High School to College Transition Among Black Males: An Action Research Project

A participatory action research project involving social workers as stakeholders from high schools and the local community college in Nassau County, New York, provided the basis for an inquiry that addressed the effectiveness and implementation of clinical social work practice with Black male students transitioning to community college from high school. This study addresses how clinical social work practice may be utilized to enhance the experience of the transition process for Black male students from high school to college. Through the use of a qualitative in-depth interview process, 16 school-based social workers provided professional perspective and expertise that resulted in a transformational change project identifying key aspects of psychosocial treatment planning most relevant to the needs of Black male students hoping to persist from high school to college graduation. Social exclusion theory formed the theoretical basis for understanding the socioeconomic and psychosocial experiences of Black male students, whereas grounded theory provided a foundation for theory generation through a process of identifying and classifying emerging patterns and themes within the in-depth interview transcripts. As a result of this doctoral capstone project, key deficiencies in school social work practice, such as the need to adapt to a more community-based form of social work practice, were identified and addressed at a local level through a summary of recommendations, forming the basis for a credible and transferable knowledge base that can be used to improve social work practice. Ultimately, the outcomes of this project improve services for Black male students transitioning from high school to college, and it will lead to positive social change for this student population