Proposal

Unsung Heroes: Portraits of Successful Adolescent African American Males

Kevin Scott

Valdosta State University

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Table of Contents

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………...

Statement of Problem……………………………………………………………………...

Purpose and Goal…………………………………………………………………………..

Conceptual Framework…………………………………………………………………….

Methodology ………………………………………………………………………………

Participants………………………………………………………………………………….

Data Collection…………………………………………………………………………….

Data Analysis………………………………………………………………………………

Presentation of Data………………………………………………………………………..

Validity…………………………………………………………………………………….

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………

References………………………………………………………………………………….

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5-10

10-12

12-19

19-20

20-21

21-23

23-25

25-27

27-29

29-31

32-36

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Unsung Heroes: Portraits of Successful Adolescent African American Males

In 1903, the African American scholar W.E.B. Du Bois wrote about the Talented Tenth

and the aim of education when addressing the needs of African American males:

The Negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men. The problem of education, then, among Negroes must first of all deal with the Talented Tenth; it is the problem of developing the Best of this race that they may guide the Mass away from the contamination and death of the Worst, in their own and other races. Now the training of men is a difficult and intricate task. Its technique is a matter for educational experts, but its object is for the vision of seers. If we make money the object of man-training, we shall develop money-makers but not necessarily men; if we make technical skill the object of education, we may possess artisans but not, in nature, men. Men we shall have only as we make manhood the object of the work of the schools. (para.1)

This quote resonated with me early in my career and is the essence of my pursuit to generate

solutions for the problems and barriers that African American males are facing in education.

Several years ago, during my graduate studies as a counselor, I had the opportunity to

conduct a quantitative study. The study examined African American males and suspension rates

(in-school and out-of-school suspensions). I gathered raw data and analyzed the information

using statistical software. The results indicated a correlation between failing grades and high

rates of suspension. After comparing the suspension rates across the different racial groups, it

was evident African American males were being suspended and failed at alarming rates

compared to other subgroups. After the study was completed, I still felt a sense of not telling the

whole story. For instance, my study did not contain information from Jared, one of my students

who I came to know from his frequent visits to my office.

Jared was an African American teenager who was 14 and still in the 6th grade. He was

constantly in and out of suspension; always in trouble with teachers and administrators; failing

grades were the norm for him; no parental support; no friends; no advocate. One day I decided to

engage Jared in candid conversation because I was curious about why he continued to behave in

such a way that caused teachers to write him up for behavior infractions and administrators to

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suspend him from school. Why was he content with failing grades and missing school? Why

would he accept being labeled “public enemy number one” by the adults in the building? What

did his parents think about his behavior? Did he not understand he was headed down a dark

path? Our discussion over the next couple of weeks was enlightening and emotional. What I

found from our dialogue was that he was not at all the bad student whom he was made out to be.

Yes, he was responsible for his actions, and yes he did all of those things to get himself in

trouble. When I talked with him about his experiences, it gave me the opportunity to see how he

perceived the challenges he faced in school. With rich detail, Jared told his story. Reflecting back

on that experience opened my eyes to the possibilities of qualitative research and capturing the

stories of others through their experiences. It is the story of Jared that I wish had shared in that

first study.

As an African American male counselor, I come across many like Jared who continue to

fail in education and continue on a path of limited opportunities as adults. Likewise, I also come

across those African American males who manage to find success and develop a sense of

empowerment ingrained in their character. Unfortunately, the story of the successful adolescent

African American male in society is overshadowed by the images of them “as a criminal or

endangered species” (Ferguson, 2000, p. 77). Brown (2011) examined the history of

ethnographies about Black males from the 1960’s to the early 2000’s. In his study he argued,

“that long-standing racial motifs inform how ethnographic research is conducted within a

historical context, and how the theories that come out of ethnographic research inform how we

understand the social and educational concerns of African-American males in the present” (p.

45). He defined racial motifs “as a central theme or story used to make sense of the social and

educational experiences of a racial group” (p. 45). In the 1960’s he described theories associated

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with the Black male experience as a “descriptive microanalysis of his style of walk, speech,

family relations, and social interactions” (p. 49) and noted that few studies explored the

educational experience of the Black male. During the 1970’s, television and movies began to

portray the Black male as “coming from loveless broken homes, having street smarts, and being

driven to build drug empires to get out of the ghetto” (p. 49). The decades of the 1980’s and

1990’s saw a new paradigm switch that portrayed the Black male as “uneducated, fatherless,

poor, desperate, and seduced and/or devoured by street life” (p. 51). He argued that all of these

negative imagines and historically entrenched racial motifs throughout the decades have limited

new theories from forming and in the present these racial motifs “can only provide nuanced

differences about a priori beliefs about Black male life” (p. 58). From my experiences, I find this

to be true, that the successful African American male is overshadowed by the at-risk African

American male. I agree with Brown (2011) when he stated the need for ethnographic research to

focus on the “unknown and contradictory aspects of Black males’ lives” instead of “focusing

only on the narrative of failure, constraint, and social reproduction” (p. 58).

The purpose of my proposal is to focus on those African American males who do find

success in school and to tell their stories. I plan to explore adolescent African American male

students who have successfully navigated through K-12 education and are now having success in

higher education. Specifically, the goal is to explore the phenomena of their “identity

construction, self-concept, interactions with the world, and meaning making” (Howard &

Reynolds, 2013, p. 237) within the school context. One hoped for result of the proposed study is

implications for educators and other practitioners will include recommendations for a counseling

and guidance curriculum aimed at addressing the developmental needs of the adolescent African

American male.

