An Analysis of Successful Black Male College Students' Perceptions of their Educational Environment and the Role of Educational Leaders

Research on Black males has continuously been approached from a monolithic perspective that indicates their plight of attendance and achievement in college. This nation has witnessed this decade of declining enrollment of Black males attending and achieving in college. The decreasing number has been apparent and paints a dismal reality for educational institutions, leaders, and students; particularly Black males. While this reality is continuously disturbing and draws immediate attention, successful Black male college students are achieving at a high altitude. Educational institutions and leaders are challenged to help increase Black male student attendance and achievement in college and universities. This challenge begins with switching the focus of what deters Black males from attending and achieving in college to what encourages them by approaching them from a success and not the common deficit model.The purpose of this study was to analyze successful Black male college students' perceptions of their educational environments and the role of educational leaders. Participants were assessed on their perceptions of high school and college environments as well as their perceptions of high school and college educational leaders. A grounded theory approach was used to describe these perceptions. The participants included 21 non-intercollegiate undergraduate Black males, between the ages of 18-25, attending southwestern university (SWU). The data was based on the participants' responses from 21 semi-structured interview questions derived by the researcher.The data revealed four major themes which included (1 positive perceptions of the high school and college educational environments; (2 negative perceptions of the high school and college educational environments; (3 positive perceptions of the educational leaders in high school and college; and finally, (4 negative perceptions of educational leaders in high school and college. The findings exhibited the importance approaching Black males from a non-monolithic perspective. These Black male college students shared different experiences and perceived educational environments and leaders from various perspectives. The findings also showed the importance of focusing towards the success of Black males. The findings did reveal negative perceptions and experiences, yet this study gave credence to the importance of providing balance between positive and negative experiences of Black males