004;Hedges&Nowell,

1999;Ladson-Billings,2006).However,someresearcherssuggestedthatwiththerequirements

oftheNoChildLeftBehind(NCLB)Actof2001andadequateyearlyprogress(AYP)

accountabilitymeasures,increasedattentionhasbeenfocusedonimprovingthesuccessratefor

allstudents,especiallyAfricanAmericanmalestudents(Ladson-Billings,2006;McMillian,

2003;Powers,2004).

RoleofEducatorsinToday'sDiverseSchools

Therolesofprincipals,superintendents,andothereducationalleadershavewidenedto

includealargerfocusonteachingandlearning,professionaldevelopment,data-drivendecision

making,andaccountability.Withthespotlightonstudentlearning,instructionalleadershipcould

bedefinedaswhatleadersdoinschoolsanddistrictstoimprovestudentlearning(Institutefor

13

EducationalLeadership,2000).Administratorsareexpectedtoleadschoolsinawaytoshow

greatimprovementsquickly,withfewerresourcesattheirdisposal.Leadersareexpectedto

motivateteachers,createasafeandinvitingenvironmentforlearning,andencourageparent

groupsandbusinesspartnerstobecomeactiveparticipantsintheschoolsystem.Leadersare

challengedtoleadandteachsimultaneously(King,2002).

Instructionalleadersmustfunctioninanenvironmentthatisconstantlychanging.The

studentpopulationatalllevels,whetheritisattheK-12,communitycollege,oruniversitylevel,

hasbecomeprogressivelymorediversesincethe1990s(Roach,2009).Accordingto2000

censusreport,33.6%ofBlackmalesintheUnitedStateswereunderage18,comparedto25.4%

ofAsianmalesand34.9%ofHispanicmales(U.S.CensusBureau,2000).HobbsandStoops

(2002)reportedasteadyincreaseinAfricanAmericanpopulationthroughoutthe20thcentury

from8.8millionin1900to34.7millionin2000.Reportsfromthe2009censusestimatesshow

thatBlackmalesundertheageof18accountfor32.2%oftotalciviliansthatarenot

institutionalized.Inaddition,accordingtothe2010censusreport,AfricanAmericansaccountfor

30.5%ofGeorgia'stotalpopulation,representinganincreaseof25.6%sincethe2000census

count.

Aseducatorsinpublicschoolsstruggletoprovideinstructionforincreasinglydiverse

populationsinschools,administratorsandteachersmusttakeanaggressiveroleinaddressing

schoolconditionsthatresultinlowacademicsuccessamongAfricanAmericanstudents.

Administratorsandteachersmustequipthemwiththeskillsnecessarytomakethebestofwhat

theirschoolshavetooffer(Braun,Wang,Jenkins,&Weinbaum,2006;Klauke,1989).School

officialsmustbecomeawareandacknowledgetheimportanceofmeetingtheeducationalneeds

ofdiversestudentbackgrounds(Klauke,1989).

14

Educatorsattitudes,behaviors,andexpectationsplayavitalroleinenhancingAfrican

Americanstudentseducationaldevelopment(Byrd&Chavous,2009).LeeandBurkam(2003)

conductedastudyof3,840studentsin190urbanandsurburbanhighschools.Theresearchers

foundthatrace/ethnicitywasassociatedwithdroppingoutofschool,withBlackstudentsmore

likelytodropout(22.6%)comparedtoHispanic(13.7%),andAsian(0.7%).Furthermore,

studentsstayinschoolwhensocialrelationswithteachersandadministratorsarepositive.

Sullivan(2002),inexaminingtheacademicachievementofAfricanAmericanhighschool

males,foundthatnurturing,intelligentteachers,strongadministrativeleadership,andstrong

bondsbetweenparents,school,andcommunityofferedthegreatestimpactontheacademic

attainmentforAfricanAmericanmales.

NoChildLeftBehindandAfricanAmericanAchievementinGeorgia

TheGeorgiaDepartmentofEducation(2009)isworkingtocomplywiththemandatesof

theNoChildLeftBehindActof2001(NoChildLeftBehindActof2001,2002)andacceptthe

challengeofimprovingtheeducationalenvironmentofitsstudents.Achievingacademic

excellenceandclosingtheachievementgapinGeorgiacontinuestobeamajorfocusfor

educationinthestate.Accordingtothe2008-2009AnnualYearlyProgress(AYP)report,

AfricanAmericanstudentsunderachievedontheGeorgiaHighSchoolGraduationTest

(GHSGT).Forexample,only64.4%ofAfrican-Americanstudentsmetorexceededthe

objectivesfortheEnhancedMathsectionoftheGHSGTcomparedto87.9%ofWhitestudents.

AYPresultsforthe2008-2009schoolyearindicatedthatAfrican-Americanstudentsperformed

betterontheEnhancedEnglishLanguageArtssectionoftheGHSGT,with88.2%ofAfrican-

Americanstudentsmeetingorexceedingminimumperformancerates;however,thisratewas

15

stilllowerthanthepercentage(95.4%)ofWhitestudentsmeetingorexceedingobjectivesonthe

sametest(GeorgiaDepartmentofEducation,2010).

TheSchottFoundationforPublicEducation(2008)reportedthatinGeorgiaonly40%of

Blackmalesgraduatedwithpeersduringthe2005-2006schoolyear,fewerthanthenational

averageof47%for2005-2006.Duringschoolyear2009,theGeorgiahighschoolgraduation

rateforAfricanAmericanstudentswaslowerthanthatofWhitestudents.Thegraduationrate

forthisreportingperiodindicatedthat74.1%ofAfrican-Americanstudentsreceivedaregular

diploma,while82.7%ofWhitestudentsgraduatedwitharegulardiploma(GeorgiaDepartment

ofEducation,2010).

AlthoughmostAfricanAmericanstudentsunderstandtheimportanceofgraduatinghigh

school,manycontinuetoexperiencepoorschoolachievementandhighratesofdropout(Barton,

2003;Holzman,2006;Jordan&Cooper,2003).AreportfromtheGeorgiaDepartmentof

Education(2010)showedthatduring2007-2008,thenumberofAfricanAmericansretained

fromgradesKthrough12was33,723or51.3%.Additionally,areportfromtheGeorgia

DepartmentofEducation(2010)showedthepercentageofAfricanAmericansfromgrades9

through12whodroppedoutofschoolwashigherthanWhitepeers.During2006-2007school

year,therewasa.3%differenceinthedropoutratebetweenAfricanAmericanmalesandWhite

peersinGeorgia.AreportfromtheGeorgiaDepartmentofEducation(2010)showedthatby

2008-2009schoolyear,thisdifferencehadgrownto1.5%.ThedropoutrateofAfrican

AmericansinGeorgiaincreasedto4.7%,whilethedropoutrateforWhitesdroppedto3.2%.

Table1showsthedropoutratesandgraduationratesforAfricanAmericanstudentsfrom2006-

2007to2008-2009(GeorgiaDepartmentofEducation,2010).

16

Table1

DropoutRates/GraduationRatesbyRace

2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009

Indicators Blacks Whites Blacks Whites Blacks Whites

DropoutRates

4.3%

4.0%

4.0%

3.4%

4.7%

3.2%

GraduationRates 65.5% 77.5% 69.2% 80.2% 74.1% 82.7%

DisconnectedAfricanAmericanMales

ThelowgraduationandhighdropoutratesofAfricanAmericanmalescanbeattributed

totheirearlyexperiences.Theybeginschoolwithnumerousliteracyexperiencesfromhomeand

church;however,bythetimetheyreachfourthgradetheyareamongthelowestachieversinthe

schoolsetting.IthasbeenrepeatedlydocumentedintheliteraturethatAfricanAmericanmale

studentsarefailingintheiracademicendeavorsandbecomingdisconnectedfrommainstream

society(Braunetal.,2006;Ferguson,2002;Johnson,Crosnoe,&Elder,2001;Stewart,2008).

EvidencesuggestedthatAfricanAmericanmalesaredisconnectedwithschoolasearlyas

kindergartenandcontinuetobedisconnectedastheyprogressthroughschool(Carter,2003).

ThelowacademicsuccessofAfricanAmericanstudents,especiallymales,hasbeenaconcernas

thenumberofminoritychildreninschoolhaveincreasedandtheiracademicperformancehas

decreased(Edwards&McMillon,2000).TheschoolisconsideredtheplaceAfricanAmerican

malesdeveloptheiridentity.Blackmalesdevelopanidentityofwhotheyare,whattheyareto

17

do,andhowtheyareperceivedbyothers.Theseidentitiesareshapedbytheirexperienceswith

thechurch,family,community,media,andschool(Davis,2003).

PreviousliteraturereferredtotheexperiencesofAfricanAmericanmalestudentsasa

generationofdisconnectedyouthwho,withoutadequateeducation,aresusceptibleto

involvementinthecriminaljusticesystemanditspolicyofmassincarceration(Benjamin,2006).

AreportbytheUnitedStatesGovernmentAccountabilityOffice(2008)describeddisconnected

AfricanAmericanmalestudents:

Whilemostyouthssuccessfullytransitiontoadulthood,manyyouthsbecome

disconnectedfromschoolandwork,orsocialsupports,

andexperiencechallengesin

makingthistransition.Someoftheseyouthsaremorelikelythanotherstoremainlow-

income,tolosejobsduringeconomicdownturns,andtoengageincriminalactivities,

antisocialbehavior,andteenageparenting.(p.5)

SomeAfricanAmericanmalestudentsaremorelikelytobemembersofthis

disconnectedgroupthanothersbecauseofalackofacademicsuccess,whichdeniesAfrican

Americanmalestudentstheabilitytonavigateinaculturallybiasedenvironment(Cooper&

Jordan,2003;Jordan&Cooper,2003).Thisstudentpopulationoftenfailstoseetheconnection

betweenacademicsuccessandadultcareersuccessduetoimpoverishedenvironmentsand

surroundings(Boyd,2007;Irving&Hudley,2008;Jordan&Cooper,2002).Western,

Kleykamp,andRosenfeld(2006)foundthatpoorlyeducatedAfricanAmericanmenwere

becomingdisconnectedfrommainstreamsocietyduetodecliningjobopportunities,low

earnings,andhigherrisksofincarceration.Findingsfromthestudyshowedthatapproximately

16%ofmalesages20to39whowerehighschooldropoutswouldenterprisoneachyearby

18

2001.Thesemalesareoftenlookeduponasmembersofaculturallydeprivedanddysfunctional

partofsociety(Somersetal.,2008;Westernetal.,2006).

Furthermore,theNationalCenterforEducationStatistics(2010)reportedthepercentage

ofAfricanAmericans(13%)whowerestatusdropoutswashigherthanthe8%forWhites.