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Statement of Problem

The achievement gap, educational debt and the opportunity gap have been major

concerns of mine from the time I began my journey as an educator. I have noticed a pattern of

“the discrepancy in educational outcomes between various student groups” for quite some time

now (Howard, 2010, p. 10). The discrepancy for African American males is at a critical state; a

state where a culture of failure and low expectations are the norm. My experiences resonated

with those of Ann Ferguson’s (2000) who acknowledged the problem faced by African

American males in public school when she observed an in-service program called Partners at

Learning Skills (PALS). PALS aimed to assist students considered at-risk of failing in school. A

committee of school administrators, teachers, and school counselors made a selection of students

based on those students identified as at-risk and those deemed “unsalvageable” (p. 4). She

observed the following:

The first time I saw the entire group of children in PALS, they were in the school library

taking a pencil-and-paper test designed to measure self-esteem. That was when I first

became aware of a disturbing fact: all the children except one were African American, and

of those 90 percent were males. I quickly became aware that what was surprising and

problematic for me appeared to be taken for granted by others. No one at the school seemed

surprised that the vast majority of the children defined as “at-risk” of failing academically,

of being future school dropouts, were mostly black and male. (p. 4)

I share her concern when it comes to African American males and the disturbing numbers that

validate a pattern of failure in school for them. My fear is we are losing so many of them that the

“school experience of African American boys is simultaneously replicated in the penal system”

thus validating the school to prison pipeline (Ferguson, 2000, p. 233). Michelle Alexander

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(2012) studied mass incarceration in the United States and the devastating impact it has on

African American men of all ages. She coined the term The New Jim Crow because of the

repressive nature of the penal system and how it systematically removed the rights and freedoms

of African American men. Moreover, she argued that in Illinois more African American men are

incarcerated in the state penal system than are enrolled in state colleges:

As of June 2001, there were nearly 20,000 more black men in the Illinois state prison

system than enrolled in the state’s public universities. In fact, there were more black men

in the state’s correctional facilities that year just on drug charges than the total number of

black men enrolled in undergraduate degree programs in state universities. To put the

crisis in even sharper focus, consider this: just 992 black men received a bachelor’s

degree from Illinois state universities in 1999, while roughly 7,000 black men were

released from the state prison system following year just for drug offenses. The young

men who go to prison rather than college face a lifetime of closed doors, discrimination,

and ostracism. (p. 190)

I believe that schools are perpetuating the problem of the African American male by not

addressing their needs or problems. The following empirical data is evidence that the penal

system, and the institutions of education are creating a culture of failure with devastating life

consequences for the African American males:

• One Black male child out of three will go to prison or jail at some point in his lifetime

(Mechoulan, 2011);

• One in eight Black males ages 25–29 was behind bars in 2004 (Mechoulan, 2011);

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• The national graduation rate of Black males completing high school in 2009-2010 was

52% compared to White males 78% (The Schott Foundation for Public Education,

2009);

• In 2007 Black male students in grades 6 through 12 had a suspension rate of 49.5% and

an expulsion rate of 16.6% (National Center for Education Statistics, 2011).

Harper and Davis (2012) captured the epidemic in their study of the underachievement of

African American males when they cited numerous publications that supported the claim of a

dire state across all levels of education:

Perspectives on Black male hopelessness and underachievement are evidenced

by the numerous publications that highlight their educational upbringing in insufficiently

resourced and culturally unresponsive K-12 schools (Noguera, 2003;

Toldson, 2008); their low rates of high school completion (Lynn et al., 2010;

Schott Foundation, 2010); their underpreparedness for the rigors of college-level

work (Bonner & Bailey, 2006; Palmer, Davis, & Hilton, 2009; Palmer & Young,

2009); their patterns of academic and social disengagement, inside and outside the

college classroom (Cuyjet, 1997; Kimbrough & Harper, 2006); and their low rates

of baccalaureate degree attainment (Dancy & Brown, 2008; Harper, 2006a, 2012;

Strayhorn, 2010). (p. 104)

Noguera (2008) stated how schools are normalizing the culture of failure and not putting this

critical issue at the forefront of education reform:

What is perhaps even more troubling than the numbers, which are themselves overwhelming

and disturbing, is the weakness of the response to the problems. In many schools in the

United States, educators have grown so accustomed to seeing Black male students drop out,

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fail, and get punished that their plight is barely regarded as a cause for alarm. In fact, it could

be argued that the problems confronting Black males are so pervasive and commonplace that

they have been normalized. (p. xviii)

Looking critically at the issues in education is not an attempt to stir up controversy or to

validate conspiracy; instead, it is a testimony to how serious the problem is within the

educational system. Lisa Delpit (2006) acknowledged the need to examine the educational

system with a critical lens when she stated:

It is time to look closely at elements of our educational system, particularly those elements

we consider progressive; time to see whether there is minority involvement and support, and

if not, to ask why; time to reassess what we are doing in public schools and universities to

include other voices, other experiences; time to seek the diversity in our educational

movements that we talk about seeking in our classrooms. (p. 20)

As noted by Toldson, Brown, and Sutton (2009) “the need to reform the educational system,

as well as the curriculum and the disconnection between academic success and Black males’ idea

on manhood” (p. 201) are essential components of changing the pattern of failure associated with

the adolescent African American male. Beverly Tatum (1997) in her book, Why Are All the

Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria, explored racial identity development and how the

choices made “in adolescence ripple throughout the life span” (p. 20). She argued that racism,

overt and passive, are ingrained in institutions such as education and therefore racial identity

development can become compromised for Black youth in those institutions. She stated

educators needed to do more to address the issues faced by African American youth and their

identity development by providing them “with identity-affirming experiences and information

about their own cultural groups” (p. 74).

