ABSTRACT
There are many lenses through which to examine the academic experiences of Black males in public education. While acknowledging the other various lenses and their merit, this research focused on both individual and contextual factors that formed the foundation of educational resilience. The intersection between internal and contextual factors that support resilience lies in students' ability to trust in themselves and in the process of institutions to solicit their trust. The most significant aspect of building self-agency among Black male students is the ability to see failure and learn from misfortunes in a positive light. There is significant literature that states the importance of family background on positive academic outcomes for students. The school culture is important not only to supplementing teacher expectations but also to providing a safe, nurturing environment for students to feel comfortable failing in order to succeed.
