School factors that contribute to the academic success of African American boys in an urban elementary school

The issues regarding the lack of academic progress of African American boys prompted Garibaldi (2007) to declare that the African American male continues to fall behind all racial groups, even his female counterpart, on educational performance measures or assessments and in graduation rates. Davis (2009) stated that the literature regarding the academic experiences of elementary aged African American boys in an urban school setting is rather sparse. With the knowledge that the African American male is falling behind his female counterpart, what can we do to ensure that we begin to look at the factors that contribute to the success of those finding academic success, especially those at the elementary level?

This qualitative study used an exploratory study approach to explore the school factors that contribute to the academic success of African American boys in urban elementary schools. The researcher employed two face-to-face interviews with each of the 11 fifth grade African American boys identified as academically successful. Data collection included a review of students' archival, academic, and attendance records to establish a framework of each child's overall academic performance beyond the sample summative Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments administered in grades three, four, and five at the elementary level. The results of this study indicated that the success of African American boys in an urban elementary school is impacted by peer influence, teacher attitudes, environmental suitability within the school, and personal accountability of the participants themselves.