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In their study of African American identity development and instructional design, Thomas

and Columbus (2009) cited the work of psychologist Erik Erikson:

Erik Erikson (e.g., 1959, 1968, 1980) is often cited as one of the central figures in the

development of stage theories of identity development. Erikson (1968) proposed eight stages

of psycho-social development. According to Erikson, adolescence is the time when we make

decisions about the kinds of people we want to be. Erikson (1968) also proposed that a

healthy identity was linked to a positive racial identity, suggesting that a positive racial

identity was essential not only for the overall health of the individual but for learning and

perhaps academic success. (p. 78)

My experiences validate the problem that many adolescent African American males face

searching for an identity with little guidance from adult African American males; mainly the

father figure that is absent in their life. Most do not have a relationship with their father and often

speak with resentment when I question the relationship. This is evident in my reflective memo:

As a counselor, I have watched in vain as African American males continued to fall into the abyss. I do not understand why they gravitate towards maladaptive behavior; internalize a false sense of self; and disassociate with a scholarly identity. Even those who have a strong foundation and blue print to guide them away from such unhealthy, self-destructive behavior are at risk. I have been working with at-risk African American males for 13 years. When I speak with them, I often find myself asking them the same thing: Where is your father? Do you not have a relationship with him? Do you know where he is? Most of them say no and have no idea why they do not have a relationship with him. The overwhelming emotions I get from them when I ask them these questions are anger and sadness; a sense of disappointment from having a void in their lives from not having that role model or leader to show them the blue print needed to navigate the challenges of life. With no blueprint to follow they gravitate to false identity portrayed in the media and music and become lost souls with no sense of self; no direction, and no values. I speak to so many headed in the wrong direction the numbers are alarming. I am starting to see that we are losing African American males that should not fall prey to pitfalls. Not all are on this pattern of self-destruction. I wonder what we can learn from those who are finding success. I believe the neglect of the institution of K-12 education to adequately address the holistic development of adolescent African American males and the lack of positive male role models in their lives have created and normalized a culture of failure. I do not understand how as educators, we can stand by idly and accept the alarming numbers that we see with

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so many not completing the basic education of a high school diploma. Education continues to search for interventions based on standards of subject matter instead of asking why so many do not see themselves having success in our schools and choose a path in direct opposition of an identity that is conducive to success in school. The lack of positive role models prohibits vicarious learning for many adolescent African American males. If one cannot see what success looks like how can one envision success? What many see as success is the professional athlete or the rapper in the music video. Although to reach the status of a professional athlete or rapper can be deemed successful, there seems to be a disconnected with the adolescent African American male how hard they had to work and how many hours the athlete or rapper worked to perfect his trade. Few mention a male they actually know who has a positive influence in showing them the ropes of manhood and helping shape their identity. My interest with adolescent African American male identity development is similar to the

belief held by Noguera (2008) when he stated:

Understanding and debunking racial stereotypes, breaking down racial separations, and

challenging the hidden curriculum are challenges not just for teachers but for principals,

administrators, and entire school communities. In addition, there are a number of things

educators can do to support their students’ positive racial identity development. (p. 14)

Like Noguera, I believe educators can help African American males with developing a positive

Black male racial identity, but only if educators believe that education can counter the negative

stereotypes, culture of failure, and maladaptive behaviors that are causing the arrested social and

personal development of the African American male. Graham and Anderson (2008) explored the

interplay between the African American male’s ethnic and academic identity. Their study

indicated a need to counter the negative stereotypes associated with Black Masculinity. They

recommended measures of “counterbalancing current media images of Blackness as negative

with historical and current narratives” (p. 494) of positive Black culture.

Purpose and Goal

The main reason I chose to pursue my terminal degree was to search for answers to an

essential question: What is the institution of education doing to address the culture of failure that

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is becoming the norm for African American males in education? That has been my focus

throughout my Valdosta State studies. Now near the end of my course work, my focus has

narrowed. My planned dissertation centers on the adolescent African American male and his

schooling and life experiences. A pilot study I completed for my qualitative research course

helped me shape the design of this proposal. After reviewing my reflection journal from the pilot

study I realized that my dissertation needs to focus on the successes rather than failures and

deficiencies of the adolescent African American males:

I found the process of developing a qualitative research plan both a learning experience and empowering. Researching the literature about critical race theory was more than just eye opening for me. I do believe that the Black male is being pushed out by education and the pipeline to prison is so real for so many of them. The literature on Black male identity was empowering (and refreshing). I am almost embarrassed to say I did not know how great we truly are. You tend to forget when all you see and hear is the negative about the Black male. I want this to by my dissertation or shall I say life work. We need to tell the experiences of the African American male, we need to help them with developing into exceptional men. I am excited to go deeper into the literature to explore the life stories of great African American men to share with the generation of African American boys who are lost today. Moreover, I want to share with those who are responsible for the wellbeing of the African American male that we have to listen to what they need and have to stop forcing an outdated curriculum on them. That is not to say that they do not need some of the core subjects; that is to say we must deal with changing the perception that they have of themselves. We must help them with developing their self-image and developing a value for education and the opportunities that come with pursing the diplomas and degrees that are vital in our society. I am excited to start my own journey and growth as a scholar and searching for solutions to help turn the tide and empower my young brothers to become what they are meant to be--exceptional men. To explore this phenomenon of the lived experiences of successful adolescent African

American males, I plan to use the conceptual framework of critical race theory (CRT) (Bell,

2005; Ladson-Billings, 2005; Tate, 1997). My reason for choosing CRT as a conceptual

framework is because I believe that it provides “a focused lens on the intersection or

connectedness between race and other mitigating factors that influence” (Howard & Reynolds,

