Research has shown that the No Child Left Behind 2001 has left many children behind, especially minority children. Today, African American students are facing achievement gaps, have high dropout rates, and are not meeting the minimum required standards set forth by each state. African American students are in need of an education overhaul. If the African American community is to thrive, we must seek all possible outlets to ensure that our children...

Through an analysis of the literature on racial identity development within the context of American society, the following paper utilizes the Cross Model of Psychological Nigrescence (1991, 2001) and focus group data to understand how culturally affirmative campus experiences, or "positive encounters, " can support the identity development process for Black students at a predominantly White institution in the southwest. By examining positive and negative...