The Educational Experiences of Black Males: The Early Years

Abstract

While our nation's cities and communities are experiencing numerous problems such as high unemployment, low educational achievement, increasing levels of crime and rampant drug cultures, one segment of the population in this country is being disproportionately affected by these negative circumstances. That group of individuals is young black men. Their current condition has been poignantly portrayed in the media and their future is being characterized by pejorative modifiers such as "disappearing," "endangered," and "vanishing." But no matter how appalling and gloomy the situation is and may seem, there are viable solutions which can bring about the gradual resolution of this overwhelming problem. The remedies though must span the entire developmental, educational and social continuum of the lives of these young me and will require the assistance of parents, teachers, college students and other significant individuals and groups in the communities where we live