2013, p. 235) the racial development of the adolescent African American male. Another reason

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for choosing CRT as a framework is the tenet of counterstories that “allows for the telling of

untold stories” (DeCuir-Gunby, & Walker-DeVose, 2013, p. 252). I believe the untold story of

the adolescent African American male who has found success can give invaluable information as

to how he achieved success. This information can counter the mainstream narratives, which

negatively represent the African American males in education. The purpose of my proposed

qualitative dissertation is to explore the phenomena of how successful adolescent African

American males construct their racial identity, their perceptions of school, and the intersection

between the two. The goal of the study is to explore the lived experiences of adolescent African

American males and their perception of school and identity. The hope is that from this

dissertation, will come implications for practice that can assist educators who want to help

adolescent African American males successfully navigate their educational and life experiences.

Instead of having specific research questions, my aim is to have an overarching question

that stays true to the essences of the lived experience of the individual. The question that will

guide this study: What can we learn from adolescent African American males who successfully

matriculated through K-12 education and are now finding success in college?

Conceptual Framework: Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality

The birth of CRT came from the roots of Critical Legal Studies (CLS) during the era of

the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War (Taylor, 2009). The main argument of CLS

scholars was "that the power and dominion of certain groups (white, male) over an unequal

status quo was continuing, and social and political change was needed" (Taylor, 2009, p. 2).

Moreover, law "both reflected and advanced established power relationships in society by

covering injustices with a mask of legitimacy" (Taylor, 2009, p. 2). Taken a step further, the

CRT movement argued that "while CLS had developed some very significant insights about how

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the legal process worked, the movement did not adequately address the struggles of people of

color, particularly Blacks" (Brown & Jackson, 2013, p. 13). Major events that validated the CRT

movement include watershed moments both political and legal (Brown & Jackson, 2013). These

events included the election of George Bush Sr.; his election ensured that conservative Supreme

Court Justices would be able to keep their seats and agendas. During his Presidential term, "the

Supreme Court issued seven major opinions that further restricted or eliminated hard-won legal

gains for underrepresented minorities" (Brown & Jackson, 2013, p. 13). The decision of the

courts made it more difficult for minorities to claim discrimination because the courts upheld the

belief "that discrimination is the result of actions that are motivated by a discriminatory intent"

(Brown & Jackson, 2013. p. 15). In short, if the intent cannot be proved there is no case, there is

no injustice, and there is no inequality. Essentially, CRT scholars seek understanding as to why

the Civil Rights Movement has stalled and regressed and what changes can be made to steady the

course of racial equality:

While the legal scholars who met at the first CRT meeting were looking for a community

of like-minded individuals, they were also motivated by a desire to understand how a

regime of white supremacy and its subordination of people of color had been created and

maintained in America. More importantly, they wanted to develop the understandings

that would change it. These legal scholars sought to comprehend how the signature

statement of civil rights rhetoric, to judge individuals "by the content of their character,

not the color of their skin," was turned on its head. They wanted to understand how this

rhetoric, which had been so effective for underrepresented minorities in the 1950s, 1960s,

and 1970s, could now be used to strike down the very programs instituted to help

America undo the effects of its history of racial oppression. Basically, what distinguished

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these CRT scholars from conventional liberal scholarship about race and inequality was a

deep dissatisfaction with the traditional civil rights discourse. (Brown & Jackson, 2013,

p. 14)

From examining the historical context and key tenets of CRT, one can see why CRT

principles found their way into the field of education. The beginnings can be traced back to the

collaborative works of Gloria Ladson-Billings (1995) and William Tate (1995) . During this

initial phase of collaboration between the two scholars, there was an attempt "to both explain

CRT and describe its relevance and application to education" (Ladson-Billings, 2013, p. 35).

They attempted to reexamine the Brown case in a paper titled The Brown Decision Revisited:

Mathematizing Social Problems and created new questions that began to explore the educational

disparities between the races. In a recount of the event, Ladson-Billings (2013) stated the

following:

We presented our main argument and then opened it up for questions. Those questions

came fast and furious. What was surprising was that they were not hostile. People were

genuinely trying to understand what our analysis meant for the future of educational

disparities. Were we saying that the inequities were intractable? Yes, we were. Were we

saying that the civil rights movement was a failed project? To some extent it was. Were

we saying that racism would endure? Indeed we were. (p. 35)

After extensive peer review, constructive criticism, and edits, Toward a critical race theory in

education, was published by Teachers College Record in 1995; thus ushering in the era of CRT

and education.

I have chosen Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a conceptual framework because it will be

used to illuminate the disparity and factors that negatively affect the African American male in

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education (Bell, 2005; Ladson-Billings, 2005; Tate, 1997) and will allow me to focus on the

positive aspects of successful adolescent African American males. This interpretive lens will

assist in debunking the “multifaceted nature of communities and people of color that have been

historically construed through research as deficit and dysfunctional” (Chapman, 2005, p. 28).

