Toward an understanding of the achievement of African American students at a nationally regarded California public high school through the theoretical lenses of acting white, stereotype threat, and critical race theory

UnrestrictedThe purpose of this study was to examine key factors contributing to African American enrollment and nonenrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) and regular classes at a nationally regarded California public high school. This study was based on three guiding theoretical frameworks: "acting White, " stereotype threat, and critical race theory. Relationships between the theoretical frameworks were evaluated to see if there were any clear linkages to enrollment patterns and course selection among African American seniors. In order to gain a clearer understanding of the students ' experiences, both AP and non-AP seniors were interviewed to evaluate their rationale per their course selection and enrollment options. Teachers at the school were also interviewed to gain insight into their perspective about the enrollment patterns of African American seniors at the school site.; Major findings in this research were that African American seniors participated in low rates in the AP program and that males, specifically, participated at even lower rates in comparison to females. Additional findings indicated that teachers in the study overwhelmingly supported the doctrine that there is a major distinction between the AP and regular class environments that inevitably impacts student achievement and the academic growth of African American students. The findings clearly indicated that African American students who enrolled in honors classes at the middle school level participated in greater rates at the high school level. On the other hand, African American students who did not participate in the honors program in middle school wereless likely to enroll and participate in the AP program.; Findings supported the need for additional research to further investigate the causes and possible links to low enrollment in the AP program. The study concluded that participation was linked to academic preparedness, parental and teacher involvement, and student motivation coupled with supportive structures within the school's foundation. In contrast, nonenrollment was linked to lack of academic readiness, which made African American students feel that they did not have the capability to perform at an advanced level academically, coupled with a lack of parental involvement and/or support with relationship to AP course offerings