African American boys and reading comprehension

African American boys are continuing to underachieve in reading on national and state levels. I...created a curriculum based upon best practices for African American males. I constructed this curriculum based upon the best practices according to Alfred Tatum and Harvey Daniels. There are two pieces of important information for teaching African American males. The first thing was that must-read texts for African American males must have four characteristics: they are intellectually exciting for both students and teachers, they serve as a road map and provide apprenticeship, they challenge students cognitively, and they help students apply literacy skills and strategies independently. The second thing was that teaching African American males requires the educator to be knowledgeable of the 4 c\u27s which are competence, commitment, compassion and cultural responsiveness. African American male students can be taught by everyone however, what the educator does can have a profound impact on their reading achievement