National data trends underscore the "problem" of Black male achievement. Beneath the causes and consequences are the ideologies used to frame the problem and its solutions. The ideology of meritocracy is routinely employed to rationalize educational disparities. This article examined how White male teachers, in a charter school designed…

The current study relies on in-depth interviews with twenty Black males who graduated from Du Bois Academy (pseudonym), an urban, all-boys public charter secondary school and explores their educational perceptions and experiences. In particular, the author examines the interplay between students' in-school experiences and navigating a…