Moreover, CRT can aid in the empowerment of subordinate groups, such as adolescent African

American males (Solorzano & Yosso, 2002). I agree with Howard (2008) when he stated that

hearing the voice of the adolescent African American male is essential to the development of

new research paradigms:

One of the glaring absences of much of the research associated with African American

males is that it has not included first-hand, detailed accounts from African American

males about the roles they believe power, race, and racism play in their educational

experiences. It is the value of experiential knowledge that may offer important

opportunities for new research paradigms, particularly those centered on the

manifestations of race and racism. (p. 967)

The narratives of successful adolescent African American males I will gather in the

research will challenge the racial stereotypes and mainstream narratives surrounding this

subgroup. Brown (2011) asserted “the recycling of specific discourses has helped to construct an

essentialized story” of African American males in a current state of despair (p. 2049). Moreover,

there is a need to “explore the complexities of Black males’ lives, while also challenging the

same old stories that pervade educational discourse” (Brown, 2011, p. 2052). In education, the

counter narrative is one of the tenets of CRT that is a "method of telling stories of those people

whose experiences are not often told (Solorzano & Yosso, 2009, p. 138). My goal in using the

narratives of successful adolescent African American males is to counter the often told

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majoritarian story of the adolescent African American male. The majoritarian story "distorts and

silences the experiences of people of color" (Solorzano & Yosso, 2009, p. 138). Specific to

adolescent African American males, majoritarian stories are told using some type of theory

(Howard, 2010) or deficiency model (Valencia, 2010). Some of the deficiency models that are

saturated in literature past and present addressing why adolescent African American males fail

and continue to fall short of success are deficiencies associated with culture and biology. Tyrone

Howard (2010) discussed five explanations when explaining the disparity between students of

color and white students in Why race and culture matter in schools. He stated the following

explanations as a starting point for discussion of how race can be a factor in educational

outcomes for students of color (pp. 28-32):

• Eugenics Movement: There is a biological basis for the superiority of Whites;

currently manifested in the forms of low expectations, exclusion from enriched

academic funding, and inequitable school funding for students of color.

• Deficit-Based Thinking: Students of color are not fit for academia and social uplift.

Deviation from mainstream forms of verbal and cognitive processing are viewed as

dysfunctional, pathological, or inferior. Teachers who subscribe to this form of

thinking have low expectations for students of color.

• Cultural Mismatch Theory: The cultural characteristics that students of color possess

may be diametrically at odds with the cultural features of a largely White, middle

class teaching population and institutional ethos of schools.

• Opportunity Gap and the Availability of Resources: The primary culprit in

perpetuating the achievement gap is contemporary and historical rates of access to

important resources that have a significant influence on school quality.

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• Stereotype Threat: The ramifications of the racial stigma continue to have an

influence on students today, not only in regard to opportunities provided, but also in

terms of psychological well-being and academic performance.

The counter narrative is intended not only to respond and oppose the majoritarian story of

deficiencies associated with adolescent African American males, but it also can help strengthen

the resolve of those adolescent African American males who are finding success in education by

validating their effort to find success in the educational arena. Through the use of portraiture, I

plan to construct a collective portrait that counters the majoritarian story of deficiencies

associated with the adolescent African American male. My goal of using portraiture as a

methodology is captured by Dixson, Chapman, and Hill (2005) when they account for the

rationale behind Sarah Lawrence-Lightfoot creating this unique methodology to counter the

stories of shortcomings and failures:

These stories, or narratives, are described through Lawrence-Lightfoot’s “search for

goodness” in the methodology of portraiture. Lawrence-Lightfoot (1983) explained that

she was inspired to move beyond traditional methods of social science research because

of the continued focus on “pathology and disease rather than health and resilience” (p. 8).

In addition, Lawrence-Lightfoot and Davis (1997) argued that research that focuses

solely on failure has a tendency toward being facile. That is, it is easier to locate and

document shortcomings and failures than to find those moments of resistance and

negation that ultimately lead to success. For Lawrence-Lightfoot and Davis, portraiture

rests on a search for goodness, which they describe as research that looks for the

strengths of particular sites. (p. 18)

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I will give more details pertaining to portraiture and how I plan to use it in the methodology

section.

Many of the current theories associated with identity development do not fit well with

adolescent African American male identity development because the theories do not address the

“sociocultural, academic, and economic dilemmas that generate experiences and identity

conflicts” (Corbin & Pruitt, 1999, p. 69) that are unique to adolescent African American males.

Because of these dilemmas, I do not plan to adhere to one particular model associated with racial

identity; instead, I plan to explore how successful adolescent African American males develop

their identity by “defining who one is and hopes to be within a social context” (Corbin & Pruitt,

1999, p. 68). I believe a more appropriate lens for exploring the adolescent African American

male identity construction is through an intersectionality lens.

Utilizing another tenet of CRT, intersectionality will provide “a focused lens on the

intersection or connectedness between race and other mitigating factors that influence” (Howard

& Reynolds, 2013, p. 235) how successful adolescent African American males developed their

identity. Kimberle Crenshaw (1989) introduced the theory of intersectionality in her work titled

Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination

doctrine, feminist theory, and antiracist politics. In her work, she explained how African

American woman “are sometimes excluded from feminist theory and antiracist policy discourse

because both are predicated on a discrete set of experiences that often does not accurately reflect

the interaction of race and gender” (p. 58). She argued that the multidimensionality of the Black

women’s experience and the interaction of race and gender must be taken into account when

addressing the issues of racism and sexism that Black women encounter in society.

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Specific to the African American male, Howard and Reynolds (2013) noted how

intersectionality “provides a suitable framework to examine the experiences of Black males,

because it not only centers race at the core of its analysis, but also other forms of oppression and

identity markers” (p. 234). They added, “The intersectionality of race, class, and gender and

other identity markers are fundamentally critical in research concerned with young Black males”

(p. 237). Throughout my counseling career, I have found that my African American male

students who have graduated from high school managed to successfully navigate other life

challenges; and had a strong sense of self and what they wanted to do. Moreover, they could

adapt to a multitude of social contexts such as home, school, and peer relations. I believe that

each individual has a different view of success because it deals with personal goal attainment.