Dropoutshavelowerearnings,contributelittletothetaxrevenuesoffederalandstate

governmentsandreceiveaflowofcashfromthegovernmentthatisgreaterthantheirlifetime

taxcontributions(Levernier,2003).AccordingtotheU.S.DepartmentofEducation(2000),

highschooldropoutsarelikelytobeunemployed,andwhentheyeventuallysecureajob,they

earnlessmoneythanahighschoolgraduate.AccordingtotheBureauofLaborStatistics,in

2008,medianweeklyfull-timeearningsforAfricanAmericanmenstoodat75%ofthemedian

earningsforWhitemen.Inaddition,AfricanAmericansclassifiedasout-of-schoolyouthshad

anunemploymentrateof23.7%inOctober2008,comparedwith12.4%fortheirWhitepeers

(U.S.BureauofLaborStatistics,2009a).Theconsequencesrelatedtoleavingschoolearly

tendedtobemoresevereamongstudentsofcolor,especiallyAfrican-AmericanandLatino

students(U.S.BureauofLaborStatistics,2009a).

Educators'perspectivesonacademicsuccessaredifferentfromstudents'understandingof

achievementandwhatisnecessaryfornavigatingsuccess(Wiggan,2007).Thisdifferenceoften

encouragesAfricanAmericanstudentstowalkawayfromtheireducation,theirhopes,andtheir

dreams.Manystudentsdonotperceivetheeducationalandsocialsystemsasplacestoadvance.

Othersdonotinquireaboutthechallengestoorsolutionsforpersonaldilemmas(Gamoran,

2001;Wiggan,2007).Subsequently,theyouthsbecomedisconnectedfromschoolandsociety.

SomeAfricanAmericanmalesgivetheimpressionthattheyhavelittleornointerestin

academicsuccessandprogressingtowardgraduatingfromschool.Someresearchersclassify

19

AfricanAmericanstudentsashavingdisengagedfromtheeducationprocess(Ogbu,1991).

However,otherresearchershaveconcludedthatmostAfricanAmericanstudentsdohavehopes

anddreamsofhighachievementanddesiretodowellacademically(Conchas&Clark,2002;

Noguera,2001,2003).AfricanAmericanmalestudentsneedmentors,educators,and

administratorstoencourageandpromoteacademicprogressandsuccess(Freeman,1999;

Gordon,Iwamoto,Ward,Potts,&Boyd,2009).Therefore,ratherthanevaluatingtheeducational

system,researchsuggestedthatthefocusofschoolstaffmembersisoftenonthestudentand

howthestudentmustchangeinordertoalignwiththecultureoftheschoolinsteadoffinding

waysfortheschooltoadapttothecultureofthestudents(Carter,2003;Noguera,2003).

Hence,theresponsibilityofeducatorsinschoolsystemsandpolicymakersinthe

businessandgovernmentsectorsshouldbetounderstandfactorsaffectingacademicsuccessfor

AfricanAmericanmaleadolescentsandtoreducetherateatwhichthispopulationoflearners

dropsoutofschool(Westernetal.,2006).Accordingtostatistics,AfricanAmericanmaleshave

loweducationalattainmentlevels,andaremorehighlyunemployedthanmalesofother

racial/ethnicgroups(U.S.BureauofLaborStatistics,2009a).

Lee(1991)revealedthatfrustration,underachievementorultimatefailuresoften

comprisethecontemporaryeducationalrealityforscoresofAfricanAmericanmaleyouths.

AfricanAmericanmalesfromearlychildhoodthroughhighschooltendtoexperiencesignificant

isolationinschoolsofAmerica.Theconsequencesofthisisolationaremajorlimitationson

socioeconomicmobility,ultimatelyleadingtohighratesofunemployment,crime,and

incarcerationformassivenumbersofyoungAfricanAmericanmen.Leesfindingssupported

thetheorythatthereisahighcorrelationbetweenAfricanAmericanmalesexperiencesat

schoolandtheireconomicconditionsduringadulthood.

20

StatementofProblem

Completionofhighschoolhasadirecteffectonthedirectionastudentisabletotakein

societyafterleavingschool.Therefore,thechallengefortheeducationalsystemistodetermine

thebestwaytoimprovetheacademicsuccessofallstudents.Understandingandknowledge

concerningstudentachievementhavegrownconsiderablyovertheyearsandresearchand

theorieshavebeenpresentedonimprovingacademicachievement(Fleischman&Heppen,2009;

Haycock,2001;Heck,2000).

ImprovingacademicsuccessamongAfricanAmericanstudentsisaconcernonthe

national,state,andlocallevels.Itisvitalforeducatorsintheschoolsofthenationtoincrease

academicsuccessamongAfricanAmericanstudentsbecauseeducationnotonlyimpactsdropout

rates,whicheventuallyimpactstheeconomicsandwelfareofcommunities,butitincreaseslife

chancesforAfricanAmericanstudents.Policy,suchastheNCLBAct(NoChildLeftBehind

Actof2001,2002),requiresschooldistrictstoaddresslowacademicachievement;however,low

academicachievementcontinuestoexist.Oneofthesolutionstolowacademicsuccessis

informedleadershipforthe21stcentury.

FewstudieshavedocumentedAfricanAmericanmalestudentsperceptionoftheir

academicsuccess,eventhoughtheperceptionsofAfricanAmericanstudentsarecriticalin

helpingeducatorsfurtherunderstandwhyAfricanAmericanmalestudentscontinuetobe

underachieversinacademics.Schoolleadersmustbeawareofhowcultureandclimatein

schools,culturaldiversity,parentalinvolvement,poorcurriculum,roleofprincipal,students

relationshipwithteachers,andchangingdemographicsimpactthesuccessofAfricanAmerican

malestudents.Therefore,thepurposeofthisresearchistoexploreAfricanAmericanmale

students'perceptionsoffactorscontributingtotheiracademicsuccess.

21

ResearchQuestions

Theoverarchingresearchquestionguidingthisstudywas:WhatfactorsdoAfrican

Americanmalestudentsperceiveascontributingtotheiracademicsuccess?

Thesub-questionsthatassistedintheresearchwere:

1. WhatdoesacademicsuccessmeantoAfricanAmericanmalestudents?

2. Whatrolesdopeers,parentsandeducatorsplayinAfricanAmericanmalestudents'

abilitytoachieveacademicsuccess?

3. WhatroledoesschoolenvironmentplayinAfricanAmericanmalestudents'abilityto

achieveacademicsuccess?

4. Whataresomechallengesandsolutionsforaccomplishingacademicsuccess?

SignificanceofStudy

TheprovisionoftheNCLBAct(NoChildLeftBehindActof2001,2002)mandatedthat

educatorsinschoolsimprovetheacademicperformanceoftheirstudents.Thelowperformance

ofAfricanAmericanmalestudentsisreasonforeducatorstobeconcernedwithseeking

instructionalmethodsandstrategiestoreachgroupsofstudentswhoareperformingbelow

average.Numerousstudieshaveaddressedlowacademicsuccess,butfewhavedocumented

AfricanAmericanmalestudents'perceptionsoffactorscontributingtotheirachievementor

underachievementinGeorgia.Thisstudyissignificanttotheeducationalprofessionbecauseit

addressesacademicsuccessthroughtheeyesofAfricanAmericanmalestudentsinhopeof

findinganswerstofactorscontributingtotheiracademicsuccessaswellaschallengestoand

possiblesolutionsforimprovingacademicsuccess.Findingsfromthisstudycouldprovide

educationaladministrators,includingbuildingprincipals,andsuperintendents,aswellas

administratorsinCollegesofEducation,leadershippreparationprogramstheopportunityto

22

collaborateonhowtoworkwith,andbestsupporttheacademicdevelopmentofAfrican

Americanmalestudents.AfricanAmericanstudentscanaffecttheAfricanAmericancommunity

byobtainingaqualityeducationandcontributingtothecommunityinwhichtheylive.In

addition,findingsfromthisstudywillbegintoaddressanotedgapintheprofessionalliterature.

Thisresearchissignificanttotheresearcherbecause,asaneducator,theresearcherhas

observedlowacademicresultsandhighdropoutratesofAfricanAmericanmalestudents.This

researchprovidesanopportunitytogatherfirst-handknowledge,dataandunderstandingfrom

AfricanAmericanmalestudentsabouttheirperceptionsofacademicsuccess;eachofwhichwill

enabletheresearcher,personally,tobemoreeffectiveinthefuture.

Procedures

AqualitativeresearchdesignwasusedtogatherinformationfromAfricanAmerican

malehighschoolstudentparticipantsabouttheirperceptionsoffactorscontributingtotheir

academicsuccess.Inthisqualitativeresearch,semi-structuredinterviewsanddemographic

profileswereusedasdatacollectionmethods.Oneretiredelementaryteacherandoneretired

highschoollibrarianevaluatedinterviewquestions.Parentalconsentformsandminorassent

formswereobtainedpriortoconductinginterviews.Theresearcherperformedapilotstudyto

testtheresearchquestions.Theanalysisofthedataintheresearchstudyincludedtranscribing

theaudiotapedinterviewstofindcommonthemesandpatternsthroughoutalltheinterview

responses.

Limitation

SincethisresearchinvolvedaselectgroupofAfricanAmericanmalestudentsata

Georgiahighschool,nogeneralizationscanbemadetoallAfricanAmericanmalestudentsat

Georgiashighschools.

23

Delimitation

TheresearcherhasdelimitedthedatacollectionprocesstointerviewingthreeAfrican

AmericanmalejuniorandthreeAfricanAmericanmaleseniorhighschoolstudentsinGeorgia

andincludeddatafromself-reporteddemographicprofilesheets.

DefinitionofTerms

Academicachievement.Academicachievementisdefinedasastudentsattainmentofa

certainlevelofcompetenceaftercompletingaparticularphaseofeducation,whetheritisa

classroomunitor12yearsofschooling(Pellegrino,Chudowsky,&Glaser,2001).

Academicsuccess.Academicsuccessisthemeasurementusedtoassociatepositive

outcomesassessedforstudents.Tobesuccessfulinacademicsmeanstotakechargeoflearning

byworkinghardatacademiccoursesinmiddleschoolandhighschoolwhilepreparingfor

highereducation(Rentner&Kober,2001).

AfricanAmerican.AfricanAmericanisusedtoidentifyAmericanstudentswhose

parentsareofAfricandescent.

