Achievement gap studies examining race overwhelmingly reveal that White children and Asian children outperform Black children and Latino children, few studies have outcomes that show Black children outperforming their peers. Critical race theory frames this work, which examines the performance of English Learners (n = 198) in a large school…

This article provides a partial observation of a multi-tiered academic retention program with leadership and mentoring components aimed at providing academic and social support for high-achieving undergraduate students of color at a predominantly White university. As postsecondary institutions are faced with sustaining students, the development,…

This ethnographic case study explores the nature of social justice at an historically Black college and university (HBCU) from the perspective of a physical education teacher education--a discipline within a context rarely explored in depth. Throughout this study, I maintain that a careful analysis of social justice must consider the culture and…

From 1896 to 1954, the "separate but equal" doctrine instituted by the landmark "Plessy v. Ferguson" case reverberated in public education in the United States until its rejection in the 1954 "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka" Supreme Court decision. In this integrative literature review, the authors sought to…

This study uses a theoretical framework rooted in stereotype threat theory to investigate the perceptions and experiences of high-achieving African American students at an urban elementary school that had implemented a test-centered curriculum. The investigation utilized data from six focus group interviews conducted with a purposefully selected…

The objective of this study was to investigate Black teachers' perceptions of their impact on Black student achievement. Study participants included teachers with 2-15 years of experience from neighboring school districts in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Data were collected during school-year 2011-2012. Methods included journal…

Conversations around the achievement gap are often centered on what parents and students can do to close it. Overall school leaders have not made the achievement of Black students a priority, but it continues to be a priority for Black parents. Despite the vast research on parental involvement, little is known about the specific contributions of…

Using data from a multi-year study of eleven low-performing high schools, Cooper and Davis examine the academic aspirations and motivations of urban African American high school students in California. Situating their discussion within the context of neoliberalism and its manifestation in urban school reform and community cohesion, the authors…

Research supports the use of the Color-Blind Racism Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS) as a measure of color-blindness, but relatively little is known about whether it is predictive of policy attitudes. This study adds to that literature by investigating the extent to which CoBRAS predicts attitudes toward resource redistribution as a method of addressing…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of parental factors on the environmental science performance of Black Caribbean and Black American students in a Mid-Atlantic U.S. state. The study employed two instruments: (a) a student background questionnaire and (b) an environmental science teacher designed test. The instruments were…

This article asserts the necessity of a twenty-first century movement for achieving excellence with equity. For most of our nation's history, it was taken for granted that academic skill levels among some groups would be lower, on average, than for others. Indeed, a culture of White supremacy maintained a division of labor that relegated people of…

This article examines the under-representation of Black students in gifted education, asserting that social inequalities (e.g., prejudice and discrimination) contribute to segregated gifted education programs. Under-representation trends are presented for gifted education, along with methods for calculating under-representation and then inequity…

This research focuses on correlates involving civic engagement, public deliberation, and National Issues Forums. Activities involving public deliberation and a "Train the Trainer" process through National Issues Forums are explored with students at a college in the southeastern region of the United States. Results indicate that students…

Much of the research that focuses on the academic success of Black youth in urban science education does not consider the provision of tools that educators can use in becoming more effective. This article discusses this issue, and introduces an approach to pedagogy--reality pedagogy--which includes five distinct types of practices (the 5 C's)…

While persistence and completion rates in postsecondary education are on the rise, gaps based on racial/ethnic demographics remain. This is particularly evident at predominately White institutions (PWIs), despite increasing enrollment of African Americans at these institutions. Previous studies have linked psychosocial health of African American…