A call for scientifically-rigorous, community-based “actionable intelligence” to promote the academic achievement of African American Boys: An introduction to Fantuzzo, LeBoeuf, Rouse, and Chen (2012) and commentaries

This introduction briefly summarizes the featured article and commentaries making up this commissioned set of papers on the topic of the Black-White achievement gap and, more specifically, risk and protective factors for young African American boys’ school success. Each paper highlights important considerations for advancing scholarship, practice, and policy aimed at promoting equity in education. A case is made that in order to advance scientific knowledge of this issue and its application, dialogue across disciplines, methodological traditions, and contexts is needed.