This study of six young urban African American men, all in grades 10 or 11 at the time of the study, examined their experiences and the meanings they constructed of the high school diploma, their experiences in classrooms, and their relationships with family members and peers. The perspectives of these young men point to the importance of…

Discusses whether white male teachers can be positive role models for at-risk black male youth and concludes that they can if they are men of integrity who are willing to take on the risks associated with being a dedicated teacher. (SLD)

Research has often indicated that African American male students are placed in special education in disproportionate numbers. Many reasons have been advanced for this disparity in placement, including placement and testing procedures, cultural differences, parent and teaching training problems, economic factors, and the failure of schools to…

Responds to feminist groups' assertions that the educational system shortchanges females, suggesting that these assertions have detracted attention from the real problem of low academic achievement among African-American males and boys in general. Research on adolescent self-esteem and sex differences in mathematics achievement is reviewed. (SLD)

The relationship between career maturity and self-concepts of 252 sixth-grade black males was investigated. Results indicated relatively weak-positive relationships between career maturity and self-concepts. Significant career maturity differences were found. However, self-concepts of the three groups were not statistically significantly…

This ethnographic study of 50 male African-American gang members constructs a portrait of the culture in which these young men lived and points out factors that helped 11 of them begin to escape gang life, in contrast to the other 39 who lacked these supporting factors of families, teachers, and peers. (SLD)

This social skills curriculum has been developed as a guide to assist educators in instructing young African-American males how to determine what behaviors are acceptable and what are not acceptable in our society. Parents and other family members will also find these strategies useful for followup activities. The book does not address all…

Studied the motivation of 60 black urban male tenth-graders, half achievers and half with lower achievement scores. Results suggest that if potential achievers are to be turned into achievers, teachers must focus on activities designed to foster intrinsic motivation. Techniques for working with low-income minority youth are outlined. (SLD)

This study examines the larger realities of African-American males and analyses the theoretical contexts of educational practices in alternative education schools and programs for African-American males. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the crises African Americans face and introduces the concepts of black all-male academies and the nature of…

Describes Project P.R.O.M.I.S.E., a school/university/community collaborative effort designed to address the needs of African American male elementary school students by providing adult African American male models involved in education at the university level. The history and components of the program are described, and plans for its evaluation…

A study of highly aggressive African American boys sought to understand the effect of an attribution retraining program designed to reduce aggressive males' tendency to attribute hostile intentions to peers following ambiguous, negative interactions. One hundred and one African American aggressive and non-aggressive elementary school boys in Los…

Through naturalistic inquiry, the study reported in this book sought to determine the inner qualities that compel some black males to persist and overcome adversity, while others of their socioeconomic class quit and fail. The research was designed to identify the factors that led to the successful achievement of African American male students at…

Details a qualitative, descriptive study of three participants in the African American Achievers Youth Corps, Inc., a program matching at-risk African American middle school and high school males with adult mentors. These case studies indicate that caring and supportive behaviors of adults can improve the self-esteem and academic achievement of…

A disproportionately high number of minority students are referred by general education teachers for placement in special education. Teacher perception of social skills and problem behaviors of African American male students with and without identified disabling conditions was studied with 44 African American urban male students in grades 3, 4,…

A study was done of 5 selected domains of self-perception held by 60 urban black male 10th graders in North Carolina. The domains were scholastic competence, athletic competence, physical appearance, behavioral conduct, and job competence. Each domain was transformed into a research questions. Achievers (n=30) and potential achievers (n=30) as…