Annualyearlyprogress(AYP).AYPisaseriesofperformancegoalssetbythestatefor

eachschooldistrictandschool,aswellasforthestateasawhole.AYPreferstotheminimum

levelsofimprovementsetbyeachstate,basedonstudentperformanceonstatestandardized

tests,thoseschooldistrictsandschoolsmustachievewithintimeframesspecifiedinlawinorder

tomeetthe100%proficiencygoal.

Disconnectedyouth.Disconnectedyouthrefertothosestudentswhodonotmakea

successfultransitionintoadulthoodbybecomingself-sufficientthrougheducationand

employment.

Dropout.Adropoutisastudentwholeftschoolbeforeearningahighschooldiploma.

24

GeorgiaHighSchoolGraduationTest(GHSGT).TheGHSGTisanassessmentused

todetermineastudentseligibilityforgraduatingfromaGeorgiahighschool.

Graduationrate.Graduationrateisthepercentageofstudentswhoreceivedahigh

schooldiplomaaftercompletingGrade12.

Highachievingstudents.Highachievingstudentsarestudentswhomeetorexceedthe

requirementsforstudentperformanceandachievementbaseduponthestandardssetbythe

GeorgiaPerformanceStandardsCommission.

High-minorityschools.High-minorityschoolsareschoolsinwhich75%ormoreof

theirenrollmentsareminoritystudents(U.S.DepartmentofEducation,2000).

Highperformingschools.Highperformingschoolsareschoolswhosestudentsmeetor

exceedtherequirementsforstudentperformanceandachievementbaseduponthestandardsset

bytheGeorgiaPerformanceStandardsCommission.

Highpovertyschools.Highpovertyschoolsareschoolsinwhich75%ormoreof

studentsareeligibleforfreeorreduced-pricelunchprogram(U.S.DepartmentofEducation,

2000).

Lowachievingstudents.Lowachievingstudentsarestudentswhodonotmeetor

exceedtherequirementsforstudentperformanceandachievementbaseduponthestandardsset

bytheGeorgiaPerformanceStandardsCommission

Lowminorityschools.Lowminorityschoolsareschoolswithaminorityenrollmentof

lessthan10%(U.S.DepartmentofEducation,2000).

Lowperformingschools.Lowperformingschoolsareschoolsinwhichtheirstudentsdo

notmeettherequirementsforstudentperformanceandachievementbaseduponthestandardsset

bytheGeorgiaPerformanceStandardsCommission.

25

Skillsneededforsuccess.Skillsneededforsuccessinclude:teamwork,problemsolving,

interpersonalskills,oralcommunication,listening,personalcareerdevelopment,creative

thinking,leadership,goalsetting/motivations,writing,organizationaleffectiveness,computation,

andreading(Ryan,1999).

Successfulstudent.Successfulstudentsarethosewhoexpecttosucceed,aregoal

oriented,intrinsicallymotivated,andareabletobalanceeffectivelythesocialandacademic

aspectsoftheschoolenvironment(Scheuermann,2000).

Teachercertification.Teachercertificationreferstotheissuanceofacertificateor

documenttoateacherverifyingthatspecificacademicorprofessionalstandardshavebeenmet.

Summary

ResearchershavedocumentedlowacademicperformanceofAfricanAmericanstudents

asacriticalissueinAmericaneducation.DatacollectedfromtheGeorgiareportcardduringthe

period2006-2009indicatedAfricanAmericanstudentscontinuedtohavelowerhighschool

graduationratesandhigherdropoutratesthantheirWhitepeers.Theconsequencesforlow

academicperformanceforAfricanAmericanmalesaredisconnectionfromschool,work,and

possibleinvolvementwiththecriminalarena.EducatorsshouldunderstandAfricanAmerican

malestudentsperceptionoffactorscontributingtotheiracademicsuccessasanefforttobegin

tounderstandhowschoolsystemscanintervenetoeffectivelyassistAfricanAmericanmale

studentswhoarestrugglingacademically.

26

Chapter2

ReviewofLiterature

Thepurposeofthisstudyistocollect,analyze,andreportAfricanAmericanmale

studentsperceptionsoffactorsthatcontributetotheiracademicsuccess.Inthereviewof

literature,historicaleventsaffectingAfricanAmericaneducationintheSoutharefirstexamined.

Next,theimportanceofacademicsuccessforAfricanAmericanmalesandfactorscontributing

toAfricanAmericanmalesacademicsuccesswillbeexplored.Finally,theresearcherwill

investigatetheliteraturetodiscussdifferentialtreatmentofAfricanAmericanmales,African

Americanmalestudentsperceptionsaboutthequalityofinstructiontheyreceive,solutionsthey

believetobenecessaryforimprovingschoolsuccess,andprogramsthathaveaidedinthe

academicsuccessofAfricanAmericanmalestudents.

HistoricalPerspectiveofAfricanAmericanEducationintheSouth

Inthesouth,followingtheCivilWar,theeducationalplightforAfricanAmericanswas

oneoflongsufferingandagonyastheystruggledforfreedom,socialequality,andtherighttoan

equaleducation.Educationforslaveswasforbiddenbecauseoffearofslaveryuprisingsand

desertionsoffieldworkers.Between1800and1835,mostsouthernstatesmadeitillegaltoteach

AfricanAmericanslavechildrentoreadorwrite(Anderson,1988).Southernersrejected

universalschoolingforruralAfricanAmericansbecauseitmightraisetheaspirationsofAfrican

Americansandruinthemasplantationlaborers(Anderson,1988).Mostsouthernplantation

ownersstronglybelievedthatifAfricanAmericansbecameeducated,theinstitutionofslavery

wouldbecomenonexistent(Wright,1977).

TheAmericanCivilWar,asreportedbyRatteray(1992),resultedinover3million

enslavedAfricanAmericansgainingtheirindependence.Thiswasthebeginningofanewphase

27

forthefreedpeople;however,theywere,forthemostpart,illiterateandwithoutthebasicskills

neededtosupportthemselves(pp.138-139).Thefreedpeoplesoughttoimprovetheirsocial

statusbydecidingfirstandforemostthattheirpeopleneededaneducation.ManyAfrican

Americanstookgreatinterestinlearningandsoughtwaystoeducatethemselves(Anderson,

1988;Patton,1980).

Blacksouthernersenteredemancipationwithanalternativeculture,ahistorythatthey

coulddrawupon,onethatcontainedenduringbeliefsinlearningandself-improvement.

Theyconvincedtheircompatriotsthataperceivedcommoninterestinliteracyand

schoolingdidnotdependforitsexistenceupondominate-classculture(Anderson,1988,

p.281).

Theex-slavestookimmediateinterestinexpressingtheirdesireforaneducation.The

dominantgroupwhooncelookeduponAfricanAmericansinanegativewaywasforcedto

recognizethedeepcommitmenttoeducationofAfricanAmericans(Anderson,1988).Inthe

realityoftheaftermathofslavery,manyAfricanAmericansgainedphysicalfreedombut

realizedthattheyhadnotgainedcivil,political,andeconomicfreedomtotrulybeconsidered

Americanhumanbeings.Havingtheirrightsdeniedallowedformentalbondage.African

AmericanswerecaughtinawebofvagrancylawstoholdBlacklabourtotheland,andan

apartheidpublicpolicytoassureWhitedominanceandapersistentshamingoftheunder-race

(Wyatt-Brown,2006,p.26).Robinson(2000)notedthissystematicdemoralizationofAfrican

Americans:

Nonationcanenslavearaceofpeopleforhundredsofyears,setthemfreebedraggled

andpenniless,pitthem,withoutassistanceinahostileenvironment,againstprivileged

28

victimizers,andthenreasonableexpectthegapbetweentheheirsofthetwogroupsto

narrow.Lines,begunparallelandleftalone,cannevertouch.(p.74)

Kunjufu(1988)noted,Mentalslaveryismoresophisticated,becausewhenthechains

areremovedfromtheanklesandwristsandplacedaroundthemind,itbecomesmoredifficult

fortheoppressedtorecognizethesourceoftheirplight(p.12).ItisnocoincidencethatAfrican

Americansweremadetofeelinferiorinmentalabilityandeconomicdevelopmentlongafter

beingemancipated.Thefreedmenstatushadtheobligationandappearanceofcitizenshipbut

withouttheprivilegesofcitizenship.Theycouldnotvotenorserveonjuries,buttheywere

obligatedtopaytaxes(Bell,2004).

Fromaneconomicstandpoint,thefreedmenwererelegatedtodomesticwork,andto

maximizetheirvalue,performedeveryformoflabor,includingthatofskilledcraftsmen.

Prejudicewasstrong;freeAfricanAmericansnotonlywereexcludedfromjobsconsidered

appropriateforWhiteworkmen,butwereoftenthevictimsofinsultandphysicalattack.Bell

(2004)said,"Blacksweresegregatedintheworstareasofthetownswheretheylived,their

childrenwereoftenbarredfromthepublicschools,andoncertainoccasionstheywereeven

forbiddentoappearinpublicplaces(p.52).

AccordingtoWynes(1971),thesuperiorWhiteracebecauseofitsdeeprootsinlawand

government,hadtheresponsibilityofteachingandpreparingtheinferiorAfricanAmericans

withitshistoryoffourthousandyearsofbarbarism,thepreciousknowledgeofcitizenship(p.

104).Ontheotherhand,theAfricanAmericanracehadcorrespondingobligations:implicit

obedient,deference,loyalty,andhardwork(p.105).

ItwasbydesignthatfreedAfricanAmericanswereledtobelievethatsegregation

protectedthem,thatsegregationwasintheirbestinterestandbelieveditwastheircontractual

29

obligationtoobeytherules.AfricanAmericanswereindoctrinatedtobelievethatgovernment

wasmeantfortheintelligent,educatedandthewealthyandthattheuneducated,laboringclass

wasbestatperformingmenialtasksandshouldbeexcludedfrompoliticalparticipationor

matterspertainingtohisownwelfare(Anderson,1988;Wynes,1971).Therefore,numerous

lawswerepassedtokeepthefreedmanasneartheconditionsofslaveryaspossibleforfearof

anuprisisng(Dabbs,1958).

Blackpeoplewerenotbroughttothiscountrytobegivenaneducation,citizenship,or

democracy.Theywerebroughttothiscountrytoserve,tolabor,andtoobeyWhen

servantsareeducatedatalltheyareeducatedtoserve,butnevertoshareinpower,thus

plantingtheseedsofourpresentdayeducationalcrisis.(Clarke,1973,p.17)

Dubois(1977)dispelledthedesignwhichhadbeenimposedontheNegroracewithout

permission.Duboisnoted,Theveryfeelingsofinferioritythatslaveryforceduponthem

fatheredanintensedesiretoriseoutoftheirconditionbymeansofeducation(p.638).Dubois

believedthatthisverytreatmentofthefreedNegroraceledthemtoestablishandsustaintheir

owninstitutionsforframingmoral,educationalandreligiousguidelinesforitspeople.Anderson

(1988)expressed,Blackeducationdevelopedwithinthiscontextofpoliticalandeconomic

oppression(p.2).GatesandOliver(1999)quotedW.E.B.Dubois'acknowledgmentthatthe

AmericanNegrohashadtolivealifeoftwo-ness,--anAmerican,aNegro;twosouls,two

thoughts,twounreconciledstrivings,twowarringidealsinonedarkbody,whosedogged

strengthalonekeepsitfrombeingtornasunder(p.11).

