Factors that Affect the Mathematical Achievement of African American Males in Urban Schools

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that lead to higher academic achievement of African American male students, specifically in mathematics in urban schools. This study employed data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) which consisted of 1,811 African American male participants randomly selected from 944 public and private high schools during the fall 2009 academic year. The results of a hierarchical multiple linear regression (HMLR) indicated that socioeconomic status, math identity, and math self-efficacy were predictors of mathematics achievement for African American male students. In spite of this significant relationship, African American male's achievement outcomes are impacted by various factors. Further exploration of these factors is needed to provide a more accurate model to predict African American male academic achievement in mathematics.