Ramon B. Goings

(Re)defining the Narrative High-Achieving Nontraditional Black Male Undergraduates at a Historically Black College and University

Using Harper’s anti-deficit achievement framework as a theoretical guide, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the academic and social experiences of four nontraditional, high-achieving, Black male undergraduates attending one historically Black university. Findings show that the participants were intrinsically motivated to succeed in college to make a better future for themselves and their families. Support from their peers, family, and children also played a role in their success. Last, the university cultivated a campus environment that affirmed the participants’ identities as Black males and nontraditional students. These findings present a counternarrative to deficit-oriented research about Black males generally and nontraditional Black male collegians specifically.

Creating access and opportunity: Preparing African-American male students for STEM trajectories PreK-12

Purpose Research often neglects the full continuum of the STEM pipeline in terms of underserved and underrepresented populations. African American males, in particular, experience limited access, opportunity, and preparation along STEM trajectories preK-12. The purpose of this paper is to challenge this gap by presenting examples of preK-12 programs that nurture and promote STEM development and learner outcomes for underrepresented populations. Design/methodology/approach A culturally responsive, asset-based approach emphasizes the importance of leveraging out-of-school practices that shape African-American males learning experiences. From a practitioner standpoint, the need to understand the importance of developing a STEM identity as a conduit to better improve STEM outcomes for African-American males is discussed. Findings To respond to the full continuum of the pipeline, the authors highlight the role of families and STEM programs that support African-American male students’ STEM identity development generally with an emphasis on how particular out-of-school programs (e.g. The Children’s Museum of Memphis [CMOM], MathScience Innovation Center [MSiC]) cultivate STEM trajectories. The authors conclude with how preK-12 settings can collaborate with local museums and other agencies to create opportunities for greater access and improve the quality of African-American males’ STEM preparation. Originality/value The intellectual value of our work lies in the fact that few studies have focused on the importance of examining the full continuum of the STEM pipeline with a particular emphasis on STEM development in early childhood (preK-3). Similarly, few studies have examined the role of identity construction and meaning-making practices as a conduit to better STEM outcomes for African-American males prek-12.

Nontraditional Black Male Undergraduates: A Call to Action:

Institutions of higher education have witnessed an influx of nontraditional Black college students generally, and males specifically. However, there is limited research that investigates the academic and social experiences of nontraditional Black males. As universities seek to improve the academic retention and graduation rates of Black males, nontraditional Black male undergraduates must be included in the discussion. This article provides a call to action for researchers and practitioners not only to begin researching nontraditional aged Black male collegians but also to focus on those men who are academically successful to inform the academic and social supports on college campuses implemented for nontraditional Black men.

Traditional and Nontraditional High-Achieving Black Males’ Strategies for Interacting With Faculty at a Historically Black College and University

This study explored the academic and social experiences of high-achieving Black males attending a historically Black university and their interactions with faculty. In particular, this study investigated the strategies traditional (ages 18–24) and nontraditional (ages 25 and over) high achievers used to foster positive classroom interactions with professors. Findings indicate that traditional participants used a strategy they described as “standing out” in order to foster faculty relationships and distinguish themselves from other Black males on campus. The nontraditional participants mastered what they described as “never outshine the master,” a tactical and political strategy used with professors to avoid being offensive, being seen as a know-it-all, or negatively impacting their grades. These strategies are described and the article concludes with implications for historically Black college and university faculty and future research.

Investigating the Intersection of Poverty and Race in Gifted Education Journals: A 15-Year Analysis:

Using a two-phase content analysis approach, this study examined how education scholars have discussed the intersection of giftedness, race, and poverty in gifted academic journals from 2000 to 2015. Specifically, the authors explored the following questions: (a) What are the characteristics of studies published that explore the intersection of giftedness, poverty, and students of color? (b) How do scholars discuss and theorize about how to recruit and retain gifted students of color who come from families living in poverty? (c) In what ways do scholars discuss the intersection of race and poverty for gifted students of color? Findings indicated that while studies were focused on students of color, there was limited discussion about the impact of race and poverty on the recruitment and retention of gifted students of color who come from families living in poverty. Implications and future research are discussed.