ThefreedAfricanAmericans,inordertoprotecttheiremancipation,sawtheneedto

developtheirownuniqueeducationalsysteminordertoadvancethemselvesandriseabove

oppression.ThisattitudegaverisetothebeginningsfortheearlyAfricanAmericanschools.The

30

foundationforthefreedmenseducationalsystemwasaburningdesireandself-determinationto

createaplanforeducatingthemselvesandtheirchildren.Followingemancipation,the

freedmensschoolscameintoexistence(Anderson,1988;Ladson-Billings,2006).Theearly

AfricanAmericanschoolsinthesouthwereorganizedbyabolitionists,emancipationists,and

antislaveryministersandbusinessmen.Manyteachersfromthenorthcamesouthtoopen

schools,ofteninunusualcircumstances(Butchart,1975).Nodoubt,thismovementhelped

defineAmericasracerelationsandhelpeddefineAfricanAmericanspositioninwhatwas

knownastheNewSouth(Anderson,1988;Butchart,1975).

ImportanceofAcademicSuccessforAfricanAmericanMaleStudents

HistoryhasdocumentedthestruggleofAfricanAmericanmalesinthefightforaquality

educationaswellaseconomic,politicalandcivilequalityinAmerica.Theeducational

experiencesofAfricanAmericanmalesweredelayedbecauseAfricanAmericanmaleshada

distinctiveculturalbeginning,andtheirunequaleducationhascontinuedformanyyears

followingtheiremancipation.Althoughtheirearlypurposeforexistencewaslaborexploitation

andsubordinationtothedominantrace(Anderson,1988;Ladson-Billings,2000),educationhas

longbeenviewedasAfricanAmericanspassagetoenjoyingalltherightsoffreedomAmerica

hastooffer(Anderson,1988;Bell,2004;Ladson-Billings,2006).Therefore,academicsuccess

playsamajorroleinAfricanAmericanmalestudentseducationalgrowthandtheirgaining

passagetosocial,economic,andpoliticalfreedom.

Academicsuccessisthemeasurementusedtoassociatepositiveoutcomesassessedfor

students.Tobesuccessfulinacademicsmeanstotakechargeoflearningbyworkinghardat

academiccoursesinmiddleschoolandhighschoolwhilepreparingforhighereducation

(Rentner&Kober,2001).Statisticsshowthatadultswithadvancedlevelsofeducationaremore

31

likelytobeemployedandtoearnhigherwages(NationalCenterforEducationStatistics,200l).

Workers18andoverwithabachelorsdegreeearnedanaverageof$51,206ayear,whilethose

withonlyahighschooldiplomaearned$27,915ayear(NationalCenterforEducationStatistics,

2007).Thelaborforceandunemploymentstatisticsarestrongindicatorsofthedifficulties

AfricanAmericanmalesencounterinthejobmarket.AccordingtotheU.S.BureauofLabor

Statistics(2010),firstquartermedianweeklyearningsduring2010forBlackmenstoodat73.1%

ofthemedianearningsforWhitemen.TheunemploymentrateforBlackmen20yearsandover

asofJune2010was17.1%.Westernetal.(2006)notedthattheconsequencesofeconomic

inequalityforBlackmenaremajorlimitationsonsocioeconomicmobility,ultimatelyleadingto

highratesofunemployment,crime,andincarcerationformassivenumbersofyoungAfrican

Americanmen.

Westernetal.(2006)stated,Labormarkettrendsmightinfluencethescaleof

imprisonmentintwomainways:Failingwagesandunemploymentcouldincreasecrimeatthe

bottomoftheeconomicladder,generatingmorearrests,convictionsandprisonadmissions(p.

2291).Wray(2001)foundthatapproximatelyone-fourthofallprimeageAfricanAmerican

maleswhohavenotgraduatedfromhighschoolwereincarceratedorunderthecontrolofthe

correctionsystem.Atmidyear,June30,2009,statisticsshowedthatanestimated841,000Black

malesundertheageof18wereincarceratedinstate,federalprisonorlocaljails.Forevery

100,000U.S.residents,Blackmaleswereincarceratedatarateof4,749inmates,6timeshigher

thanWhitenon-Hispanicmales(West,2010).

Inadditiontounemployment,wages,andincarceration,academicsuccessisimportant

fortheBlackmalestudentbecauseoftheadvancedtrainingneededtohandletechnological

occupationsofthe21stcenturyforincreasedeconomicproductivity(Gottlob,2009).

32

Furthermore,thenumberofjobsrequiringproductiveworkerswithhigherlevelsofeducationis

expectedtogrowconsiderablyduringthe21stcentury(Fleetwood&Shelley,2000;Rentner&

Kober,200l;U.S.BureauofLaborStatistics,2009b).

AsnotedbyRyan(1999),Fortune500companiesrequireemployeeswhoaretosucceed

inthe21stcenturytohaveskillsotherthanreading,writing,andarithmetic.Thetop13skills

neededforsuccessinclude:teamwork,problemsolving,interpersonalskills,oral

communication,listening,personalcareerdevelopment,creativethinking,leadership,goal

setting/motivations,writing,organizationaleffectiveness,computation,andreading.Educators

conceptionsofthesuccessfulstudentseemedtoparallelthoseoftheFortune500companies.

Scheuermann(2000)maintainedthateducatorsbelievesuccessfulstudentsarethosewhoexpect

tosucceed,aregoaloriented,intrinsicallymotivatedandareabletobalanceeffectivelythesocial

andacademicaspectsoftheschoolenvironment.

TheeffectofthemultitudeofAfricanAmericanmalesleavingschooleachyearbefore

earningahighschooldiplomatranslatesintomillionsofindividualswhoareoutofschool

withouthighschoolcredentialsneededtobeproductiveinthelaborforceortofurthertheir

education.Wray(2001)stated,In1998,therewerejustover1.3millionprime-age,non-

institutionalized,Blackmaleswithoutahighschooldegree.Ofthese,justover600,000were

employed;almost200,000werecountedasunemployedandashockinghalfamillionwereout

ofthelaborforce(p.528).

Thelackofjobskillsputsdropoutsinapositionofbeingmorelikelytoengageinpetty

crimeandgangactivities(Freeland&Tucci,2003;Westernetal.,2006),thusbecoming

disconnectedfrommainstreamsociety.Lee(1991)revealedthatfrustration,underachievement

orultimatefailuresoftencomprisethecontemporaryeducationalrealityforscoresofAfrican

33

Americanmaleyouths.Finally,theconsequencesrelatedtoleavingschoolearlytendtobemore

severeamongyoungmenthanwomenandgreateramongstudentsofcolor,especiallyAfrican

AmericanandLatinostudents(Rumberger,1983).

Haycock(2005)madethisobservation:Aftermorethantwodecadesofeffort,fartoo

manyyoungAmericansexitschoolwithouttheskillstheyneedtosecureafootholdinthe

knowledgeeconomy(p.258).Consistently,AfricanAmericanmaleshavelowereducational

attainmentlevels,aremorechronicallyunemployedandaremanytimesmorelikelytoendupin

jailorprisonthanmalesofotherracial/ethnicgroups(U.S.BureauofLaborStatistics,2009a;

Westernetal.,2006).AccordingtoKirkland(2006),thissubgroupencountersexceptional

barriersandgapsineducationalachievement.Therefore,AfricanAmericanmalesrequire

specificfocuswithintheeducationalarenainordertosucceedandimprovetheirlevelsof

academicdevelopment.TheNationalAllianceofBusiness,Inc.(1998)researchshowedthat

studentswhoareacademicallysuccessfularemorestableintheiremployment,lessdependenton

publicassistance,lesslikelytoengageincriminalactivity,moreactiveascitizensandcharitable

volunteersandaremorehealthy.

IthasbeendocumentedthattheeducationaloutlookforAfricanAmericanmaleshas

beensystemicallymoredevastatingthantheoutcomesforotherracialorethnicgroupsor

females;therefore,theworkofeducationinademocracyshouldbetoprovideopportunitiesfor

thispopulationofmalestoparticipatefullyinthepolitical,socialandeconomicidealsofsociety.

Theseidealscanneverberealizedfullyifsignificantportionsofsocietyareexcludedfromhigh-

qualityeducationandtheopportunitytofactorAfricanAmericanmalerolesintotheformulaof

successinsociety(Ladson-Billings,2000).ByresearchingandreportingonAfricanAmerican

malesperceptionsoffactorsassociatedwiththeiracademicsuccess,policymakersandeducators

34

willbebetterequippedtodevelopandimplementsolutions.Therefore,itisbeneficialto

educatorstounderstandfactorsthatAfricanAmericanmalesperceivetocontributetotheir

academicperformanceandunderstandhowtosupporttheacademicdevelopmentofAfrican

Americanmales(Somersetal.,2008).ForAfricanAmericanmales,aqualityeducationisa

meansforupwardsocialandeconomicmobility(Anderson,1988;Fitzerald,2006;Howard,

2003;Jordan&Cooper,2003;Rowley,2000).

AfricanAmericanMaleStudentsPerceptionsaboutAcademicSuccess

AfricanAmericanmalesculturalidentityhasbeenshapedbystereotypesplacedonthem

downthroughhistory.SomestereotypesassociatedwithAfricanAmericanmalesinclude

incompetence,laziness,andaggression.AfricanAmericanmalesacademicperformanceisoften

affectedbecauseofthesestereotypes(Bell,2004;Bogle,1994;Cheng&Starks,2002;Irving&

Hudley,2008;Mincey,1994;NationalCenterforEducationStatistics,2009;Ogbu,2004;The

StaffoftheWashingtonPost,2007).TheliteraturegenerallyconcludesthatAfricanAmerican

malestudentseducationalaspirations,occupationalexpectations,culturalidentity,andattitudes

towardschoolarerelatedtoacademicachievement(Cheng&Starks,2002;Goldsmith,2004;

Irving&Hudley,2008;Smerdon,2002;Sullivan,Riccio,&Reynolds,2008).

