Urban African American males face complex barriers to learning and achievement. A Washington, D.C., school has designed a ninth-grade program that effectively enhances youngsters' self-concept and allows them to succeed academically. Ninth graders attend most classes in the Annex, a personalized, caring environment that subverts negative aspects…

To test whether differences in academic performance exist between public and private schools, this report analyzes the mathematics scores from the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) taken by African American fourth and eighth graders in the District of Columbia's public and private schools. The typical, or average, African…