The first-ever study of African American giftedness at the collegiate level, focusing on two extraordinary case studies. At a time when so many studies of African American students focus on the factors of failure, Academically Gifted African American Male College Students fills a conspicuous void in the research literature on post-secondary education by focusing on success. Like no other work before it, this remarkable study goes deep inside the experiences of academically gifted African American men who successfully navigate their way through rigorous college-level programs. At the heart of the unique and long overdue work are two real-life stories of African American male students: one at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and the other at a Traditionally White Institution (TWI). In presenting, comparing, and contrasting these two cases, the book identifies a number of personal characteristics and institutional approaches driving their notable achievements. The result is a guidebook both for gifted African American male students and for the institutions looking to strengthen their support for them—particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

The first-ever study of African American giftedness at the collegiate level, focusing on two extraordinary case studies. At a time when so many studies of African American students focus on the factors of failure, Academically Gifted African American Male College Students fills a conspicuous void in the research literature on post-secondary education by focusing on success. Like no other work before it, this remarkable study goes deep inside the experiences of academically gifted African American men who successfully navigate their way through rigorous college-level programs. At the heart of the unique and long overdue work are two real-life stories of African American male students: one at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and the other at a Traditionally White Institution (TWI). In presenting, comparing, and contrasting these two cases, the book identifies a number of personal characteristics and institutional approaches driving their notable achievements. The result is a guidebook both for gifted African American male students and for the institutions looking to strengthen their support for them—particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

Research focusing on the academic and social experiences of academically gifted, poor, African American male college students has been limited. Recent findings on college persistence stress the role of institutions of higher education in providing educational opportunities. However, research on academically gifted, poor, African American males indicates that this student population has had limited access to these opportunities. Academically gifted, poor, African American males in higher education encounter social and institutional factors that guide the directionality of their educational experience, particularly in engineering disciplines. This study explores perceptions of academically gifted, poor, African American male undergraduate students engineering as a major disciplines in order to identify factors that contribute to academic and social development. Based on participants' responses, seven categories emerge to identify aspects of the participants' experiences in college: (a) self-perceptions, (b) financial obstacles, (c) engineering as a major, (d) family influence and support, (e) peer relationships, (f) relationships with faculty, and (g) the students' perceptions of the institution. Based on the findings, it was concluded that institutions of higher education must understand the various factors (e.g., peer and faculty support, institutional congruence) that influence the academic and social integration of academically gifted, poor, African American male students. Specifically, these institutions must recognize the importance of family involvement, mentoring, and increased financial support for academically gifted, poor, African American male students.

Black Men in College provides vital information about how to effectively support, retain, and graduate Black male undergraduates. This edited collection centers on the notion that Black male collegians are not a homogenous group; rather, they are representative of rarely acknowledged differences that exist among them. This valuable text suggests that understanding these differences is critical to making true in-roads in serving Black men. Chapter contributors describe the diverse challenges Black men in HBCUs face and discuss how to support and retain high-achieving men, gay men, academically unprepared men, low-income men, men in STEM, American immigrants, millennials, collegiate fathers, those affiliated with Greek organizations, and athletes. Recommendations for policy and practice to encourage retention and persistence to degree completion are grounded in extant theory and research. This text is a must-read for all higher education faculty, researchers, and student affairs practitioners interested in addressing the contemporary college experiences of Black men in postsecondary institutions.

Advancing Black Male Student Success presents a comprehensive portrait of Black male students at every stage in the U.S. education system: preschool and kindergarten; elementary, middle and high schools; community colleges and four-year postsecondary institutions; and master’s and doctoral programs. Each chapter is a synthesis of existing research on experience, educational outcomes, and persistent inequities at each pipeline point. Throughout the book, data are included to provide statistical portraits of the status of Black boys and men. Authors include, in each chapter, forward-thinking recommendations for education policy, research and practice.Each chapter is a synthesis of existing research on experience, educational outcomes, and persistent inequities at each pipeline point. Throughout the book, data are included to provide statistical portraits of the status of Black boys and men. Authors include, in each chapter, forward-thinking recommendations for education policy, research and practice.Most published scholarship on Black male students blames them and their families for their failures in school. This literature is replete with hopeless, pathological portrayals of this population. Through this deficit thinking and resultant practices, Black boys and men have continually experienced disparate outcomes. This book departs from prior scholarship in that the editors and authors argue that much is done to Black male students, which explains their troubled status in U.S. education. In addition to the editors’ expertise on the topic, the authorship cast includes several scholars who are among the most respected thought leaders on Black male students in education.

