The Impact of the Academic Achievement Gap on the African American Family

The academic achievement gap impacts the African American family in various ways. It can influence how African American children experience school; and it has implications for their high school dropout and graduation rates, college attendance, and college completion rates. For parents, the academic achievement gap may influence their own socioeconomic status via their educational attainment, which then has direct implications for their children. The purpose of this article is to present a comprehensive review of the academic achievement gap for the African American family from school entry through college graduation. We do so by examining current trends and theoretical perspectives, under the rubric of social inequality. The article concludes with implications for practice with African American families.