Wright(2007)examinedtherelationshipbetweenracial-ethnicidentityandhigh

academicachievementoffiveyoungAfrican-Americanmeningrades11and12inanurban

pilothighschoolintheNortheast.Thestudyrevealedthateffectiveyouthdevelopmenthasa

positiveeffectonthewayadolescentsusestrategiesofassertivenesstoachieveschoolsuccess.

CulturalmistrustforAfricanAmericansrevolvesaroundtheirbeliefthatinstitutions,

includingpublicschools,cannotbetrustedtoprovideanadequateeducationwhentheschools

theyattendarepoorlymaintained,servicedbyill-preparedteachers,andunderfunded(Jordan&

35

Cooper,2003).ThisbeliefleadsAfricanAmericanstoundervaluetheeducationalstructureand

lowertheirexpectationsforaqualityeducation.Ogbu(1991)notedthatsomeAfricanAmerican

malesdirecttheirfocusawayfromacademicsandtowardnonacademicendeavorssuchas

personaldressandgrooming,athleticsanddating,whichgivethemafeelingofsuccess.Astudy

conductedbyIrvingandHudley(2008)of115AfricanAmericanmalestudentsenrolledin

grades11and12inanurban,multiethnichighschoolinSouthernCaliforniameasuredcultural

mistrust,academicoutcomeexpectations,outcomevalues,culturalattitudesandethnicidentity

affirmation.Thefindingsrevealedthatasstudentsmistrustincreased,studentswerelesslikely

toanticipateachievingeducationaloutcomes.Therefore,theresearcherssuggestedthat

educationalinstitutionsshoulddesignprogramstohelpstudentswhohaveexperienced

discriminationanddifficultyineducationalinstitutions,provideadditionalresources,improve

teachertraining,anddirectcurriculumtotheneedsofthestudents.Thesestepscoulddevelop

positiveeducationalexperiencesinAfricanAmericanmalestudents.

AresearchstudycommissionedbytheAfrican-AmericanMaleInitiative,ataskforceof

theUniversitySystemofGeorgia(USG)BoardofRegents,conductedastatewidestudyto

exploreAfricanAmericanmalesattitudestowardcollegeandtheUSGinparticular.Theresults

revealedthatmanyoftheAfrican-Americanmalessurveyedinthestatewidestudyperceived

specificandsignificantbarrierstotheirachievingsuccess.Thesebarriersincludedconcerns

aboutthelackofacademicpreparation,poorgrades,lowScholasticAptitudeTest(SAT)scores,

lackofadequatehighschoolguidancefromschoolcounselors,teachers,high-schoolfacultyand

administration,peerpressure,andparentalandsocietalexpectations.Theparticipantsbelieved

thatWhitemalestudentswerebetterpreparedacademicallyforcollegethanAfricanAmerican

malestudents.ThemajorityoftheAfrican-Americanmalesinthisstudyblamedtheirhigh-

36

schoolcounselors,teachers,high-schoolfaculty,andadministrationsforsteeringthemtoward

remedialorvocationalcoursesatgreaterratesthaneitherfemalesorWhitemales.Students

perceivedteachersdidnotcareandwerenotresponsivetotheneedsofAfricanAmericanmale

students(TheUniversitySystemofGeorgia,2002).

Culturalconsideration,socialfactors,cohesionbetweenteachersandstudents,andstrong

leadershipsareimportantconsiderationsforeducatorsofAfricanAmericanmalestudents.

AfricanAmericanstudentsmaintainthatencouragementfromschools,parents,andcommunity

canenabletheireducationalprogress.Therefore,challengingstudentsinschool,avoiding

negativeattitudes,increasingexpectationscouldleadtoimprovedsuccessamongAfrican

Americanmalestudents(Bailey&Paisley,2004;Goldsmith,2004;Jordan&Cooper,2002;

Tomlinson,Gould,Schroth,&Jarvis,2006;Trotter,1981).

FactorsContributingtoAfricanAmericanMalesAcademicSuccess

Researchstudieshavedocumentedevidencethatavarietyoffactorsinfluencethe

likelihoodthatAfricanAmericanmalescouldachieveinschool(Bailey&Paisley,2004;

Barnett,2004;Borman,Stringfield,&Rachuba,2000;Lewis,James,Hancock,&Hill-Jackson,

2008;Schwartz,2001;Stewart,2008).Teacherpreparedness,parentalinvolvement,teacher

expectations,student-teacherrelationship,schoolclimate,size,andschoolculturehavebeen

positivelylinkedtoacademicachievementamongAfricanAmericanmalestudents(Barnett,

2004;Fleischman&Heppen,2009;Wiggan,2007).Thissectionwillreviewfactorsthatimpact

educationaloutcomesforAfricanAmericanmalestudents.

TeacherCertificationinHighPoverty/High-MinoritySchools

Schoolsclassifiedashighpovertyhaveincreasedinthepastdecade.Morethanthree

quartersofstudentsareeligibleforfreeorreducedpricelunchesathighpovertyschools.

37

Between1999-2000and2007-2009,thepercentofhighpovertyschoolsincreasedfrom12%to

17%.Thepovertyrateforchildrenincreasedfrom17%to18%(Audetal.,2010).Research

showedthatthemajorityofteachersteachinginpovertystrickenneighborhoodswereill-

preparedtoworkinurbanschools(Audetal.,2010;Writetal.,2004).Theseteacherswereoften

askedtoteachoutoftheirsubjectareaandsomehadnoprioreducationaltraining(Howard,

2003).Out-of-fieldteachersareteacherswholackexpertiseandcertificationinthesubjectthey

teach(NationalCenterforEducationStatistics,2003).

Inhigh-povertyandhigh-minoritypublichighschoolswheremorethan75%ofthe

studentsareeligibleforfree-reducedlunchesand75%ofstudentsenrolledareminoritystudents,

statisticsshowstudentsaremoreoftentaughtcoreclasses(English,science,andmathematics)

byout-of-fieldteachersthantheirpeerswhoareenrolledinlow-minorityandlow-povertypublic

school.Forexample,during1999-2000,13.7%ofhigh-povertystudentsweretaught

mathematicsbyteacherswithneithermajornorcertificationinfieldand15.2%ofstudentsin

high-minorityschoolsweretaughtmathematicsbyteacherswithneithermajornorcertification

infieldcomparedto6.6%low-povertystudentsand6.8%ofstudentsenrolledinlow-minority

schools(Writetal.,2004).Table2showspercentageofpublicschoolstudentstaughtbyout-of-

fieldteachersinmiddleandhighschoolsaccordingtoclasssubject(NationalCenterfor

EducationStatistics,2003).

38

Table2

PercentofMiddleandHighSchoolStudentsTaughtbyOut-of-FieldTeachers,1999-2000

School

Math

English

Science

ForeignLanguage

SocialScience

PhysicalScience

ArtandMusic

PhysicalEducation

MiddleSchool

23%

19%

17%

19%

15%

42%

5%

3%

HighSchool

10%

7%

7%

15%

7%

18%

5%

5%

Nationally,childrenconsideredpovertystrickenandthoseofcolorarefarmorelikelyto

betaughtbyinexperienced,underprepared,andunqualifiedteachers(Barnett,2004;Haycock,

2001).Twenty-twopercentofteachersworkinginhigh-povertysecondaryschoolshadlessthan

threeyearsofteachingexperiencecomparedto15%ofteachersworkinginlow-poverty

secondaryschools(Aud,etal.,2010).

Evidencesuggestedthatminoritystudentsareassignedtotheleasteffectiveteachers,as

measuredbyteacherpreparationandexperience(Barton,2003).Inaddition,teachersaremore

pronetoturnoverinschoolsthatenrollpredominantlyAfricanAmericanstudents(Hanushek,

Kain,&Rivkin,2001;Scafidi,Sjoquist,&Stinebrickner,2007).

Individual-LevelCharacteristicsandAfricanAmericanMaleStudents'AcademicSuccess

Althoughthecertificationofteachersiscloselyrelatedtostudents'achievement,parental

involvement,caringandconcernedteachersalsoinfluencestudentoutcomes(Wiggan,2007).

Parentalinvolvementcouldbekeytotheacademicsuccessofstudents.Stewart(2008)stated,

Thefamilyisthebasicinstitutionthroughwhichchildrenlearnwhotheyare,wheretheyfitinto

39

society,andwhatkindsoffuturestheyarelikelytoexperience(p.20).Parentalinvolvementin

achildseducationimpactsacademicachievementthroughhighergrades,highertestscores,

coursecreditsearned,attendance,schoolreadiness,andbehavior(Simon,2001).Studentswith

involvedparents,regardlessofbackground,aremorelikelytoearnhighergradesandtestscores,

takeadvancedcourses,bepromoted,havebetterattendancerates,bebetterbehaved,graduate

andgoontocollege(Brown&Fiester,2003).Parentalacademicinvolvementthatincludes

frequentschoolcontacts,highexpectationsforpostsecondaryeducation,firmandsupportive

parentingskillsleadstohigheducationaloutcomesfortheAfricanAmericanmalechild(Maton,

Hrabowski,&Greif,1998).

Inaddition,parents'collaboratingwithteacherswasrewardingandbeneficialforthe

academicoutcomeofthestudent(Wilson-Jones,2003).Sixface-to-faceinterviewswith16

AfricanAmericanmalesinGrades3-6inaruralschoolovera3-monthperiodrevealedpositive

results(Wilson-Jones,2003).ThepurposeofWilson-Jones'studywastoinvestigatefactorsthat

promotedandinhibitedacademicsuccessofelementaryAfricanAmericanmalestudents.

Interviewquestionscenteredonparentsinvolvementwithhomeworkandstudystrategies.

Wilson-Jonesreportedthatthemajorityofstudentsindicatedthathavinganadultshowinterest

intheirschoolwork,payingattentioninclass,andcompletingtheirhomeworkhelpedthemto

makebettergrades.Studentsfurtherindicatedthattheywereexcitedwhentheirteachersand

parentsworkedtogetherontheirbehalfforacademicsuccess.Thestudentswhoindicatedthat

theirparentsvisitedtheschoolregularlytocheckonthemorhavelunch,hadfewerbehavior

referrals,bettertestscores,andmadebettergradesintheirclassworkthanthosestudentswhose

parentsdidnotvisittheschool.Inaddition,Wilson-Jonesstudyrevealedthatforthosestudents

whohadnotrepeatedagrade,parentsweremoreactiveintheireducationthantheoneswhohad

40

repeatedagrade.Herinvestigationprovidedevidenceoftheimportanceofparentalinvolvement

intheacademicachievementofelementaryAfricanAmericanmales.

