Provides information for teachers and schools on literacy instruction for African American adolescent males.

Engage in exploratory discussion on African American male achievement. Why do some students return to school year after year excited and engaged? Why do other students dread school, have negative feelings toward school, or feel unequipped by the challenge or demands of school? Educating African American Males offers multiple perspectives on this topic from top scholars in the field of urban education. Contributions in this book represent the proceedings from a conference co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and Howard University and devoted to African American male achievement. This exciting new resource brings this important discussion to the field and offers unique perspectives covering sociological, emotional, economic, pedagogical, and cognitive realms. Educating African American Males makes bold strides in moving away from low test scores, high dropout and expulsion rates, and high disciplinary problems, and toward the constructive aim of achieving high-quality education for all students.

New Visions of Collective Achievement: The Cross-Generational Schooling Experiences of African American Males takes you on a journey into the lives of three families of African American males, each with an elementary aged boy. Bear witness to each boy’s observations and insights on his current schooling experiences, also hear what older males in his family have to say regarding their schooling experiences. Employing qualitative methodology to include their frequently unheard voices in educational research, this book endeavors to move toward correcting this oversight. New Visions of Collective Achievement graciously offers each of us, as stakeholders, a most precious gift: a theoretical and practical framework to effect real, meaningful, and long-lasting change if we are courageous enough to take heed. “This refreshingly clear and focused book presents a comprehensive discussion on the schooling experiences of African American males across generations. This invaluable resource should be required reading for all educators who work with this population to show the value of education in the African American community.” – Chance W. Lewis, Ph.D. Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Professor of Urban Education, UNC Charlotte “New Visions of Collective Achievement provides educators with an important insight into the ways Black males experience their education across time. Through groundbreaking research presented in the voices of three generations of Black males, this book commands attention and calls for multiple stakeholders in our schools and communities to work together to cultivate and advance the social and academic well-being of Black males.” – Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of English Education, Teachers College, Columbia University “New Visions encapsulates the spirit of African American males who are separated by generations, yet bound by a collective struggle against social injustice and a desire for success. Dr. Hucks invokes a reverence for historical oppression, an awareness of present day opportunities and barriers, and a visionary path for future generations of Black men.” – Ivory A. Toldson, Ph.D. Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of Negro Education; Associate Professor, Counseling Psychology Program, Howard University

This book discusses current research on identity formation, family and peer influences, risk and resilience factors, and concepts of masculinity and sexuality in African American boys. Sorting out genuine findings from popular misconceptions and misleading headlines, this concise and wide-ranging reference covers the crucial adolescent years, ages 11-16, acknowledging diversity of background and experience in the group, and differences and similarities with African American girls as well as with other boys. In addition, the authors review strengths-based school and community programs that harness evidence and insights to promote pro-social behavior. Featured areas of coverage include: The protective role of ethnic identity and racial socialization. Family management, cohesion, communication, and well-being. Development and importance of peer relationships. Health and well-being. Theoretical perspectives on educational achievement. Factors that contribute to delinquency and victimization. What works: effective programs and practices. African American Boys is an essential resource for a wide range of clinicians and practitioners – as well as researchers and graduate students – in school and clinical child psychology, prevention and public health, social work, mental health therapy and counseling, family therapy, and criminal justice.

Children spend more time in school than in any social institution outside the home. And schools probably exert more influence on children’s development and life chances than any environment beyond the home and neighbourhood. The purpose of this book is to document some important ways schools influence children’s development and to describe various models and methods for studying schooling effects. Key features include: Comprehensive Coverage – this is the first book to provide a comprehensive review of what is known about schools as a context for human development. Topical coverage ranges from theoretical foundations to investigative methodologies and from classroom-level influences such as teacher-student relations to broader influences such as school organization and educational policies. Cross-Disciplinary – this volume brings together the divergent perspectives, methods and findings of scholars from a variety of disciplines, among them educational psychology, developmental psychology, school psychology, social psychology, psychiatry, sociology, and educational policy. Chapter Structure – to ensure continuity, chapter authors describe 1) how schooling influences are conceptualized 2) identify their theoretical and methodological approaches 3) discuss the strengths and weaknesses of existing research and 4) highlight implications for future research, practice, and policy. Methodologies – chapters included in the text feature various methodologies including longitudinal studies, hierarchical linear models, experimental and quasi-experimental designs, and mixed methods.

The objective of this collection is to look at Afro-American young men within their full social and community context. The book consists of 19 chapters in four sections focusing on the structural conditions, parenting, education and social identity of young black men. Seventeen chapters are written specifically for this analysis; only two chapters have been previously published in other forms. The authors of these chapters are both university and community-based researchers and practitioners and are uniquely qualified due to their work, insights and experiences with young black men. What these writers provide are insights that can help us to better understand these young men as well as the conditions that dispose them toward successful and productive roles or toward self-destruction. Contents: Section One: Up Against the Odds; Section Two: Families and CommunitiesóParenting; Section Three: Education for Survival and Success; Section Four: Development of Cultural Identity.