Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'African American Male Superintendents'

With incidences such as the Trayvon Martin shooting and the Freddie Gray death dominating the headlines, it is clear that racial tension and sensitivities are still prevalent in American society. These events highlight the struggles that many African-Americans are facing as a part of their daily lives. African-American males have had to overcome many obstacles and challenges to receive equal treatment, rights, and protections. Unfortunately, their journey for equality is long from over.

Cardinal Potter High School in Maryland was a diverse and supportive community. African-American males made up a large percentage of the student body. For many, opportunities associated with academic leadership activities had been underutilized. When it came to participation in Student Council and other formal leadership organizations, many African-American males were not choosing these organizations and mainly participated in athletics or cultural relevant clubs causing a leadership gap.

This qualitative research study looked at the various causes or influences on African-American males in participating in formal leadership activities. For this study, leadership is defined as the ability to positively influence others in an official position or through participation. By interviewing 25 graduates of the school, I was able to determine if there were structural issues within the school and societal influences that attributed to this leadership gap. Further, I explored various other factors such as media, family life, peer groups, and other areas. Finally, I was able to identify motivating factors that influenced African-American males to take leadership roles and countered internalized beliefs on masculinity, success, and leadership.

The following research questions helped to direct this study: 1. What factors do African-American male alumni of Cardinal Potter High School attribute to the underrepresentation of African-American males in student academic leadership roles? 2. What factors of school culture do participants attribute to this leadership gap? 3. What aspects of the African-American community contribute to promote African-American male leadership?

College degree attainment for Black Americans has significantly fallen their majority counterparts. While educational attainment for this minority demographic has been less than average, a secondary trend emerges. Despite the rises in graduation rates, Black males consistently earn a smaller percentage of the degrees garnered by Black students. Furthermore, policies throughout sectors of American society produce segregation that manifests as genocidal realities in the lives of Black men—including college graduation. Thus, the purpose of this research was to determine the effect of neighborhood segregation on Black men and women’s 4 and 6-year graduation probability and determine if Black men reduce the gap when given 6 years to graduate. The theoretical framework of African American Male Theory guided this study. Utilizing the Princeton Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen (NLSF), the research utilized binary logistic regression to analyze the effect of 3 independent variables (household income, maternal education level, and neighborhood segregation) on dependent variables (4-year graduation and 6-year graduation).

A purposeful sample 1051 Black students (368 men and 683 women) from the NLSF were used in the analysis. The majority of study participants (55%) had a mother that had at least a bachelor’s degree; 45% of the students came from neighborhoods that were majority Black (having at least 70% Black people in their neighborhood), and 15% came from poverty, 25% were low income, and 58% had incomes greater than low income. The logistic regression analysis found that for Black men, the odds of graduating and coming from a majority Black community are .506, and from a more diverse community, they are .661. For Black women, the odds of graduating in 4 years when growing up in a majority Black neighborhood were .937 and 1.6369 when growing up in a more diverse area.

The study determined racial segregation more adversely impacts Black men’s ability to graduate with a bachelor’s degree than it does for Black women. Even in desegregated (diverse) neighborhoods, Black men were unable to reduce the degree attainment gap given 4 or 6 years to graduate. The regression analyses yielded results that support the initial hypothesis that segregation is a significant predictor of bachelor degree attainment apart from academic preparation. Based on the indicators, predictors, and factors correlated with college degree attainment from the review of the literature, the results suggest that larger societal factors could potentially be significant predictors of college degree attainment outside of academic preparation. The findings argue for targeted interventions at the local, state, and federal levels to life course barriers imposed on Black males.

Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the resiliency of African American males who have obtained principal positions in K-12 education. Using open-ended questions, the researcher interviewed 10 African American males to learn from their experiences of obtaining leadership positions. Their experiences of resilience will provide helpful information to those who pursue leadership positions in K-12 education.

Theoretical Framework. Resilience theory was used as a theoretical framework to study the resiliency of African American males as they defy the statistical odds against them to obtain leadership positions in K-12 education. Resilience theory focuses on the ability to overcome challenges or adapt in the midst of adversity. This theoretical framework was used to highlight the success stories of resilient African American male principals.

Findings. Commonalities related to each research question are presented in the study. Participants identified the opportunity to network or have a mentor/advisor as an important factor to obtaining leadership positions. Participants also identified their family and church as support systems and sources of encouragement. Faith, strong work ethic, persistence, and the ability to not view challenges as a barrier were factors that led to their success.