Biracial and Multiracial Gifted Students: Looking for a Grain of Rice in A Box of Sand

Abstract As the United States continues to see an increase in biracial and multiracial citizens, there has been limited scholarship on gifted students who identify as biracial and/or multiracial. Thus, this chapter seeks to fill this void in the literature. We discuss demographics for self-identified biracial/multiracial persons, share two biracial or multiracial identity development models, and describe the characteristics of gifted biracial/multiracial students. We conclude this chapter with recommendations for education professionals and families to support this unique group of students.

Exploring the Boundary-Heightening Experiences of Black Male Teachers: Lessons for Teacher Education Programs

This article uses a phenomenological approach to explore the organizational dynamic of boundary heightening for 27 Black male teachers, across 14 schools, in one urban school district. Black male teachers described being perceived by their colleagues as either incompetent or overqualified to teach their subject matter. These experiences created workplace environments in which participants felt alienated from their colleagues. In response, these Black male teachers strategically erected social boundaries to manage interactions with their colleagues. Black male teacher diversity campaigns in education preparation programs should be informed by Black male teachers’ school-based experiences. The article shows how teacher education programs can redesign facets of their preparation to attend to the boundary-heightening and workplace experiences that Black male teachers may face in becoming teachers of record.

“Making Up for Lost Time”: The Transition Experiences of Nontraditional Black Male Undergraduates:

This qualitative study investigated the academic and social experiences and life events that propelled 13 Black male nontraditional undergraduates to transition back to college and explored the various programs and institutional agents these men used once on campus. Findings indicated that participant’s faced challenges with college as traditional-aged students due to being under and over involved with social activities on campus or choosing to pursue a work career. As a result, participants had either delayed entry into college or dropped out as traditional-aged students. However, participants transitioned back to college due to wanting to make up for not completing their degree earlier in life, needing to increase their employment opportunities, and wanting to prove their doubters wrong. Finally, findings indicated that while the men found support from certain professors on their campuses, there were few targeted programs specifically for nontraditional students on campus. Recommendations on how to support nontraditional Black male students are provided.

Keeping the Dream Through the CARE Model: Examining Strategies to Bridge the Gaps in Education Among Urban Youth

Ensuring the academic success for students of color in urban school districts in the United States has been the subject of numerous policies, reports, books, and articles. Despite the increased attention in urban schools highlighting the educational disparities including academic achievement, opportunity, and discipline gaps for students of color, school districts are improving. Yet, student outcomes such as graduation rates in these districts are not reflective of an improvement. In the scholarly literature, researchers have pointed to a plethora of academic and environmental reasons for the achievement gap and have proposed solutions to improve outcomes for students of color. However, not often discussed is the development of a comprehensive framework that addresses the academic, social, and emotional needs of students and teachers to reduce the aforementioned gaps. To address this need, the chapter authors propose the use of a CARE model to address the gaps impacting students of color in urban school districts. The CARE model explores the role that (C) culturally relevant pedagogy, (A) attachment to school, (R) regulating emotions (mental health), and (E) expectations of teachers, play in narrowing or closing the gaps. Recommendation for research, policy, and practice conclude the chapter.

The Influence of Mentoring on the Academic Trajectory of a 17-Year-Old Black Male College Sophomore from the United Kingdom: A Single Case Study.

Abstract There has been a national- and state-level call for colleges and universities to develop targeted mentoring programs for Black males. However, there is limited published scholarship that has investigated the experiences of non-U.S.-born Black males in these college mentoring programs generally, and at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) specifically. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the experiences of a 17-year-old Black male college sophomore from the United Kingdom who enrolled in a HBCU male-focused mentoring program. Findings reveal that he benefited from pre-college mentoring as he developed strategies to respond to racist encounters during his K–12 schooling in the United Kingdom. In the university mentoring program, he benefited most from one-on-one mentoring opportunities with university officials. Implications for universities and future research are discussed.