By fourth grade many African American boys are already falling behind in the classroom. Our report examines what’s happening, what can be done, and why it should matter to all of us.

Imagine for a moment that you live in a land where a number of the citizens have purple hair. Now suppose that most non-purple-haired people feel a little uneasy about the grape-haired folk, especially the males. And what if the vague prejudice extended even to little boys in school, who, because of the color of their hair, were apt to hear both these messages regularly: Purple-haired boys aren’t as smart as normal-haired boys; they also need stricter discipline-after all, look at all the purple-haired criminals on TV. Suppose teachers went so far as to relegate some of these kids into separate classrooms so that they didn’t interfere with the learning of others.

Now imagine that you have a purple-haired boy of your own-a terrific kid whose intelligence and potential shine clearly. But after a few years in grade school, the light of his enthusiasm for learning is beginning to dim. His teachers say it’s his fault-that he can’t do the work, won’t stay on task, has a learning disability, rotten attitude, bad habits, you name it. What would you do?

As implausible as it sounds, this parable is all too real for some African American families with boys in the nation’s public schools. Granted, not every black make student is in every learning environment suffers these biases, nor is every problem of the schools’ making: The more fortunate students receive enough love, encouragement, and support at school, at home, or in their communities to achieve in spite of the odds (see examples of such kids in "Voices of Hope" on the following pages).

But some black boys do not. Far too many confront a stifling kind of bias that destroys their interest in school, according to a growing chorus of educators and activists. This prejudice can have hurtful consequences: cultural insensitivity, lowered expectations, unduly harsh discipline, and the systematic shunting of African American boys into remedial or special education classes.

Although the hardships some black male students face are not insurmountable, these problems must first be understood before they can be solved.