A major issue that continues to plague America’s educational reformers is the underachievement of students of color, particularly African Americans. In spite of being the focus of state and local initiatives, the achievement gap between students of color and their White and Asian peers continues to create questions about the strength of our nation’s educational system. The achievement gap typically refers to the discrepancy in academic achievement between different ethnic or socioeconomic groups. Subgroups can be based on a variety of factors such as gender and geographic location, among others; however, the disparities due to race are often at the forefront of discussion and research.

Numerous studies show that Black males are regularly targeted and viewed as a threat in school settings. From pre-K through postsecondary education, African American (or Black) males experience educational environments that are not nurturing and conducive to their specific needs. Kunjufu suggested that African American males stop caring about their education as early as elementary school. They are suspended and expelled at higher rates than any other group, more likely to be placed in remedial education or labeled as having a learning disability, least likely to be enrolled in advanced placement courses, and least likely to enroll in college when compared to their White male counterparts and same-race female counterparts. Black males are only 6% of the U.S. population and account for approximately 33% of all student dropouts. To make matters worse, it is estimated that 42% of Black males and 37% of Latino males will have failed a grade level before entering high school. In a 2010 report published by the Schott Foundation for Public Education, it was noted that only 47% of Black males graduated from high school in four years. Consequently, when Black males do matriculate to higher education institutions, they graduate at low rates. Generally, less than one-third of men of color graduated with a bachelor’s degree within six years.

Black males continue to produce disturbing outcomes when measured against other subgroups, particularly when it comes to infractions impact their academics, and in addition to under-performing, reports indicate that suspended students feel less connected to their school, tend to be less invested, and lack the motivation to achieve (Gregory, et al., 2010).