ABSTRACT
This chapter examines African American children and adolescents and explores educational issues germane to them as learners. It describes the cultural, gender, socioeconomic, familial, and language characteristics of African American children and adolescents. The chapter explains the Black Lives Matter movement as well as the violence toward African Americans. African American children daily face two cultures: The African American culture of the home and neighborhood, and the cultures of schools and other social institutions. The recent emphasis on gender differences and gender-appropriate education suggests educators should consider African American females and males from different perspectives. The discrimination that African American people experience has resulted in a lack of educational and employment opportunities, and has prohibited significant social mobility. Socioeconomic status (SES) continues to be a powerful indicator of academic success for American children. Religion is a powerful aspect of the African American family orientation that has almost never had empirical documentation.
