In Their Own Words: Erasing Deficits and Exploring What Works to Improve K–12 and Postsecondary Black Male School Achievement

Abstract

This article outlines the imperative for strengths-based research to counter deficit perceptions and perspectives of Black males in contemporary discussions of their school achievement in the United States. The importance of young men of color in shaping research agendas, practice, and public policy is argued followed by a brief overview of the papers featured in the special issue “Erasing the Deficits: My Brother's Keeper and Contemporary Perspectives on Black Male School Achievement.”