10.1177/0042085903256218ARTICLEURBAN EDUCATION / SEPTEMBER 2003Swanson et al. / “OPPORTUNITIES ” FOR BLACK MALES BLACK MALES ’ STRUCTURAL CONDITIONS, ACHIEVEMENT PATTERNS, NORMATIVE NEEDS, AND “OPPORTUNITIES”

The relations between normative developmental transitions, contextual influ-ences, and life-stage outcomes such as academic achievement for African Ameri-can males are examined. The integration of affective and cognitive processes are reviewed for preschool- and elementary-aged boys, and an empirical examination of vulnerable and resilient outcomes of 219 urban adolescent males is used to illustrate how structural conditions provide opportunities for vulnerable and suc-cessful academic outcomes. The results indicate that negative stereotyping and tracking from early experiences in educational settings influence African Ameri-canmales’scholastic achievement. By adolescence, given normative developmen-tal experiences of social mobility and increased cognitive reasoning, experiences in their community as well as school contexts influences African American males’ reactive or proactive coping strategies that influence vulnerability and resilience in school. Suggestions for future research and intervention efforts are offered