My definition of success is reaching individual goals and not letting someone else set your

limitations. I believe that in order to accomplish this it takes a strong sense of self and

unwavering focus, determination, and discipline. More detail on my perspective of success can

be found in my reflection memo located in the validity threat section of this proposal.

Methodology

To explore the lived experience of the adolescent African American male I plan to use a

phenomenological approach. Using a phenomenological perspective, my goal is to explore how

adolescent African American males “make sense of experience and transform experience into

consciousness” (Patton, 2002, p. 104), as they successfully navigate the turbulent years of

adolescent development. Moreover, the process of phenomenological analysis “provides a

logical, systematic, and coherent resource for carrying out the analysis and synthesis needed to

arrive at essential descriptions of experience” (Moustakas, 1994, p. 47). The proposed setting

will be a 2-year university located in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Using open-ended and semi-

20

structured interviews, I plan to explore the lived experiences of adolescent African American

males. The interviews will focus on their schooling experiences and the intersectionality of race,

gender, and class with those experiences. In addition, the research participants will be asked to

write an autobiography of their schooling experiences. The purpose of the interviews and the

autobiographical narrative pertaining to education is to gain insight in their personal histories,

perspectives, and experiences within the school context.

I plan to conduct my research at my work-site-Georgia Perimeter College. The college

has several programs designed to serve underrepresented populations in higher education. The

program on which I plan to focus is the Leadership Academy. The Leadership Academy

provides academic support, personal support and development, opportunities to earn

scholarships, and other experiences shown to help support the success of African American

males in college. For their voluntary participation, I will provide each of the selected participants

a monetary compensation in the form of a gift card. The amount is yet to be determined, but will

not exceed $30 USD. The sequencing of my proposed methodology is as follows:

Step1: Identify potential research participants with the assistance of the director of the

Leadership Academy.

Step 2: Collect data following the interview guidelines outlined by Seidman (2006).

Step 3: Analyze collected data following the guidelines outlined by Moustakas (1994).

Step 4: Present the data using portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis,1997)

Participants

Participants will be African American male students enrolled in the Leadership Academy.

During each semester, there are 10-12 African American male students enrolled in the program.

With the assistance and recommendation of the program coordinator for the Leadership

21

Academy, I plan on selecting 6-8 participants. For this dissertation, the following parameters will

be used:

• Identify as African American or Black

• Age 18-21, male

• A member of the Leadership Academy

• Be in good academic standing with the college and currently on the academic

scholarship provided by the Leadership Academy

• Recently graduated from the Leadership Academy and currently enrolled in an

institution of higher education

In contrast to their homogeneity as members of the Leadership Academy, the

participant’s backgrounds will be different. For example, socioeconomic status, prior educational

setting (public, private, or home school), and geographical location (urban or rural), racial

demographics of previous schools (predominately White, Black, or Hispanic) will vary.

Although the director of the Leadership Academy is a colleague of mine, and I have a

professional relationship with her, I do not personally know or work with any of the students

enrolled in the Leadership Academy. In the event I do not reach my desired number of

participants, I will solicit the assistance of Georgia Perimeter College Teaching and Learning

Center (TLC) to help find potential participates that fit the criteria set forth for this study. The

TLC is located on my campus and provides assistance with doctoral candidates who are

conducting research at GPC.

Data Collection

I plan to use triangulation to “provide cross-data validity checks” (Patton, 2002, p. 248).

This will include autobiographical narrative and in-depth interviews. The autobiographical

22

narrative will be one of the methods used to collect data to explore the lived experiences of the 6-

8 adolescent African American males who I choose from those who volunteered to participate in

this study. After reading the autobiographical narratives of the participants, I plan to conduct a

series of individual interviews with research participants to allow them to elaborate on their

experiences from the autobiographical narrative. I plan to have predetermined questions to guide

the construction of the autobiography and interview. I will probe for responses that will help me

explore and understand what the research participants believed helped them find success during

their secondary education and what they believe is currently helping them find success in higher

education. I believe that the autobiographical narratives are important for my dissertation

because they will give the participants an opportunity to express any information they thought to

be relevant to the study in written form, this can include areas of importance outside the school

context like home life and community (Stinson, 2008). Likewise, Marshall and Rossman (1999)

captured the essence of interviewing in qualitative research when they stated:

Typically, qualitative in-depth interviews are more like conversations than formal events

with predetermined response categories. The researcher explores a few general topics to

help uncover the participant’s views but otherwise respects how the participant frames

and structures the responses. (p. 108)

I plan to adhere to these same principles during the interview process of my dissertation.

When conducting in-depth interviews with participants, I plan to follow the structure outlined by

Irving Seidman (2006) because I agree with him when he stated, "at the root of in-depth

interviewing is an interest in understanding the lived experience of other people and the

meaning they make of the experience" (p. 9). Moreover, Seidman's in-depth interview structure

is compatible with my goal of exploring the lived experiences of adolescent African American

23

males and their perception of school and identity. I plan to use Seidman's three interview series

when conducting interviews with the participants:

The first interview establishes the context of the participants' experience. The second

allows participants to reconstruct the details of their experience within the context in

which it occurs. And the third encourages the participants to reflect on the meaning their

experience holds for them. (p. 17)

In order to maintain the structure and to set boundaries during the interview process I plan to use

an interview guide to help reduce the chances of the interview turning into a meaningless

conversation.