SuccessfulAfricanAmericanmalesattributedtheirhighachievementtoself-discipline,

positiveschoolexperiences,motivation,excellentteachers,andsupportiveparents(Barnett,

2004;Trotter,1981;Williams,2002).Ahistoricalqualitativecasestudyofacademically

successfulAfricanAmericanmaleswhoweregraduatesofahighschoolinGary,Indianawas

conductedbySullivan(2002).ThefocusofSullivansresearchwastoexplorefactors

contributingtotheacademicsuccessofAfricanAmericanmalesgraduatingfromanurban

schoolhighschoolinGary,Indiana.Inaddition,Sullivansresearchsoughttodeterminefrom

AfricanAmericanadministrators,teachers,andtheschoolcommunitywhattheyfeltcontributed

tograduatesacademicsuccess.Inaddition,participantswereaskedtoprovideaclearer

understandingoftheimportantissuescriticaltoAfricanAmericanmalesacademicsuccess.

SignificantfindingsfromSullivans(2002)studyrevealedthatAfricanAmericanmales

weresuccessfulbecauseoftheirindividualresponsibilityandsupportivecommitmentof

influentialpersonsathomeandschool.Participantsstatedthatsupportivepeersandrolemodels

inthecommunitysuchasdoctors,lawyers,engineers,professors,andteachersmadethe

differenceintheiracademicsuccess.Manyparticipantsfeltthatwithsomanyrolemodels,they

wereabletoenvisionthemselvesasAfricanAmericanprofessionals.Inaddition,participantsfelt

theirteachersexpectedthemtoproduceaboveaveragework,nurturedthem,wereconcernedand

inspiredthemtodotheirbest.Oneparticipantexpressedthemostsignificantcontributiontohis

successwasacombinationbetweenstrongadministratorsandverystrongandcommitted

teachers(p.107).Studentsperceivedthattheschoolclimateisaninterconnectedenvironment

withstudent-teacherrelationshipsandteacherexpectationsasimportantfactorscontributingto

41

successfulacademicoutcomes.Thesearestrongindicatorsthatschoolinitiativesshould

incorporateindividual-levelandschoolstructuralfactorstoimproveacademicsuccessamong

Blackmalestudents.

SchoolStructuralCharacteristicsandAfricanAmericanMaleStudentsAcademicSuccess

Researchsuggestedthatschool-levelconceptsofschoolclimate,size,schoolpoverty,

schoollocation,schoolsocialproblems,aswellas,schoolcohesionandafeelingofbelongingas

feltbystudentsandteachersalikemaycontributetosuccessfulstudentoutcomes(Goldsmith,

2004;Johnsonetal.,2001).AmongthegoalsspecifiedintheNCLBactforschoolswasthegoal

toincreasethehighschoolgraduationrateto90%bytheyear2000.Unfortunately,after2000,

educatorsinschoolsarecontinuingtoseekwaystomeetthisgoalandtoaddresstheacademic

performanceofstudents.Onesuchinterventionissmallerlearningcommunities.Smaller

learningcommunities(SLCs)areschoolsredesignedinitiativeswiththeintentofcreating

smallertheme-basedunitsoforganization,includingschoolswithinschools,academieswithin

buildings.Thesecommunitiesincludestructuressuchasfreshmanacademiesorganizedaround

careerinterestsorotherthemes.Agroupofcore-subjectteachersteachessmallgroupsof

students,keepingstudentsandteacherstogetherthroughoutthestudenthighschoolexperience.

Thiseffortisdesignedtoaddressorremedythelowgraduationandhighdropoutrates.Schools

creatingsmallerlearningcommunitieshelpstudentscreateasenseofconnectnesstofacultyand

school,senseofidentity,improveself-esteem,aswellasimproveacademicsuccess.

JordanandCooper(2002)notedthatschoolreforminitiativessuchassmallerlearning

communitiesandclasssizereductionarestructuralreformsaimedatchangingthesocialandor

physicalorganizationoftheschool.Studieshaveshownthatsmallerlearningcommunities

(SLC)mightprovidepersonallearningenvironmentsthatprovideasenseofbelongingfor

42

students,increaseschoolsafety,andfostergreaterstudentengagementinlearning(Cotton,2001;

Fleischman&Heppen,2009;Janusik&Wolvin,2007;Metzger,2006;Shearetal.,2008;

Tasker,2007).Whenschoolsarerestructuredintoself-contained,smalllearningcommunities,it

becomeseasierforteachersandadministratorstofacilitateaschoolclimatethatleadstoacloser

connectionwithstudentsandawarmandcaringenvironmentforstudents(Cotton,2001;

Sergiovanni,1995).

Theadministrator,faculty,andstaffataSouthCarolinaHighSchoolsoughttoaddress

theproblemsofbeinglabeledafailingschoolbyNCLBcriteriaandAYPstandardsbyutilizing

asmalllearningcommunity,theFreshmanAcademyProgram.TheinterventionofaFreshman

AcademyProgramin2007separatedfreshmenstudentsfromupper-classmenincoreclasses.

TheschoolsAcademyProgramofferedaFreshmanFocusClasstobuildpeer-relationshipskills

whileteachingstudentsbasiclife-survivingskillssuchasbalancingacheckbook.Theschoolhad

thelowesttestscoresinthecounty,laggingbehindthecountysratebyalmost12percentage

pointsanda58.5%graduationrateduring2007-2008schoolyear(Sellers,2009;SouthCarolina

DepartmentofEducation,2009).TheAfricanAmericanstudentpopulationamountedto48%

with51%oftheschoolpopulationbeingeligibleforfree/reducedlunches(SouthCarolina

DepartmentofEducation,2009).

TheFreshmanAcademyProgramwasledbytheJuniorReserveOfficerTrainingCorps

(JROTC)instructors.AccordingtotheLeadTeacherintheschool,theJROTCprogramwas

well-attendedbystudents,makingitthemostpopularextracurricularactivityintheschool.The

JROTCinstructorsbuiltteamcooperationandstudentswerewillingtogobeyondwhatwas

requiredofthem(Sellers,2009).Afterthefirstyear,administratorsreportedtremendoussuccess.

TheschoolsurpasseddistrictaveragesonitsMAP(MeasuresofAcademicProgress)scoresin

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math,reading,andlanguageArtsonninth-gradebenchmarktests.Thedistrictaveragescoresfor

spring2009wereMath-231.7,Reading-218.1andLanguageArts219.0.TheHighSchoolscores

forthesameperiodwereMath-233.6,Reading-222.2;andLanguageArts-222.9.Inaddition,out

ofafreshmanclassof101students,onlythreewereretained.Duringthe2009-2010schoolyear,

thegraduationrateforAfricanAmericanstudentswas63.3%(SouthCarolinaDepartmentof

Education,2010).TheLeadTeachermadethefollowingobservationinreferencetotheschools

immediatesuccesswiththeFreshmanAcademyProgram:Whenyouareabletomotivatethose

students,itdrivesyoucrazyanditbreedscompetitivenessamongthestudents.Theysupport

eachother,anditsnotsuchanindividualgoalanymore(Sellers,2009,p.8A).Theschool

recognizedthatsimplyidentifyingtheachievementproblemswouldnotaloneimproveacademic

success;instead,schoolsmustbeawareofalternativelearningmethodsandschoolpoliciesthat

haveapositiveeffectonhowAfricanAmericanyouthslearn.

Schoolclimateisanareaeducatorsmightconcentrateonforimplementingstrategiesto

helpstudentachievement.Schoolclimateconsistsoftheattitudes,beliefs,valuesthatunderlie

studentsacademicsuccess.Schoolclimatehelpstoshapethecommunicationbetweenand

amongstudents,teachers,administrators,parents,andthecommunity.Thecontinuedpromotion

oftheexpectationthatdiversegroupsofstudentscanbesuccessfulandthemaintenanceofa

schoolclimateconducivetoacademicproductivityareimportantinitiativestowardimproving

studentachievement.

AccordingtoSchwartz(2001),therecognitionofthemanyuniquecultureswithina

schoolandincorporatingthecharacteristicsoftheseculturesintothelearningenvironment

contributepositivelytothesuccessofstudentsaswellasdeveloptheskillsforstudentsofthese

culturestobesocialsuccessesinadulthood.Asafe,orderlyandhealthyschoolclimatealso

44

promotesmutualrespectbetweenstudents,teachersandadministratorsandemphasizesawell-

publicized,fair,anduniformcodeofconduct

Sergiovanni(1995)introducedtheexpressionschoolasacommunitytosuggestthat

schoolsbethoughtofasagroupofindividualswhoarebondedtogetherbyacommonwillanda

setofsharedideasandvalues.Sergiovanniproposedaclimatewhereeveryoneknowseach

other.Hisideawastohaveschoolswherestudentsandteacherscanconnecttotheschooland

feelresponsibleforthemselvesandothers.Schoolsmustbecomecaringandlearning

communities.Itisimportanttoimpressacaringattitudeuponstudentsearlybeforetheybecome

unreachable.HoyandMiskel(2005)notedthegeneralschoolclimatenotonlyimpactsstudents,

butteachersandadministrators.Stewart(2008)analyzeddatacollectedfrom1,238African

Americanstudentsfoundwithin546highschools.Forty-eightpercentofthesamplewasmale.

Datafromschoolofficials(administratorsandteachers)andstudentsprovidedinformationabout

schoolsocialproblemsandschoolcohesion.Theresultsindicatedthatschoolclimateis

extremelyimportanttostudentacademicsuccess.AfricanAmericanstudentswhoattendschools

thataresupportiveandcaringhavesignificantlyhigherachievement,asperceivedbytheir

teachers,andschooladministrators.Furthermore,thestudyconcludedthatpovertyinschool,

socialproblems,aswellaslocationandsizeofschooldonothaveasignificantbearingon

achievement.Theschoolscharacteristicsthatcorrelatedwithhigherlevelsofachievement,as

reportedbytheresearcher,werecooperationamongteachersandadministrators,supportfor

students,andclearexpectationsaboutthemissionoftheschool.Goddard,Sweetland,andHoy

(2000)conductedastudywithapopulationof60%AfricanAmericanstudentsandconcluded

thatpoorandminoritystudentsaremorelikelytoexcelwhenthereisaschoolclimatepromoting

academicexcellence.

45

AstudyconductedbyToldson(2008)included5,779school-agedAfricanAmerican

maleswhocompletedtheHealthBehaviorinSchool-ageChildren,NationalCrimeVictimization

Survey,SchoolCrimeSupplement,NationalSurveyofAmerica'sFamiliesandNationalSurvey

onDrugUseandHealth.Thepurposeofthisstudywastoanalyzeacademicsuccessindicators

fromdataobtainedfromsurveystodeterminefactorsthatmayimproveeducationaloutcomesfor

AfricanAmericanmales.Findingsclearlyrevealedthathigh-achievingAfricanAmericanmales

performbestwhentheyhaveapositiveperceptionofschool,haveafriendlyrelationshipwith

theirteachers,andwhentheyperceivetheschoolenvironmentassafe.

