African American Boys

Many challenges confront African American boys. Their level of academic achievement and vocational success is much lower than that of African American girls or boys from any other ethnic group. In fact, for many outcome indicators, African American males are the highest risk group among adolescents. For example, at the end of 4 years, fewer than 50% of 9th grade African American boys complete high school and their levels of involvement in juvenile delinquency and incarceration are unacceptably high. And although discourse on African American preadolescent and adolescent boys has been on the increase for the past decade, evidence-based interventions to ensure strong developmental outcomes among male youth of African descent have not been adequately examined, nor have the strategies that could be used to promote positive outcomes among African American adolescent males.§§African American Boys: Theory, Research and Practice fills the breach in the current literature. This important volume provides a comprehensive examination of major topics related to African American adolescent boys and their development within the context of theory, research and practice. Chapters focus on the developmental issues of these boys throughout middle (ages 11 to 13) and high school (ages 14 to 18). And each chapter includes a resource and recommendation section for professionals working with African American adolescent boys to improve their quality of life.§