This collection of 29 unusual and interesting articles in 19 chapters addresses the issues of urban education from several provocative angles. The book outlines how cultural traditions of minority groups can be the fulcrum for positive educational change, and the special challenges of growing up as a male from a minority background. Some articles…

This fundamentally encouraging book describes programs that offer young Black males from high-risk environments the same nurturing opportunities that other young people have to develop the competencies needed for adulthood. Chapters and their authors are (1) "Introduction" (Ronald B. Mincy); (2) "Adolescent Development"…

This collection of papers from U.S. and British contributors focuses on positive social inclusion policy and practice for black students. There are 15 chapters in five parts. Part 1, "Tackling Historical and Contemporary Education Problems," includes: (1) "Racism, Policy and the (Mis)Education of Black Children" (David…

Analyzes the "The Miseducation of the Negro" by Carter G. Woodson (1977) particularly in light of the recent debate over multicultural education. Argues that Woodson's work is Afrocentric and favors a multicultural education and that his work is an important part of centuries and decades of resistance by African Americans. (JB)

The following three African-American philosophical orientations to education have achieved prominence over the years: (1) the accommodationist philosophy of Booker T. Washington; (2) the radical, liberationist approach of W. E. B. DuBois; and (3) the integrationist/desegregationist, reformist philosophy of Charles H. Houston. Each philosophical…

Discusses background issues and defines relevant terminology related to Africentrism. Curriculum issues surrounding innovative approaches to infusing African and African-American content into the public school system are discussed. The diverse multicultural society in the United States must represent the histories and contributions of minority…

Profiles the New Concept Development Center (NCDC) in Chicago (Illinois), an independent African-American institution established in 1972 that is a model for other private and public schools. The NCDC's history is traced. The NCDC educates and socializes African-American children to assume future roles as leaders in their communities. (SLD)

Selected papers are presented from a national conference on urban issues. They are: (1) "Collaboration as a Social Process: Inter-Institutional Cooperation and Educational Change" (Charles F. Underwood and Hardy T. Frye); (2) "Mobilizing the Village To Educate the Child" (Valerie Maholmes); (3) "Pathways to Teaching: An Urban Teacher Licensure…

Findings of a 3-year study of the experiences of Black and African-Canadian students in the Ontario public school system are presented. The paper focuses on urban students in four schools and on their parents' perceptions of public schooling. Interviews were held with nearly 150 African Canadian students, including 22 dropouts, some of whom…

An African centered curriculum has two parts. It is both a process that centers around the cultural heritage of African Americans, and the infusion of content that will stimulate and/or reinforce the growth and development of African and African-American mental and ethical traits. The scholars who are the main proponents of an African centered…

Schools fail to meet the schooling needs of many nonwhite students. Afrocentricity, a new curricular movement that looks through African eyes, focuses on improving schooling experiences for African-Americans. Some proponents view it as an answer to African-American student underachievement and say it enhances self-esteem, achievement levels,…

The cult of ethnicity in general and the Afrocentric campaign in particular do not bode well for U.S. education or for the future of the country. The debate over ethnocentric curricula is traced. Commentaries by R. Walters and D. D'Souza elaborate on issues of multicultural education. (SLD)

Educational reform efforts to date in the United States have not been germane or responsive to the social problems of African American children. The reform efforts advanced to date have only been exercises in tinkering around the educational edges. Our educational focus, the origin of which is outlined, must shift in at least two major ways.…

Examines aspects of an African-centered pedagogy that should let children understand their identities as people of African heritage. Data are from an ethnographic study of "liberatory" pedagogy that was used by four black women teachers. Three vignettes illustrate liberatory practice as it explicitly addresses issues that are often…

Introduces a special section containing three articles and six commentaries, which discuss the form that multicultural education should take and consider whether children are well-served by a unified curriculum for all or ethnocentric curricula for various ethnic groups. Provides several examples of a multicultural approach. (SLD)