This volume considers African-American education in the 21st century through the lens of the Chicago School Tradition, at the University of Chicago. The Chicago School Tradition, among other emphases, stressed the optimistic view that all children who do not have serious physical or emotional impairments can do well in school, if provided access to effective teachers, sufficient resources and adequate opportunities to learn. On the occasion of Professor Edgar G. Epps' retirement from the University of Chicago, as Marshall Field IV Professor of Urban Education, this volume includes contributions from several generations of scholars influenced by his work to celebrate his career and contributions to educational research, policy and practice. More broadly, the volume adopts a holistic approach to examine the persistent challenges of deteriorating urban schools and poor educational outcomes for African American students. The volume seeks to demonstrate how solutions may flow from educational research, theory, policy and practices conducted in the Chicago School Tradition.

Why do Blacks underperform in school? Researchers continue to pursue this question with vigor not only because Blacks currently lag behind Whites on a wide variety of educational indices but because the closing of the Black-White achievement gap has slowed and by some measures reversed during the last quarter of the 20th century. The social implications of the persistent educational 'gap' between Blacks and Whites are substantial. Black people's experience with poor school achievement and equally poor access to postsecondary education reduces their probability for achieving competitive economic and social rewards and are inconsistent with repeated evidence that Black people articulate high aspirations for their own educational and social mobility. Despite the social needs that press us towards making better sense of 'the gap,' we are, nevertheless, limited in our understanding of how race operates to affect Black students' educational experiences and outcomes. In Beyond Acting White we contend with one of the most oft cited explanations for Black underachievement; the notion that Blacks are culturally opposed to 'acting White' and, therefore, culturally opposed to succeeding in school. Our book uses the 'acting White' hypothesis as the point of departure in order to explore and evaluate how and under what conditions Black culture and identity are implicated in our understanding of why Black students continue to lag behind their White peers in educational achievement and attainment. Beyond Acting White provides a response to the growing call that we more precisely situate how race, its representations, intersectionalities, and context specific contingencies help us make better sense of the Black-White achievement gap.