Take the blinders off: What African American students say about exemplary teaching

The academic gap between African American students and European American students is a serious problem in our society that needs to be rectified. Echoing the concerns of many, Murrell (1997) and Irvine (1990) argue emphatically that public schooling especially in large urban areas is not working for African American students.; The purpose of this study is to investigate what African American college students say about the teachers who have had the greatest impact on them, personally and academically. In reviewing the research on academics and African American students, I have found that the majority of research has concentrated on the problems African American students have or that schools have with African American students.; There has been some very helpful research at the elementary level by scholars such as Ladson-Billings (1995), King (1991), and Hollins (1990) researching teachers that have been identified as successful, but very little has been conducted at the secondary level. Each of these researchers has expressed the urgent need for further research that looks at the successful experiences of African American students.; The study involved the in-depth interviewing of seventeen African American university students from a private and public university about the secondary teachers that made a difference to them both academically and personally.; The African American university students who were interviewed perceived exemplary teachers to be those who go against the grain of our present educational and societal contexts, who care passionately about their students, and who teach with relevance, challenge and academic excellence.; This research will add to the body of knowledge by identifying what a number of college students say about the positive experiences they had with teachers and what it was about the teachers and classes that made the experience a successful and valuable one for them. This study can point to further research for narrowing the achievement gap and perhaps act as a catalyst for teachers and administrators who are searching for better ways to educate their African American secondary students.