Throughout the history of the U.S., racialized groups have often had their experiences profoundly shaped by social imagery in ways that have created tremendous hardships in the quest for self-actualization and a healthy sense of self. The purpose of this article is to shed light on the manner in which Black males have been one of the primary victims of negative social imagery and how the remnants of these constructions continue to have contemporary influences, particularly when it comes to their schooling experiences in the U.S. The goal of this work is to make an argument for the generation of new ideas, different conceptual frameworks, and innovative methods of inquiry that can be useful in dismantling negative imagery of Black males. It is the hope that these new approaches to studying Black males may play an important role in creating useful research, theory, and practices that will help to improve the schooling experiences and educational outcomes for Black males, who consistently find themselves at the bottom of most academic indices. This article offers an account of how researchers and practitioners can conduct their work in a manner that rejects pathological identities for Black males in P-12 schools, and instead develops a more comprehensive and complex account that recognizes Black males' academic promise and multifaceted identities. The authors seek to examine some of the concerns about the manner in which Black males are frequently viewed in schools and offer important design principles that can be utilized by educational practitioners, researchers--and Black males themselves--to disrupt deficit accounts of Black male academic and social potential.