Several theories suggest that African American culture facilitates academic achievement, but others suggest that identifying with Black culture contributes to the achievement gap by undermining the academic performance among youth. These opposing perspectives are labeled "cultural compatibility theories" and "cultural incompatibility theories," respectively. A previous review of the cultural incompatibility perspective reveals limited support for those theories. The current review of the literature complements the previous review with substantial support for the cultural compatibility perspective. Implications for theory, research, and practice addressing the racial gap in achievement by considering the cultural underpinnings of academic behavior in African American youth are discussed.