Successful african American male youth: A psychosocial profile

Voices of success: Descriptive portraits of two successful African American male middle school mathematics students

“…In addition, they expressed a desire to make their teachers and parents proud of them. This is consistent with Lee's (1996) findings that academically successful African American male students desired to make their parents proud.…”

“…Doing well in mathematics was perceived as important to the future of all the participants. This was consistent with Lee's (1996) finding that the African American male students in his study were highly motivated to do well in school because it was important to their future educational plans. Both Phillip and Bilal have set career and academic goals based on doing well in mathematics.…”

“…They felt that schools had low expectations of African American males, and they wanted to protect them from low expectations. Lee (1996) reported that African American males often experience alienation and distancing in school because they are recipients of lowered expectations from school personnel. Having a presence was important to the parents, because it was an indicator to the teachers that they have high expectations for their sons' academic performance and behavior.…”

“…Phillip stated, "The smart kids make me work harder" (Student Interview 3/07/02). Lee (1996) found in his research on urban high school African American males that teachers who expressed care and provided encouragement for the future were identified as their best teachers. Phillip and Bilal discussed how teachers asked them about their performance in other classes, and spent extra time with them when they were having trouble with mathematics.…”

A Phenomonenological Examination of Middle School African American Adolescent Mens' Experiences with Professional School Counselors

“…Professional school counselors are expected to provide comprehensive services that contribute to various domains including students' cognitive and academic performance, self-concept, interpersonal relationships, and preliminary career exploration and planning (ASCA, 2003;NMSA, 2008, Schmidt, 2008. Members of the counseling profession, school counselors and school counselor educators included, have also contributed much to the discussion on African American adolescent male students (Bailey & Paisley, 2004;Burkard, Martinez, & Holtz, 2010;Day-Vines & Day-Hairston, 2005; Lee & Bailey, 1997;Lee, 1995;Muller, 2002). Often, this body of literature operates from a social justice orientation, which encompasses a critical analysis of the impact adverse historical and contemporary ecological factors have on the educational experiences of African American adolescent men and what practical strategies can eliminate these systemic and institutional barriers (e.g., inadequate educational settings, sociopolitical and economic disenfranchisement, etc.)…”