African American students face a number of unique challenges in their educational careers that often impact their success. Informed by the complexity of the Black educational experience in New York City, this groundbreaking book by Dr. Denise Hinds-Zaami is an in-depth study of the experiences and perspectives of NYC African American educational administrators on the education of African American students, as collected through unique one-on-one interviews.
The administrators discuss their thoughts and feelings about the educational environments where African American children can thrive and perform well, and share stories exploring how a wholistic approach to education is good for all children. Administrators from very different domains arrive at the same conclusion: for African American students, holding onto their culture and realizing who they are as a people (their identity) is what is needed for the future in the educational improvement of African American students and their academic successes.