America is failing its young Black boys. In metropolitan ghettos, rural villages and midsized townships across the country, schools have become holding tanks for populations of Black boys who have a statistically higher probability of walking the corridors of prison than the halls of college. Across America, the problem of Black male achievement seems intractable. This nation fails its Black sons more than any other racial or ethnic group. This is the second in a series of conferences that the Educational Testing Service (ETS) has organized to look specifically at the Black male achievement gap. The first, "Climbing the Academic Achievement Ladder: Promoting the Success of Black Males," also covered in this issue of "ETS Policy Notes", took place at ETS headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey, on November 13, 2010. ETS co-sponsored the event with the New Jersey Department of Education and with support from the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education at the New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and the Center for Effective School Practices at Rutgers University. This issue of "ETS Policy Notes" will weave together highlights from both conferences, examining the status of Black males in America as well as the important roles that families, schools, communities and public policy can play in improving this status. All contribute to the perfect storm of educational and economic negligence that society now must seek to counter. The focus begins with the earliest achievement gap noted at 9 months of age, and continues with innovative programs that may alter the achievement trajectory for these children. Finally, it describes an important initiative on which CDF (Children's Defense Fund) and ETS are collaborating that expands successful practice with ETS's support of a CDF Freedom School[R] in Newark, New Jersey. (Contains 7 footnotes and 1 figure.)