2015 Undergraduate Awards
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2015
Abstract
This paper explores the public debate of "Afrocentric Schools", as an alternative education system. In an attempt to explain the relative underachievement of African-American students, various theoretical perspectives concerning the black-white achievement gap are presented. Furthermore, the author examines existing empirical evidence concerning the achievement/underachievement of African-American students, offering either support or disapproval for Afrocentric Schools. In addition, The Africentric Alternative School in Toronto is utilized as a case study to examine the efficacy of Afrocentric Schools. The examined empirical evidence illustrates that the Afrocentric School debate is not so "black and white". Rather, the black-white achievement gap depends on the specific cultural dispositions and context of the school. Therefore, the author recommends that decisions to implement race-based schools should reflect research conducted at the local level.
Notes
Image by Ryan McGilchrist, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.