Date of Award

Spring 2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctorate of Education

Department

Interdisciplinary Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Quincy Martin III

Second Advisor

Dr. Daniel Koonce

Third Advisor

Dr. Deborah Baness-King

Abstract

In its current form, the public school system fails Black students on numerous levels. When it comes to demographics, both in terms of inputs and outcomes, American schools rank among the worst in terms of resource imbalance, which contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline (Darling-Hammond, 2006). At the high school level, the academic disparity between districts that serve mostly Black students, and their White counterparts is widening, causing a considerable chasm to grow between these demographics. For many Black students, matriculation into higher education is the ultimate objective. Students must, however, be adequately equipped to participate successfully in the collegiate experience (Anderson, 2015).

Ten Black males who graduated from Governors State University (GSU) participated in the study. Each participant was influenced by numerous race-congruent mentors. Three key themes emerged when the interviews were completed, transcribed, and coded: (1) life lessons from mentors; (2) mentor impact; and (3) defining success on their own terms. This study documented the Black male experience with mentorship in terms of academics, social-emotional well-being, academic background, and mentor support structures.

The findings indicate that mentorship was crucial to participant’s academic, social emotional, and motivational well-being. Moreover, participants indicated that lack of mentor support would have most likely resulted in negative life consequences, including death and incarceration. Participants shared the challenges they faced, and the impact mentorship had on their decision making, and ultimately their success.

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