Beyond the excuses: The effect of culturally responsive pedagogy on African American male students

Nearly 30 years have elapsed since the National Assessment of Educational Progress reported that America's public education system is failing African American male students. These widely used statistics state that compared to their White and African American female counterparts, African American male students underperform in nearly all educational measures (i.e. GPA, standardized test scores, graduation and dropout rates, etc.). The majority of the research on this academic achievement gap has focused on deepening our understanding of the barriers to educating African American males. While understanding the problem is a logical first step to resolving any dilemma, research on this topic has done very little to guide educators, politicians, and others concerned towards improving the educational experiences of these students. Current research found that some researchers attribute this problem to deficits within the students, others to systemic problems in America's schools, and others to the effect of poverty. Thus, the interplay of personal, cultural, social, and political factors involved in educating Black males are far too complex for policymakers to formulate an education policy likely to satisfy the needs of the numerous school districts across our nation. Yet, despite these limitations, culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) is proved to be one of the most effective strategies for improving the academic performance of African American male students The purpose of this paper is to conduct an ethnographic systematic review of the literature on the use of culturally responsive pedagogy and the perceptions of African American male students about their educational experiences. It is an attempt to gauge whether or not this intervention has the ability to assuage the issues and concerns voiced by African American male students in the public education system. Implications for policy formation will be discussed.

Keywords: Culturally responsive pedagogy, African American male students, student perceptions, public education, achievement gap, academic achievement