Data Analysis

For data analysis of the autobiographical narrative and the interviews, I plan to use the

method outlined by Clark Moustakas (1994) when conducting phenomenological research. I

chose this method of data analysis because it complements the aim of phenomenological

research "to determine what an experience means for the persons who have had the experience

and are able to provide a comprehensive description of it" (Moustakas, 1994, p. 13). I plan to

follow his recommended guidelines at the stage of organization and analysis of data. He stated

that after the data collection there are procedures unique to phenomenological analyses:

The procedures include horizonalizing the data and regarding every horizon or statement

as relevant to the topic and question as having equal value. From the horizonalized

statements, the meaning or meaning units are listed. These are clustered into common

categories or themes, removing overlapping and repetitive statements. The clustered

themes and meanings are used to develop the textural descriptions of the experience.

From the textural descriptions, structural descriptions and an integration of textures and

24

structures into the meanings and essences of the phenomenon are constructed. (p. 118-

119)

To be more specific, I plan to incorporate Moustakas’s (1994) modification of the Van Kaam

method of analysis of phenomenological data (pp. 120-121):

1. Listing and Preliminary Grouping: List every expression relevant to the experience

(Horizonalization).

2. Reduction and Elimination: To determine the invariant constituents, test each expression

for two requirements:

A. Does it contain a moment of the experience that is a necessary and sufficient

constituent for understanding it?

B. Is it possible to abstract and label it? If so, it is a horizon of the experience.

Expressions not meeting the above requirements are eliminated. Overlapping,

repetitive, and vague expressions are also eliminated or presented in more exact

terms. The horizons that remain are the invariant constituents of the experience.

3. Clustering and Thematizing the Invariant Constituents: Cluster the invariant constituents

of the experience that are related into a thematic label. The clustered and labeled

constituents are the core themes of the experience.

4. Final Identification of the Invariant Constituents and Themes by Application: Check the

invariant constituents and their accompanying theme against the complete record of the

research participant:

A. Are they expressed explicitly in the complete transcription?

B. Are they compatible if not explicitly expressed?

25

C. If they are not explicit or compatible, they are not relevant to the co-researcher’s

experience and should be deleted.

5. Using the relevant validated invariant constituents and themes, construct for each co-

researcher an Individual Textural Description of the experience. Include verbatim

examples from the transcribed interview.

6. Construct for each co-researcher an Individual Structured Description of the experience

based on the Individual Textural Description and Imaginative Variation.

7. Construct for each research participant a Textural-Structural Description of the

meanings and essences of the experience, incorporating the invariant constituents and

themes.

Presentation of Data

I plan to use portraiture for presenting the lived experience of successful adolescent

African American males. My rationale for using portraiture as a methodology for framing the

stories of successful adolescent African American males is the goal of the portraits "to capture

the richness, complexity, and dimensionality" (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis, 1997, p. 3) of their

lived experiences. In The Art and Science of Portraiture, the co-authors Sara Lawrence-

Lightfoot and Jessica Hoffmann Davis (1997) gave details about the origins, purposes, and

unique features of portraiture as a method of qualitative methodology. According to Lawrence-

Lightfoot, the definition is:

...a method framed by the traditions and values of the phenomenological paradigm,

sharing many of the techniques, standards, and goals of ethnography. But it pushes

against the constraints of those traditions and practices in its explicit effort to combine

empirical and aesthetic description, in its focus on the convergence of narrative analysis,

26

in its goal of speaking to broader audiences beyond the academy (thus linking inquiry to

public discourse and social transformation), in its standard of authenticity rather than

reliability and validity, and in its explicit recognition of the use of the self as the primary

research instrument for documenting and interpreting the perspectives and experiences of

the people and cultures being studies. (pp. 13-14)

I look at portraiture as an opportunity to tell a counter story. I want the story of

successful adolescent African American males to transcend academia and be presented to a

broader audience in order to counter the negativity of the majoritarian story that is too often told

about them in society and education. The process of portraiture will afford me the opportunity to

share with a broader audience the experiences of those adolescent African American males who

have managed to navigate K-12 education and are now finding success in higher education. I

plan to follow the outline presented by Lawrence-Lightfoot (1997) when composing the counter

narratives of successful adolescent African American males. She stated "the generic outline

provides portraits with a schema with which to assemble and begin to organize the parts of the

whole" (p. 264). I plan to follow her recommended outline during the implementation phase of

composing the narrative. The outline will assist with creating a framework that will provide

evidence of resonance and dissonance to support the relevant themes.

Another rationale of utilizing the principles of portraiture in this dissertation is the viable

partnership with CRT (Chapman, 2005); moreover, portraiture and CRT used in conjunction,

“advance and high-light the sustaining features of cultures and communities that are rarely

promoted” (Chapman, 2005, p. 31). Carter (2003) stated CRT and portraiture “approaches

engendered a methodological environment in which the researcher and the researched co-

construct meanings instead of relying upon processes that dictate analysis and interpretation” (p.

27

32). Harper (2010) in the inaugural issue of the Journal of African American Males in Education

(JAMME) stated that scholarly research was saturated with negative aspects of African

American males in education and called for a new focus on those African American males who

do find success matriculating through the educational system:

I would like to see JAAME counterbalance its publication of these types of articles with

others that offer a more hopeful and instructive view of African American male

educational achievement. Much remains to be learned from those boys and men who,

despite all that has been stacked against them, manage to thrive and persist through high

school graduation, baccalaureate degree attainment, and even into graduate studies. (p. 2)

Portraiture will allow me to focus on the lived experience of successful adolescent African

American males; thus, creating a collective portrait aimed at countering “deficit-informed

research that silences and distorts epistemologies of people of color” (Solorzano & Yosso, 2002,

p. 23). Moreover, Lawrence-Lightfoot and Hoffman-Davis (1997) contested, “Portraiture resists

this tradition-laden effort to document failure. It is an intentionally generous and eclectic process

that begins by searching for what is good and healthy and assumes that the expression of

goodness will always be laced with imperfections” (p. 9).

