Male African Americans,Singe Parent Homes,and Educational Plans: Implications for Educators and Policymakers

One of the most troubling issues facing policymakers and educators at all levels is the educational attainment of students in at-risk circumstances—in broken homes, in poverty, in criminal environments, and so on. Educators in elementary and secondary schools have attempted to decrease the drop-out rates and increase the academic success of these students, and higher education personnel have struggled to recruit and retain them through graduation. In both settings, a consistent finding is that a student's educational plans or aspirations play a pivotal role in actual attainment. As noted by Schmit and Hossler (1995), in a 9-year longitudinal study, "plans made during ninth-grade high school graduation, enrollment in a college or university, or entrance into the workforce are stable across a student's high school career" (p. 25).