Doctor of Education, Miami University, 2011, Educational Leadership

The primary purpose of this study is to examine the counterstories of African-American males who have dropped out of school and record their experiences in their own voice of how their schooling impacted their current life circumstances. The emergent themes from their stories support the literature that four factors contribute to Black males' dropping out of school: 1) negative teacher and administration perception of Black males; 2) labeling and sorting through the use of special education and academic tracking; 3) resistance to schooling due to the insidious practices taking place in schools; and 4) alienation from schooling because of racist, oppressive practices. This study found that the overall story of African-American males in their schooling experiences is one of absence of caring from teachers, administration, and the school system.

Committee: Denise Taliaferro-Baszile Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Raymond Terrell Ed.D. (Committee Member); Sally Lloyd Ph.D. (Committee Member); Paula Saine Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership; School Administration; Secondary Education; Teacher Education; Teaching