Conclusions. The researcher found common themes or factors that have contributed to the success of the 10 African American male principals. Despite their differences in experiences, years of service, and career paths, all participants identified common factors that were consistent with literature related to resilience theory. Understanding these commonalities is helpful for creating support systems for aspiring African American male leaders in K-12 education.

Recommendations. The study revealed several findings consistent with literature regarding resilience. In order to increase the presence of African American males in K-12 education, it is important to share stories of resilience. When considering recruiting, promoting, and supporting African American males in leadership, aspiring administrators should seek other African American male mentors or advisors to provide guidance and support as they choose their career path. Organizations should also create opportunities for aspiring administrators to network with current administrators to gain insight to what has helped them succeed. Furthermore, this study should expand beyond school-level administrators to include other leadership positions within education.

This project examines African American adolescent males’ perception of fatherhood by exploring the participants definition, assessing how personal experiences shape this definition and defining the external influencing factors and assess the influence of African American adult males who work with them in an employment or volunteer setting. The study occurred in two phases, the first was in-depth interviews with African American adult males and the second phase was focus groups of African American adolescent males. The definitions of fatherhood and masculinity were different among the study population. The adult males focused on traditional fatherhood and male roles using language that described actions and physical and personal attributes, while the adolescent males found their definitions of fatherhood and masculinity to be nearly the same, as they used traditional language to describe the role but contemporary language for their needs. Black masculinity, expectations of fathers and father figures, and influences were found to be the dominant themes that emerged in their perspectives. These findings indicate: the definitions provided were demanding and one could easily falter; all participants showed awe in the role; African American adolescents can understand and communicate their needs; and this research counters the narrative and negative imagery of Black fathers.

The academic achievement of African American male students has been one of the most over- researched topics in the education community for the past decade. Most of these studies report findings of social issues as predictors for the underachievement of African American male students. Examples of such issues are poverty, culturally irrelevant curriculum, disengaged families, involuntary immigration due to the slave trade and sociopathological issues. These findings are being debated among prominent educators to determine whether or not they are valid. This study was conducted using a qualitative approach to hear the voices of African American parents in order to determine what other factors could contribute to the decline in academic success among this group of students. The conceptual framework was framed around the works of Pedro Noguera, Linda Darling- Hammond, John Ogbu, and Michael Gurian, social scientists, who have concluded that the achievement level of African American males requires additional research. In this qualitative study, narrated stories from parents, teachers, and students at a private secondary school in Savannah, Georgia were collected. The stories were identified and placed in categories of experiences and events narrated by the participants. In evaluating the responses, the study unfolded themes that provided insights into the perceptions of parents and the importance of their views in future discussions regarding school reforms for academic success of African American male students.

This quantitative research study examined the relationship between degree attainment of 99 African American males from dual-parent and single parent families. This empirical investigational study examined the relationship between type of family support from dual and single parent families on African American males’ academic success. The variables tested were dissimilarities, the amount, and the differentiation in degree attainment. Participants completed an online survey that included an informed consent form, demographic questions as well as survey questions regarding their relationship with and support from their families. The survey also required the participant to answer questions that provided information about family activities, structure and relationships, organization, activities, emotional support, and methods of communication. Moos and Moos’ (2002) Family Environment Scale (FES) Real Form (Form R) was used to measure people’s perception and attitude of their actual family environments. The relationship subscale was used to ascertain measurements of cohesion, expressiveness, and conflict. This study addressed three research hypotheses pertaining to the type of family situation (dual versus single-parent homes). None was statistically significant, thereby providing support to retain all three null hypotheses. Study results indicated the success of African American males and their degree attainment is due in part to the familial support and encouragement. The outcomes yielded from the study suggest that regardless of the type of family structure whether dual or single parent, there are common variables within both family systems that aid the individuals in persisting in their efforts to obtain their undergraduate degree.

Community colleges serve as a gateway to higher education for millions of Americans. An increasingly large number of African American males attend community colleges across the country. Based on the literature the retention and graduation rates of African American men are lower than any group of students attending community college. The purpose of this study was to examine the initiatives within the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) Minority Male Mentoring Program (3MP) that are influencing the success of minority male student participants based on student and program coordinator observation and participation. Furthermore, the study examined specific program barriers experienced by administrators and members that impacted program initiatives geared towards increasing the graduation and retention rates of participants. The study revealed the program had affected the success of students as well as identified specific barriers to the program’s success.

This study examines the graduation and retention rates of two cohort years of African American males participating in the NCCCS 3MP Program from fall 2012 to fall 2015 and from fall 2013 to fall 2015. A comparison analysis completed in the two cohort years determined there was a slight increase in the graduation rates of African American male program participants compared to African American non program participants.