DifferentialTreatmentofAfricanAmericanStudents

DifferentialtreatmentandinstructioninschoolcanimpacttheAfricanAmerican

student'sperceptionsofschoolaswellashisorherexpectationsfromsociety(Haycock,2001;

Wiggan,2007).IthasbeendocumentedthatAfricanAmericanstudentsarelaggingbehind

peersinacademicachievement(Barnett,2004;Ferguson,2002).Similarly,theissueof

differentialtreatmentofAfricanAmericanstudentsbyschoolsandteachersseemsparticularly

importantassuchpracticemighthinderAfricanAmericanstudentsfromgainingaccessto

academicsuccess(Skiba,Michael,Nardo,&Peterson,2002).

Wiggan(2007)stated"Itisevidentthatallstudentsdonotreceivethesametreatment

withregardtotheireducation,buttheyareallexpected,nevertheless,toproducesimilar

outcomes"(p.322).TomaximizetheacademicgrowthofAfricanAmericanstudents,including

thosefromlow-income,culturallydiversebackgrounds,differentiationmustaddressstudents

learningstyles,interests,andreadinessforlearning.Administratorsmustidentifytheacademic

needsofAfricanAmericanstudentsandensurethattheseneedsaremetbyencouragingteachers

tomasteranduseappropriateinstructionaltaskstoaccomplishtheacademicobjectives

46

(Ferguson,2002).Schoolleaderswillfailintheirresponsibilityandstudentswillcontinuetobe

athighriskoffailureunlesseducatorsinschoolsanddecisionmakersrealizetheymustenhance

thedevelopmentoftheacademicpotentialofAfricanAmericanstudents(Bormanetal.,2000).

Theresponsibilityofbuildingprincipalsistofocusattentiononthesuccessofallstudents.

Researchersindicatedthatschoolleadershipandeffectiveadministrationplaya

significantroleintheeffectiveoperationofsuccessfulschools(Dimmitt,2003;Fleischman&

Heppen,2009;Grove,2004;Jordan&Cooper,2003;Toldson,2008;Tomlinsonetal.,2006).

Highexpectationsofstudentsandteachers,higher-qualityprincipalleadership,frequent

monitoringofstudentprogress,andpositivestudentandfacultyattitudesleadtohigherthan

expectedstudentachievementgains(Heck,2000).Muchoftheresearchonattainingacademic

successhighlightstheimportanceofstrongprincipalleadership,acaringandsupportiveschool

staff,andaschoolcultureofhighexpectations.Inaddition,valuesandrespectaswellasthe

cultureandlearningstyleoftheAfricanAmericanstudentwerehighlightedasnecessarymeans

ofmakingpossibleahighrateofacademicsuccessforAfricanAmericanstudents(Maryland

StateDepartmentofEducation,2006;Ragland,Clubine,Constable,&Smith,2002;Wilson-

Jones&Caston,2004).

However,educatorsinschoolsoftenperpetuatethedifficultchallengesAfricanAmerican

studentsfaceintheireducationaldevelopment.In2007,thenationalpercentageofpublicschool

studentsingrades6through12whohadbeensuspended,expelled,orrepeatedagradewas

higherforAfricanAmericanmalesthanforWhitemales.AfricanAmericanmalestudentswere

suspendedatarateof43%whileonly16%ofWhitepeersweresuspended.Equallyasalarming,

13%ofAfricanAmericanstudentshadbeenexpelledfromschoolwhileonly1%ofWhitepeers

wereexpelled.Inaddition,thepercentageofAfricanAmericanmalestudentsrepeatingagrade

47

morethandoubledthatofWhitestudents.Almost21%ofAfricanAmericanstudentsversus9%

ofWhitestudentsrepeatedagrade(NationalCenterforEducationStatistics,2010).

Inaddition,thedistrictswithpredominatelyAfricanAmericanstudentstendedtooperate

raciallysegregatedschools,achievedpoorlyontheNationalAssessmentofEducationProgress,

andahighernumberofAfricanAmericanmalesweresuspendedandexpelled.MoreBlackthan

Whiteboysareassignedtospecialeducationprogramsandpreventedfromreceivingahigh

schooldiplomawiththeirpeers.Blackchildrenarelabeledmentallyretardednearly300%

morethanWhitechildrenandonly8.4%ofBlackmalesareidentifiedandenrolledingiftedand

talentedclasses(Holzman,2006).

AreportpublishedbytheNationalCenterforEducationStatistics(2007)provideddata

showingthedisparityinachievementlevelsbyracialsubgroups.Thisdataissignificantbecause

althoughAfricanAmericansrepresentedonly17%ofthetotalschoolpopulation,theyaccounted

for32%ofthesuspensionsand30%oftheexpulsionsinU.S.Schools(Skibaetal.,2002).In

addition,thepercentageofAfricanAmericanmalestudentsrepeatingagrademorethandoubled

thatofWhitestudents.Almost23%ofAfricanAmericanmalesversus10.0%ofWhitemale

studentsrepeatedagrade.Ina2005report,theU.S.DepartmentofEducationreportedthe

percentageofAfricanAmericans(11.6%)whowerestatusdropoutswerehigherthanthe7.2%

ofWhites(NationalCenterforEducationStatistics,2007).

Expulsionsandsuspensionsmeanabsenteeismfromthelearningprocess.Absenteeism

hasanegativeimpactonacademicsuccessandgraduationrates.Thus,thesepracticesaidin

AfricanAmericanmalesacademicfailure.Therefore,payingcloserattentiontoAfrican

Americanstudentsbeingsuspendedorexpelled,repeatinggrades,anddroppingoutofschool

beforegraduationandtherelationshipofthesefactorstopooracademicperformanceshouldbea

48

majorgoalofAmericasandGeorgiaspubliceducators(NationalCenterforEducation

Statistics,2007).

Skibaetal.(2002)revieweddisciplinaryrecordsof11,001studentsin19urban

Midwesternmiddleschoolsforthe1994-1995schoolyear.Ofthenumberofstudentsinthe

study,56%wereBlackand42%wereWhite,andmalesaccountedfor51.8%ofthestudentsin

thestudy.Datashowedthat65.3%ofstudentswerefromlowsocioeconomiclevelfamilies

basedontheireligibilityforreducedcostlunch.

FindingsfromtheSkibaetal.(2002)studyshowedthatBlackstudentsandmaleswere

overrepresentedinallthreemeasuresofschooldisciplineconsequences(referrals,suspensions,

andexpulsions).Inthecaseofofficereferrals,therankorderwasBlackmale,Whitemale,Black

femalefollowedbyWhitefemale.InthecaseofBlackmales,thereasonforofficereferrals

cateredtothesubjectivejudgmentofthereferringagent,suchasloitering,excessivenoise,or

threat;whereas,thereasonsgivenforWhitestudentsreferralstotheofficeconsistedofsmoking

andvandalism,whichindicatedanobjectiveviewbythereferringagent.

Inaddition,resultsfromtheSkibaetal.(2002)studyshowedthatthesocioeconomic

indicatorappearedtobesomewhatlessimportantthangenderorracialdisparity.Theresearchers

concludedthattherewasindeedarobustpatternofBlackstudentsbeingdisproportionaely

disciplinedbasedonahigherrateofofficereferrals.Blackstudentsperceivedthisracial

disparityindisciplineasacausetohavethemremovedfromtheclassroom.Forexample,they

identifiedalackofinterestonthepartoftheteachers,differencesincommunicationstyle,and

lackofrespectfromteachersasunderlyingcausesofreferrals.Inaddition,Blackstudents

contendedthatapurposefulplanexistedtopushthemtothepointofbeingdisrespectuland

hostile,thereby,leadingtoofficereferrals.Researcherssuggestthatschoolleadershipdevelop

49

alternativemethodstosuspensionsandexpulsionsfordealingwithdisruptivebehaviorandto

helpeducatorslearnhowtofocusonpositiveclassroommanagementtechniquestoimprove

academicperformanceofstudents(AdvancementProject/CivilRightsProject,2000;Morgan,

1991).

ProgramsDesignedtoHelpAfricanAmericanMalesAchieveAcademicSuccess

Principalsandcommunityleadershaveacknowledgedtheproblemoflowacademic

performanceamongAfricanAmericanstudents.Oneofthechallengesfacingadministratorsis

howtoensureaqualityeducationandassureequitabledistributionofeducationresourcestoall

students.Therefore,variouslearningstrategiesandinterventionprogramsthatmightpotentially

equipminoritystudents,especiallyAfricanAmericanmales,withtheneededskillstobe

successfulinschoolandsocietyhavebeenexplored.

Successfulprogramsaddressingtheneedsofyouthswhilepreparingthemtobe

successfuladultsinsocietyareconnectedwiththeschoolandthecommunity.Rolemodelsand

mentorsnotonlyhaveapositiveeffectonstudentsgrades,butpositivelyaffectbehavior,

attendanceandself-esteem(Campbell-Whatley&Algozzine,1997;Wyatt,2009).Thepotential

toputmoreBlackmalesintheclassroom,improvetheAfricanAmericancommunity,and

advancethenationasawholeexistsinaProgramintheSouthCarolinaeducationalsystem.The

CallMeMister(MenInstructingStudentsTowardEffectiveRoleModels)Programwas

designedtohelpAfricanAmericanmalesbecomechangeagents,developprideanddignity,and

simultaneouslycreatesuccessfulandeffectiveeducationalexperiences.TheCallMeMister

Programfocusesprimarilyonstudentsinlowergrades.ThegoalistotrainAfricanAmerican

mentobecomeschoolteachersandrolemodels.ThemissionoftheMisterprogramisto

improveachievementamongAfricanAmericanstudentsbyutilizingtheleadershipabilityof

50

AfricanAmericanmaleteachers.InconjunctionwithhistoricallyBlackBenedictCollege,

Clafin,MorrisCollege,andSouthCarolinaStateUniversity,theProgramhadabout150Black

malesinteachertrainingprogramsand20teachersonthejobin2007.TheseBlackmale

teachersservedasrolemodelsandmaleinfluencesintheclassroom.Itisbelievedthatthis

Programovertimewillimpactacademicperformance,expeciallyinBlackmales.TheMister

ProgramissupportedfinanciallybythefederalgovernementandorganizationssuchasBavarian

MotorWorks(BMW),MichelinandtheCharlesStewartMottFoundation(Holsendolph,2007;

Richard,2005;Smiles,2002).

