AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY ON SCHOOL FACTORS THAT AFFECT RESILIENCE AND COLLEGE READINESS

The purpose of this study is to identify elements of the school environment that foster resilience and positively influence African American male students’ state of college readiness. A qualitative approach was used to examine the support and resources needed to help educators foster resilience in, and better prepare African American males for college. Specifically employed in this qualitative study were ethnographic interviews to help determine school related factors that might influence the resilience of young African American males. Through a descriptive analysis of the findings, this researcher attempted to describe a framework for building resilience in African American males. Additionally, this researcher examined elements of the data for college readiness indicators outlined in the review of literature. Through a descriptive analysis of how the experiences of the three resilient young men in the study reflect the concepts and notions from the review of literature, four prevailing themes were identified as influencing academic resilience and college and career readiness in African-American males; the importance of mother-figure influence, the motivation in the desire to dispel negative stereotypes, the value placed on education by influential adults, and the involvement or lack thereof of school counselors and administrators in the college and career preparation process. Results of this study should prompt educational leaders to re-examine the extent to which they influence academic outcomes for African-American male students. Educational leaders need to employ programs that: foster the connection between mothers and schools because of the overall influence mothers have on the development of resilience attributes in African-American male students; emphasize the value that education has and how it influences life outcomes; foster cultural awareness and the elimination of negative stereotypes; and get counselors and administrators actively and directly involved in the college and career preparation process.