Black Males in Postsecondary Institutions: Examining their Experiences in Diverse Institutional Contexts offers a comprehensive examination of the experiences of Black males in our nation’s higher education institutions. In recognizing the role of institutions in fostering distinctive educational experiences, this volume systematically explores the status, academic achievement, and educational realities of Black men within numerous institutional types (i.e., community colleges, For-profit colleges, Liberal arts colleges, historically Black colleges and universities, ivy league institutions, religious-affiliated institutions, private institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, research intensive institutions, and predominately White institutions). In line with a core commitment towards transformative change, chapter authors also provide recommendations for future research, policy, and practice aimed at fostering enhanced personal, academic, and career outcomes for Black men in college.

A major premise of the book is that teachers, school leaders, and school support staff are not taught how to create school and classroom environments to support the academic and social success of Black male students. The purpose of this book is to help champion a paradigmatic shift in educating Black males. This books aims to provide an asset and solution-based framework that connects the educational system with community cultural wealth and educational outcomes. The text will be a sourcebook for in-service and pre-service teachers, administrators, district leaders, and school support staff to utilize in their quest to increase academic and social success for their Black male students. Adopting a strengths-based epistemological stance, this book will provide concerned constituencies with a framework from which to engage and produce success.

How do we fix the leaky educational pipeline into a conduit of success for Black males?That the issue is critical is demonstrated by the statistics that only 10% of Black males in the United States are proficient in 8th grade reading, only 52% graduate from high school within four years, and only 35 percent graduate from college.This book uniquely examines the trajectory of Black males through the educational pipeline from pre-school through college. In doing so it not only contributes significantly to the scholarship on the experiences of this population, but bridges the gap between theory and practice to provide frameworks and models that will improve these young men’s educational outcomes throughout their educational journeys.A compelling feature of the book is that that it does not treat Black males as homogeneous, but recognizes the diversity that exists among Black males in various educational settings. It demonstrates the need to recognize students’ intersectionalities and individual characteristics as an essential preliminary to developing practices to improve outcomes at every educational stage.Throughout, the contributing authors also focus on the strategies and experiences of Black males who achieve academic excellence, examining growth-producing and asset-based practices that can be sustained, and that build upon the recognition that these males have agency and possess qualities such as resilience that are essential to their learning and development. The frameworks and models that conclude each chapter are equally commendable to K–12 educators and administrators; higher education faculty, student affairs practitioners, and administrators; and policymakers, for whom templates are provided for rectifying the continuing inequities of our educational system.

Presenting new empirical evidence and employing fresh theoretical perspectives, this book sheds new light on the challenges that Black Students face from the time they apply to college through their lives on campus.The contributors make the case that the new generation of Black students differ in attitudes and backgrounds from earlier generations, and demonstrate the importance of understanding the diversity of Black identity.Successive chapters address the nature and importance of Black spirituality for reducing isolation and race-related stress, and as a source of meaning making; students’ college selection and decision process and the expectations it fosters; first-generation Black women’s motivations for attending college; the social-psychological determinants of academic achievement, and how resiliency can be developed and nurtured; institutional climate and the role of cultural centers; as well as identity development; and mentoring. The book includes a new research study of African American male undergraduates who identify as gay or bisexual; discusses the impact of student-to-student interactions in intellectual development and leadership building; describes the successful strategies used by historically Black institutions with at-risk men; considers the role of parents in Black male students’ lives, and the applicability of the “millennial” label to the new cohort of African American students.The book offers new insights and concrete recommendations for policies and practices to provide the social and academic support for African American students to persist and fully benefit from their collegiate experience. It will be of value to student affairs personnel and faculty; constitutes a textbook for courses on student populations and their development; and provides a springboard for future research.

Differentiated Academic Advising Strategies for Students Beyond the Margins features the voices of current scholars and practitioners who articulate culturally responsive academic advising strategies that expand traditional academic advising practices. The chapter authors encourage higher education practitioners to situate their work within the unique and diverse needs of their students for the purpose of truly and authentically supporting the whole student. Additionally, this volume highlights new and innovative scholarship centering on the needs of diverse students.