This article is the preliminary descriptive report of a 5-year qualitative research study—an ethnography of an independent African-centered charter school. The purpose of the study is to determine the pedagogical theory undergirding successful development and maintenance of an African-centered charter school. This article analyzes the resilience of attempts to develop an African-centered pedagogy in an independent public school. The analysis is based on Lave’s notion of a community of practice and reveals the political, ideological, and structural impediments to maintaining an African-centered charter school. The article concludes with a discussion of pedagogical underpinnings that are required for effective and successful schooling for Black children in the public domain.
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