How African American girls cope and excel amidst the discriminations and inequities they experience within U.S. educational systems has not been widely discussed in the body of research about African Americans’ schooling experiences. In this study, the researchers examined the applicability of Ogbu’s cultural–ecological theory to the self-described school experiences of eight high-achieving African American high school girls. Using an inductive analysis of interviews, focus groups, journal, and field notes, this article draws attention to the role that school policies and practices, caring adults play, and how the participants’ negotiated academic and racial identities contributed to their academic success.
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