StudieshavefoundthatAfricanAmericanmalesacademicsuccess,tosomedegree,

dependsonthedevelopmentofsame-racepeerrelationshipsandsame-racesupportoncampus.

ThesestudiesshowedthatnotonlydoespeerconnectionplayanimportantroleinAfrican

Americanmalescollegiatesuccess,butitalsoenhancesthequalityofcollegeexperience

(Harper,2006;McClure,2006).Warde(2008)conductedastudyof11AfricanAmericanmale

graduatestudentsenrolledinhighereducationinNewYorkCity.Thefocusofthestudywasto

determinefactorsthatcontributedtoAfricanAmericanmalessuccessfullycompletinga

baccalaureatedegree.Findingsrevealedthatpeermentorshipplayedanimportantroleinthe

successfulcompletionofAfricanAmericanmalesreceivingtheirbaccalaureatedegrees.

Wyatt(2009)reportedthattheBrotherhoodmalementoringprogramgoalistoimprove

thegraduationrateofAfricanAmericanmaleswithinChicagoPublicSchools.Theprogramis

guidedbyamembershipof105men,incorporatingtheAmericanSchoolCounselorAssociation

standards,empowermenttheory,andthesevenprinciplesofKwanzaaNguzoSaba.These

principlesincorporateunity,self-determination,collectivework,responsibility,coopertive

economics,purpose,creativity,andfaithastaughtthroughweeklystudentengagement.Weekly

51

topicsaredevelopedbasedonissuesaffectingadolescentAfricanAmericanmaledevelopment.

Over90%ofmalesparticipatingintheprogramwereofAfricanAmericanrace.

Afterthe30weekProgram,datawerecollectedfromGradePointAverages(GPA)anda

questionnairecompletedby36membersandprogramalumnitocollectperceptiondataaboutthe

impactoftheprogram.ResultsshowedtheBrotherhoodmembers'gradepointaverages(GPA)

was60%higherin2006and48%higherin2007thanothernon-Brotherhoodmales.Datafrom

thequestionairessuggestedaneedtoprovidecontinuousacademic,personal/social,andcareer

developmentsupporttomalesthroughtheuseofmentoringgroups(Wyatt,2009).

Areviewoftheliteraturesuggestedthatculturalidentity,socioeconomicdisadvantages,

andoppressionhaveaneffectonthedevelopmentofyoungAfricanAmericanmales.In

addition,twoprimarycriteriaareindicatedasbeingsignificantforthesocializationofAfrican

AmericanmeninAmerica:educationandjobskills(Wyatt,2009).Thejobofthehighschool

principal,counselorsandstaffmembersisverydifficult.However,astudyconductedbyGrove

(2004)concludedthatadministratorsdoinfluencestudentoutcomesthroughthefacilitatingof

goalsettingandcommunicationofthosegoalsastheyrelatetostatestandards.Theneedfor

qualityschoolleadershipremainstobeanimportantfactorintheeducationofallstudents.

Educationalopportunitiesshapethelivesofstudentsforemployment,andgeneralwell-

being,whilelackofeducationalopportunitiescontributestoschoolfailure,dropoutandpoverty.

Theoretically,schoolsaredesignedtoprovideeducationalopportunitiesandpreparestudentsfor

lifeafterschool.AccordingtoSizer(1999)thereisnophaseofschoolingofhigherprofilethan

thecurriculum.Curriculumdevelopment,instructionalstrategiesdesign,learningactivities,and

theassessmentsystemmustbealignedwithintendedlearningoutcomes.Theresponsibilityof

thebuildingprincipalistofocusattentionontheachievementofallstudents.Principalsareina

52

uniquepositionasschoolleaderstoimplementcurriculumstrategiesthatwillempowerAfrican

Americansmalesandallstudentstodeveloppositiveattitudes,behaviorsandvaluesnecessary

foreducationalaccomplishments.

SolutionsBelievedtobeNecessaryforAcademicSuccess

Baseduponthedatapresentedinthereviewedliterature,aconclusionisthatAfrican

Americanstudentseducationalaspirations,occupationalexpectations,culturalidentity,and

attitudestowardschoolarerelatedtostudentsachievement(Cheng&Starks,2002;Goldsmith,

2004;Irving&Hudley,2008;Smerdon,2002;Sullivanetal.,2008).Researchfindings

suggestedthatAfricanAmericanstudentsmaintainedthatschools,parents,communityandthe

schoolenvironmentplayanimportantroleintheireducationaldevelopment.

FerrerandGarlington(2007)conductedastudyfortheMountainViewCountySchool

District.Forty-twoAfricanAmericanstudentsenrolledinhonors,advanced,oradvanced

placement(AP)courseswereselectedfromtwocommunityhighschoolsforthisstudy.The

purposeofthisstudywastofindoutfromAfricanAmericanhighschoolstudentsthereasonsfor

theirlackofacademicachievementontheFloridaComprehensiveAssessmentTest(FCAT).

TheAfricanAmericanparticipantsperceivedthattheywerehatedandnobodycaredabouttheir

educationalsuccess,includingpeoplefromthehome,school,andcommunity.AfricanAmerican

studentsperceivedthattheywereviewedonlyasbeingsuccessfulinsports.Studentsfeltthat

parentswouldsupportasportingeventoftheschoolbeforesupportinganacademicevent.

AfricanAmericanstudentssawtheschoolasrewarding,celebrating,andrecognizingsport

participationandnotrecognizingeffortsinschoolachievement.Inaddition,AfricanAmerican

studentsperceivedthattheywereill-preparedtopasstheFCATtest,andthatbybeing

academicallysuccessful,peerswouldclassifythemasnerdsmakingthemanoutcastfromthe

53

normalschoolpopulation.Participantsinthisstudymadenumeroussuggestionstoaidin

improvingtheirschoolpeformance.Studentsbelievedthattheschoolshouldfocusmoreon

motivatingthemtoachieveacademically,thatteachersshouldbehighlyqualified,caringand

willingtomakeadifferenceintheirlives.Furthermore,participantsbelievedthattheschool

shouldbeaplacewherestudentswouldwanttogotolearn.Theschoolfacilityshouldbeclean,

attractive,andsafeforlearning.Studentsalsobelievedthateducatorsinschoolsshouldpromote

mentoringprograms,sponsoreducationalfieldtrips,presentmotivationalspeakers,publicize

studentachievementstothecommunity,offermorerewards,anduselesspunishment.Students

alsobelievedthatthereshouldbestrongcollaborationbetweenschool,community,andparents.

Basden(2006)studiedtheimpactofsocializationuponAfricanAmericanhighschool

males'academicachievement.Home,schoolingpractices,peerinfluence,self-esteem,

contemporarymusic,socioeconomicstatusandrolemodelswereconsideredasinfluenceswithin

theschoolenvironment.Thestudyconsistedof42AfricanAmericanmaleparticipants:21high

achieverswith3.00GPAorhigherand21lowachieverswith2.00GPAorlower.Participants

wereinterviewedandgivena51-itemsurveythatincludedaLikertscale.Highachieving

studentsshowedgreatergainduetospendingmoretimeinthelibrarywithparents.African

Americanstudentsfelttheirgradeswerereflectiveoftheirattitudesandbehaviorandwereless

reflectiveofhownicetheirteacherswere.StudentswerecomfortablebeingAfricanAmericans,

listenedtohip/hopmusic,andhadfewpeopleintheirhousehold.Thesesocializationskillswere

thoughttobeimportantinfluencesinleadingtoacademicsuccessinAfricanAmericans.

AfricanAmericans,especiallymales,academicperformanceisoftenaffectedbecauseof

stereotypes(Bell,2004;Bogle,1994;Cheng&Starks,2002;Irving&Hudley,2008;Mincey,

1994;NationalCenterforEducationStatistics,2009;Ogbu,2004;TheStaffoftheWashington

54

Post,2007).Wright's(2007)studyexaminedtherelationshipbetweenracial-ethnicidentityand

highacademicachievementoffiveyoungAfrican-Americanmeningrades11and12inan

urbanpilothighschoolintheNortheast.Thestudyrevealedthatpositiveyouthdevelopment,

identitytheory,socio-culturaltheoryhaveapositiveeffectonthewayadolescentsinterviewed

usedstrategiesofassertivenesstoachieveschoolsuccess.

Summary

EducationaltrendsforAfricanAmericanmalesarelinkeddirectlytoearlystrugglesof

AfricanAmericans.AfricanAmericanshavesuffereddisproportionatelythroughtheyearsin

theirquestforanequaleducation.ManyAfricanAmericansweredeniedtherighttolearnhow

toreadandwriteandoftenhadtoeducatethemselves.Thestruggleforeducationaladvancement

continues.AfricanAmericansareexposedtoinadequatelearningenvironment,poorschool

structure,anddifferentialtreatment.

ItisimportantforAfricanAmericanmalestudentstobeequippedwithanadequate

educationsotheywillbeabletocontributetothesocial,economic,andpoliticaldevelopmentof

society.Inaddition,itisimportantthateducatorsequipthemselveswithknowledgeconcerning

culturaldifferencesamongstudents,perceptionsAfricanAmericanmaleshaveaboutschools

thathindertheirachievement,andprogramsthatbestserveAfricanAmericanmalestudents.

Schoolleadersareincreasinglymoreaccountablefortheachievementofstudents,sothereisa

needtoconductthisstudyusingthetargetpopulationtoenhanceeducatorsandpolicymakers

awarenessoftheeducationalneedsofAfricanAmericanmalestudents.

55

CHAPTER3

Methodology

ThepurposeofthisresearchwastoexploreAfricanAmericanmalestudents'perceptions

offactorscontributingtotheiracademicsuccess.Thischapterincludesadescriptionofthe

researchdesign,participants,instrumentation,pilotstudy,anddatacollectionandanalysis.The

studyaddressedthefollowingresearchquestion:

OverarchingQuestion:WhatdoAfricanAmericanmalestudentsperceiveasfactors

contributingtotheiracademicsuccess?Additionalsupportingquestionsthatguidedtheresearch

were:

1. WhatdoesacademicsuccessmeantoAfricanAmericanmalestudents?

2. Whatrolesdopeers,parentsandeducatorsplayinAfricanAmericanmalestudents'

abilitytoachieveacademicsuccess?

3. WhatroledoesschoolenvironmentplayinAfricanAmericanmalestudents'abilityto

achieveacademicsuccess?

4. Whataresomechallengesandsolutionsforaccomplishingacademicsuccess?

ResearchDesign

Inconductingthisstudy,aqualitativeresearchmethodwasusedtogatherdata

concerningAfricanAmericanmalestudentsperceptionsoffactorscon