America’s urban communities have continued to face many challenges, especially the challenge of education, for several decades. Although factors such as racial injustice and community-driven problems have been used to explain the educational disparities in predominantly Black urban communities, many Black students, particularly males, have been performing well in the public/magnet school system (K-12). Drawing on a field study conducted at Capital Preparatory Magnet School (CPMS) in Hartford, Connecticut, the findings of the study show that CPMS has not only developed an institutional culture of excellence, but elements of the culture have shaped the school’s academic success for many years.
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