Young, Gifted, and Black - (Beacon Classics) by Theresa Perry & Claude Steele (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

3 leading Black scholars radically reframe the debates surrounding the academic achievement of African American students in this groundbreaking essay collection

A limited Beacon Classics edition, with a gorgeous spot gloss cover and retro, classic palette

The unique social and cultural position Black students occupy--in a society which often devalues and stereotypes African American identity--fundamentally shapes students' experience of school and sets up unique obstacles. In 3 separate but allied essays, Theresa Perry, Claude Steele, and Asa Hilliard provide an understanding of how these forces work, opening the door to practical, powerful methods for promoting high achievement at all levels.

Theresa Perry opens with illuminating how the dilemmas Black students face are rooted in the experience of race and ethnicity in America, making the task of achievement distinctive and difficult.

Claude Steele follows up with stunningly clear empirical psychological evidence that when Black students believe they are being judged as members of a stereotyped group--rather than as individuals--they do worse on tests.

Finally, Asa Hilliard argues against a variety of false theories and misguided views of African American achievement, sharing examples of real schools, programs, and teachers around the country that allow Black students to achieve at high levels.

Nearly 20 years since its first publication, Young, Gifted, and Black remains a critical text for educators and social justice advocates alike, showcasing the imperative work that must still be done to change the way we talk and think about Black student achievement.

Review Quotes

"Perry, Steele, and Hilliard . . . challenge the terms of the current conversation that denies Black students' gifts and they offer models for achieving excellence despite the burdens of racist stigma and stereotype . . . [An] important and powerful book . . . Offers a forceful antidote to the victim-blaming that pervades most policy discussions on Black achievement."
--Charles Lawrence, Boston Review

"While the authors of the three essays in this thought-provoking volume disagree on many things, all agree that we must have a 'better understanding of what it is we are asking African-American youth to do when we ask them to commit themselves, over time, to academic achievement . . .' The solutions offered by each essay are creative, inspirational, and good old common sense."
--Los Angeles Times

"In a remarkable essay, . . . Steele takes [a] very common coming-of-age experience and turns it into a hopeful solution . . . In just 22 pages, [Steele] proposes several solutions, as do the other contributors."
--Jay Matthews, Washington Post

"Forget what you think you know about the achievement gap between white and black students. In Young, Gifted and Black, three professors lay out the research that shows what you 'know' is probably wrong."
--American School Board Journal

"I am awed by the lucidity and careful crafting of these essays. The authors-all scholars of impeccable credentials in their respective fields-capture with unprecedented cogency the real issues surrounding the so-called 'achievement gap.' No one who reads this book can ever suggest that we don't know what to do to promote high achievement for African-American students. The question is, do we really want to do so."
--Lisa Delpit, Florida International University, author of Other People's Children

"These three very different essays go a long way toward raising the level of the national discussion about 'achievement gaps.'"
--Charles Payne, Duke University

About the Author

Theresa Perry is Professor of Africana Studies and Education at Simmons College. She is co-author of Young, Gifted and Black, and co-editor of The Real Ebonics Debate, among other books. She is faculty director of the Simmons College/Beacon Press Race, Education and Democracy Lecture and Book Series.

Claude M. Steele is a Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. He is best known for his work on stereotype threat and its application to minority student academic performance. He has served as the I. James Quillen Dean for the School of Education at Stanford University, the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at UC Berkeley, and the 21st Provost of Columbia University.

Asa Hilliard, III (1933-2007) was the Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Urban Education at Georgia State University. In addition to being a founding member of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations, he served as an expert witness in federal cases on test validity and consulted to schools in Liberia, West Africa.