Validity

The most serious threats to validity for my research design are my own subjectivity and

perspectives. My “subjective I’s” (Jansen & Peshkin, 1992) are related to education and

character traits associated with success. I was raised with a high value placed on education. In

elementary school, I had to complete homework first and then I could play. In middle school, I

was already talking with my parents about what college I wanted to attend. By high school, I was

preparing for college by taking PSAT classes after school and a couple of AP classes as I

28

prepared for my transition to higher education. In my house, the priorities were clear—family,

faith, and education. I will have to be cautious that when I do begin my research that I do not

project my values about education or life on my subjects. My blueprint for success is unique to

my own values and personal experiences; I believe it is important to reflect on how I gained

success as an African American male. Greater insight to my blueprint of success is taken from an

excerpt of my reflection memos:

Often times I ask myself: How did I manage to develop my sense of self? How did I navigate through those turbulent years of being an African American teenager? Why did I have success as a student in secondary and post-secondary school? When I reflect on those fragile years, the answer is clear, my father. My father provided me with a blue print to manhood. He is the reason I am the man I am today. Even today, as a man, I am constantly seeking his guidance and advice as new challenges arise in adulthood. He made me realize the importance of character and values. Family and faith first and your education second; learn to be a communicator because you will have to communicate with all different types of people; whatever you decide to do, do it with passion; never give up; fight for those who cannot fight for themselves; laugh; respect is the corner stone of building healthy relationships; self-discipline and work ethic are critical to success; be confident not arrogant; do not let anyone set your limitations; if you fail learn from it, and if you succeed do not become complacent with it; live your life with integrity not regret and guilt. These are just a few of the lessons I learned from my father from 40 years under his guidance. Some things he told me verbatim in candid conversations between a father and son, what was most powerful for me, is that I was able to see how he lived his life. How he made mistakes and learned from them; how he persisted during difficult times; how he is the leader of our family leading by example and action. By seeing how he lived; it gave validation and credit to his words when he gave advice, criticism, and praise. I would not be where I am today if it were not for his loving guidance and commitment to being a father who put raising his two sons as a priority in his life. I am not only grateful that he helped me develop my own sense of self but more importantly; he has given me a blueprint to pass on to my own son. In order to address my own values, beliefs, and bias, I plan to write the same narrative that

I am asking the research participants to write. Through “reflection and self-dialogue” of my own

journey from primary schooling, post-secondary, and higher education can I “significantly

reduce the influence of preconceived thoughts, judgments, and bias” (Moustakas, 1994, p. 90).

29

The process of Epoche (Moustakas, 1994) is an important process that addresses the validity

threat of researcher bias:

…preparation for deriving new knowledge but also as an experience in itself, a process of

setting aside predilections, prejudices, predispositions, and slowing things, events, and

people to enter anew into consciousness, and to look and see them again, as if for the first

time. This is not only critical for scientific determination but for living itself—the

opportunity for a fresh start, a new beginning, not being hampered by voices of the past

that tell us the things are or voices of the present that direct out thinking. The Epoche is a

way of looking and being, an unfettered stance. Whatever or whoever appears in our

consciousness is approached with an openness, seeing just what is there allowing what is

there to linger. (p. 85-86)

Another potential validity threat is to be cognizant that my interview sessions do not turn

into counseling sessions. Although rapport is necessary when conducting in-depth interviewing, I

need to be mindful of my natural tendency to counsel and guide and not let the role of counselor

interfere with the researcher. Following the guidelines for in-depth interviewing (Seidman, 2006)

will reduce chances of the interview sessions turning into counseling sessions. To rule “out the

possibility of misinterpreting the meaning of what participants say and do” (Maxwell, 2013), I

plan to transcribe the audiotaped interviews and return to each participant for member checking;

I can also perform member checking with the autobiographical narrative to assist with my own

understanding of the participants’ experiences.

Conclusion

My hope is that my dissertation will “contribute knowledge that will help people

understand the nature of the problem in order to intervene thereby giving” (Patton, 2002, p. 217)

30

adolescent African American males the ability to realize their full potential. Insight from those

adolescent African American males who are finding success in the educational arena may be able

to provide insight to help others who are at-risk of failure. Moreover, by telling the stories of

successful adolescent African American males my hope is to share their “goodness” and

challenge “current stereotypes about what happens in schools” (Chapman, 2005, p. 48). I believe,

if we as educators, can change our attitude towards adolescent African American males and give

them what they need maybe we can change this pattern of failure and empower them to change

their lives. Moreover, we can change the understanding and attitude of those educators and

policy makers who associate deficit thinking with adolescent African American males. To

generate solutions, we need to listen to the unsung heroes of African American males who found

success navigating K-12 education and now have found success in higher education. In closing,

my hope is similar to Howard (2013) when he stated the goal of using CRT and intersectionality

as a framework to explore meaning making with African American males:

What is abundantly clear from data is that our knowledge base, theory, practice, policy,

and research continue to fall woefully short in informing educators about how to best

address the needs of Black males. It is not our intention to claim that an intersectionality

framework on its own will undo the years of oppression, exclusion, and emasculation that

countless numbers of Black males have experienced and continue to experience in U.S.

schools and society. It has been our goal to push for a more probing level of analysis

which would enable us to have Black males define, describe, and analyze their realities

on their realities on their terms without being placed in restrictive categories informed by

narrow constructions of race, class, and gender. Most importantly, it is vital for

educational researchers and practitioners to allow multiple manifestations and iterations

31

of those experiences and identities to be an integral part of the discourse of Black males.

(p. 244).

32

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